Welcome to our second newsletter of 2010. The summer months are proving to be a busy time for our team as we lay plans for some exciting projects to commence after Ramadan in the Gulf, Pakistan and Indonesia. This newsletter has details of our current programme of training in the UAE and Pakistan, and news of our future plans will be posted on our website shortly. We have also recently updated our website with the laws and regulations for NGOs operating in Pakistan, India and Thailand. Please take a look at these pages and contact us at internationalprogramme@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk if you have suggestions for further information we could include.
Sadly this month we are saying goodbye to Sarah Jane Digby who has led our work in sub-Saharan Africa. Since joining the team in 2006 Sarah has made a fantastic contribution to our work and I know she will be missed not only by us here at the Charity Commission, but also by her many friends and colleagues in the region. Sarah is leaving us to spend a year working in the area of disability rights in Guyana. I’m sure you will join me in wishing her every success with the NGO and in her future career.
In April this year we were invited by the UAE Government Office for the Coordination of Foreign Aid (OCFA) to lead a workshop on the issue of financial accountability for NGOs. Delegates from a range of organisations including the Emirates Foundation, Dubai Cares, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dubai Government Islamic Affairs Department, the UAE Red Crescent, UN IRIN and the State Audit Institute attended the event. The International Programme was joined by Haroun Atallah, Director of Finance at Islamic Relief in the UK, to lead discussions and present scenarios which explain and explore the importance of accountability in NGO work.
The UAE’s critical position as a conduit between the West and East ensures the importance of humanitarian aid work to the region. This was clearly evidenced during the Haiti crisis when it was estimated by the International Humanitarian City in Dubai that as much as sixty per cent of all international aid to the affected islands was routed through Dubai, cementing the UAE’s central role not only as a logistics hub but also one focussed on providing a speedy, efficient and accountable system for the provision of humanitarian relief. The International Programme aims to return to the UAE again in 2010 to follow up with a similar workshop in Dubai in the autumn.
We have recently completed the first phase of a training programme of government officials in Pakistan. During this programme experts from the Charity Commission have trained in excess of 1300 officials in skills such as the registering, monitoring and investigating of NGOs. As a result of this training the Pakistan Government has reported a significant increase in the compliance by NGOs with their legal obligations, and NGOs have provided positive feedback that the Government is building more productive relationships with them.
Over the coming year the International Programme will build on this work by offering more in-depth training to a smaller group of specialist officials who will then continue to support their colleagues in developing better regulation. Small teams of these specialists will be established in each province of Pakistan and will be encouraged to work closely with the local district offices who have responsibility for the registration and monitoring of NGOs. To complement this programme of training a range of guidance leaflets on issues such as “NGOs and Fundraising” and “How to Maintain Financial Records” will be made available to NGOs to help them improve their governance. Throughout this programme of training the Charity Commission has been working with the Government of Pakistan to develop a national database of NGOs, which is available to the public here: http://www.ngosinfo.gov.pk/.
The UAE Office for the Coordination of Foreign Aid (OCFA) based in Abu Dhabi has recently launched “UAE Foreign Aid – 2009”.This is the first in a series of annual reports detailing the activities of UAE-based donors, broken down by donor organisation, country of operation and sector of activity. The report is the result of extensive collaboration among UAE donors, and marks a major milestone in efforts to document the foreign aid coming from the UAE.
Main highlights of the report include:
OCFA is a Federal Government Entity with HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region, presiding as the Office’s President. It works to support the nation’s delivery of humanitarian and development aid for the benefit of communities in need worldwide. For more information about OCFA and to download the report, please visit their website: www.ocfa.gov.ae
The Community of Democracies is an intergovernmental organisation of democracies and democratising countries with a stated commitment to strengthening and deepening democratic norms and practices worldwide.
To commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Community of Democracies, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Radoslaw Sikorski, hosted the High Level Democracy Meeting of the CD from July 2 - 4 in Krakow. Over 100 civil society leaders and democracy activists from every region of the world participated, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek as well as many other high-level representatives were also in attendance. Delegates spoke of the important role civil society plays in supporting democracy and the US Secretary of State spoke of the importance of monitoring and responding to repressive measures taken against civil society, commending the work of a new Community of Democracies Working Group on Enabling and Protecting Civil Society, chaired by Canada. The Working Group is seeking to address this issue and develop ways the international community can respond to restrictive laws and regulations that limit or prevent the work of civil society.
The International Programme participated in a day long discussion prior to this high level meeting of the Working Group and provided expert advice. For more information about the Community of Democracies and its work with civil society, please visit its website: http://www.ccd21.org
This newsletter and the associated website www.NGOregnet.org are produced by the Charity Commission's International Programme. The Programme is supporting the development of a healthy, accountable and independent NGO sector worldwide by facilitating the exchange of good ideas for NGO regulation nationally, regionally and internationally.