Supporting the development of a healthy NGO sector worldwide

A vibrant NGO sector has a significant economic and political value to a country. The challenges to development are immense; governments can not do everything on their own. They need to work in partnership with civil society, an important part of which in most countries is the non-governmental, non-profit (NGO) sector.

We are supporting the development of a healthy NGO sector worldwide in partnership with local stakeholders. By promoting the integrity and independence of the NGO sector in a given country we help to provide the space within which all NGOs can act, empowering them to achieve their objectives. In particular, we help to develop the best possible regulation of NGOs in order to increase their effectiveness and public confidence and trust.

Our vision, mission, principles
Overview of our work
The value of effective regulation
How we can help
Contact us

Our vision, mission, principles

Vision:

An environment which maximizes the contribution NGOs can make to improve people's lives across the world

Mission:

To create a healthy, accountable and independent NGO sector by supporting the development of effective local regulation through sharing experience and ideas.

We will work towards our vision by acting within these principles:

We respect the independence of NGOs and their contribution to society
We ensure the inclusiveness and accessibility of our work
We act with honesty, impartiality and fairness
We work in partnership to achieve high quality and sustainable results.

Overview of our work

For a variety of reasons, many countries are reviewing (or have recently reviewed) their NGO laws, policies or attitudes to government/sector engagement. The driving forces in any change process need to be the local governments and NGO voices, but we are responding to the demand by these actors for general information (knowledge of other models has spread surprisingly poorly around the world), specific technical knowledge and/or mediation/facilitation. Part of this need can be fulfilled online, and we have developed www.NGOregnet.org to be a portal for national and international best practice.

Often, more practical help is needed. Since 2002, we have provided technical assistance to over 20 countries and have run several regional workshops to share best practice. We work in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and South East Asia.

Update on Activities

We are part of the Charity Commission, which is established by law as the independent regulator for charities in England and Wales. It has 150 years’ experience of ensuring that charities are well-governed and managed, to increase public confidence and trust in them. Its work enables charities to maximise their potential and to enhance their accountability to donors and those who benefit from charities.

Our international work, largely funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Global Opportunities Fund, has the same end results in mind. In all our work, our key messages are: the valuable contribution of the sector in a country's economic and social development, the need for an effective and enabling legal and regulatory framework for NGOs, the role of self-accountability and self regulation initiatives to support an effective regulatory system, and the need for dialogue between government and the NGO sector.

We promote best practices in regulation and facilitate the exchange of ideas internationally, regionally and nationally. We encourage better – rather than more – rules and wide-ranging guidance to build a stronger NGO sector that can protect itself against any kind of misuse. Common themes are: a regulator that is well-regarded by the government and the NGO sector, risk-based and proportionate oversight of the sector and a sustainable business plan.
We believe that NGO oversight is the shared responsibility of government, the NGO sector, donors and beneficiaries. An effective regulatory system depends on the contribution of these different partners, and should address each of their needs. Jointly-developed solutions are more sustainable and in many cases a combination of governmental and sector-led regulation works most effectively.
We look at regulation in context. In particular, we consider NGO legislation, sectoral self-regulation and relations between the government and NGO sector.

To put it another way, an effective regulatory system in any country depends on the contribution of different stakeholders. The regulatory bridge illustrates how these different elements link together:

Regulatory Bridge Graphic / Illustration

At the heart of this bridge is the relationship between an individual NGO (self-accountability) and the government. This is supported by standards that the NGO sector has developed and those that the public and funders require. In many countries the NGO sector has voluntarily introduced Codes of Conduct – and in some cases the government has encouraged the sector to take control of important parts of regulation. The public and donors also play an important oversight role, from complaining about bad NGOs (and praising good ones) to demanding that their money is spent properly.

Value of effective regulation

The value of NGO sectors can be measured in a variety of ways, but all suggest that NGOs can make powerful contributions to the millennium development goals and beyond.

Economically, the NGO sector is a key player, often making up about 5% of a country’s GDP. Its contribution can be hard to measure because of definitional differences and nonexistent or inadequate NGO registers. However, it is safe to assume that the economic contribution of NGO sectors throughout the world is large, whether we look at the overall income of the sector or the number of NGOs in most countries.
NGOs implement projects in a huge range of areas; importantly, NGOs provide a reach that governments often do not have (whether geographically or with marginalized communities). Their creative ideas and local solutions are critical in the development debate, and often support policy shifts such as good governance and anti-corruption.

Indeed, development – broadly understood - may not be not sustainable without a growing body of effective NGOs operating in an increasingly strong sector. To realise its potential, the NGO sector as a whole needs to have a clear space within which to operate, one that makes a reality of mutual transparency and accountability and that is free of political discretion and is cost-effective both for the government and the sector. NGOs (and governments) need to know clearly what they can and cannot do.

The outcomes of a clear operating space include:

Information about the size and activities of the NGO sector improves enormously, with benefits for governments, funders and NGOs alike. Indeed, it is now an international requirement that countries are able to undertake reviews of their NGO sector.
Debate between governments and NGO sectors becomes more cooperative and effective because of shared understandings of regulation, transparency and accountability.
Effective regulation is a concrete example of good governance.
It creates a larger range of possible local partners, through an empowered NGO sector and a smaller risk of individual NGOs being misused. It is also likely that there would be a multiplier effect, as discussions about good practice lead to changes in attitudes with other people or organisations. This will increase donor confidence and (probably) aid flows.

How we can help

Nationally, we have experience in a variety of tools, such as:

A regulatory assessment exercise that we have designed to identify areas for improvement in current NGO legislation and regulatory practice. It can be carried out by the local regulator or sector, jointly with the Charity Commission’s International Programme (CCIP) or solely by us.
Introducing ideas of effective regulation in a country, such as through a visit by CCIP and/or a basic (usually three day) in-country training workshop for senior regulatory officials. This is designed to cover the rationale and key components of effective regulation, supported by examples from international practice and adapted ‘real life’ case studies.
More detailed assistance to individual countries to enhance their regulation by looking at other models of governmental and sectoral regulation, and by facilitating discussion between the government and sector if that is required. For example, we offer consultancy on aspects of regulation (eg the design of registration forms, monitoring tools or the use of information technology) and capacity development (eg planning or cascade training).
We can also give advice on options for self regulation within the sector and how to provide an enabling environment for NGOs while maintaining effective oversight.
There may well be a need to look at legislative or policy change, and we can assist with this as well. Legislation needs to be clear and easy to implement, encouraging compliance and creating a clear operating space.

Similarly, there are a number of international tools that regional bodies and funders could be interested in exploring:

Regional workshops bring together regulators, representatives of NGO umbrella groups and key regional bodies to explore the regional value of the NGO sector, to share good and bad practice in NGO law and regulation, and to develop practical strategies for building capacity, promoting good practice, creating an enabling environment and developing effective dialogue and partnership between a government and the sector.
Regional Codes of Conduct for Regulators lead to cross-border improvements in NGO regulation, which will assist the development of a stronger and more effective regional NGO sector. By dealing with the principles underlying regulation, a Code can mediate the space between government and the sector in a very concrete way.
www.NGOregnet.org is a portal for national and international best practice.

For more information about our work, please contact:

James Shaw-Hamilton
Head, International Programme
+44 (0)20 7674 2417
Email

Didi Alayli
Gulf, Middle East and North Africa
+44 (0)207 674 2484
Email

Phil Cooper
South and Central Asia
+44 (0)1823 345117
Email

Sarah Jane Digby
Sub-Saharan Africa
+44 (0)20 7674 2477
Email