The International Non-Governmental Organisations Accountability Charter (INGO Accountability Charter) is a charter, founded in 2006 by a group of independent non-profit organisations, which is intended to foster accountability and transparency of non-governmental organizations, as well as stakeholder communication and performance.
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NGOs have a particular interest in meeting standards on accountability and transparency in view of the responsibilities towards not only the cause which they are meant to servce, but also stakeholders of various types, including donors and sponsors (possibly comprising corporations and governments), intended programme beneficiaries, staff and the general public.[1][2]
The charter is considered a contributing element to underscoring the legitimacy of NGOs.[3]
Signed in June 2006 by eleven leading international NGOs active in the area of human rights, environment and social development, the INGO Accountability Charter has been referred to as “the first ever set of international and cross-sector guidelines for the NGO sector”[4] and the “first global accountability charter for the non-profit sector”.[5]
The founding members are ActionAid International, Amnesty International, Civicus World Alliance for Civic Participation, Consumers International, Greenpeace International, Oxfam International, International Save the Children Alliance, Survival International, International Federation Terre des Hommes, Transparency International and World YWCA.
ActionAid International
Amnesty International
Article 19
Caritas Internationalis
CBM International
CEE Bankwatch Network
CIVICUS World Alliance for Civic Participation
Consumers International
CORDAID
Earthrights
European Environmental Bureau
Greenpeace International
Instituto del Tercer Mundo (Secretariat of Social Watch)
International Council for Adult Education
IRC (International Water & Sanitation Centre)
Malaria Consortium
Oxfam International
Panos Network
Plan International
Sightsavers International
Transparency International
World Vision International
World YWCA
The Charter is based on nine core principles and aimed at enhancing accountability and transparency, encouraging stakeholder communication, and improving organizational performance and effectiveness.[4] It documents the commitment of international NGOs to these aims.
The Charter requires its members to submit an annual report according to the Global Reporting Initiative's NGO Sector Supplement. The reports are then reviewed by an Independent Review Panel that provides feedback to the organisation, before the reports and the feedback are published to the Charter website.[6][7]
The Board of Directors of the Charter has representatives from Amnesty International, CBM International, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Greenpeace International, Oxfam International, and World Vision International. The current Chairman of the Board of Directors is Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director of Oxfam International.
In July 2010 the Berlin Civil Society Center took over the Secretariat role of the Charter from CIVICUS.
In 1997, the One World Trust had created an NGO Charter, a code of conduct comprising commitment to accountability and transparency.[8]