Governance

Governance and Management of the Charter

• Background
• Q&A
• User's Guide
• Governance and Management of the Charter
• Management Committee
• Administration

Accountability Charter Roles and Responsibilities were adopted by Founding Signatories on the 11th of October 2006 to serve as the basis for the provisional governance of the Accountability Charter pending the finalization of the Accountability Charter%u2019s legal framework and independent mechanism to handle complaints, which are currently being developed by the Accountability Charter Management Committee.

Accountability Charter Roles and Responsibilities

The Accountability Charter is owned by its founding signatories, a group of 11 international NGOs. A clear definition of roles and responsibilities in implementing the Accountability Charter are required in order to secure efficient and transparent decision making with the final aim of maintaining the quality and integrity of the Charter.

Purpose

The Accountability Charter sets quality standards guiding the accountability of international NGOs. The Charter is aiming at becoming the accountability framework of choice for international NGOs and their constituencies. The launch of the Charter is seen as the start of an ongoing process aiming at developing accountability standards and reporting requirements. NGOs who sign on to the Charter do so for one full calendar year.

Founding Signatories

The following international NGOs are the founding signatories:

• ActionAid International
• Amnesty International
• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation
• Consumers International
• Greenpeace International
• Oxfam International
• International Save the Children Alliance
• Survival International
• International Federation Terre des Hommes
• Transparency International
• World YWCA

The Founding Signatories govern the Accountability Charter.

They meet at least three times per year - either in person of by telephone to discuss the development of the Charter and take decisions as required.

The Founding Signatories take all decisions concerning the implementation and future development of the Charter and its reporting process. This includes changes to the text of the Charter, changes to the reporting process, criteria for the acceptance of Signatories, fees for Signatories etc.

Decisions can be taken by simple majority of all Founding Signatories.

Major decisions generally are being taken for the following calendar year only in order not to change the basis on which organisations have signed up to the Charter.

Organisations can cease being a Founding Signatory by informing the other Founding Signatories in writing.

Management Committee

The Founding Signatories elect a Management Committee of three persons - at least two of which should be representing Founding Signatories - for a term of one year.

The Management Committee fulfils two major tasks on behalf of the Founding Signatories:

• it oversees the sign-on process to the Charter ensuring that only those NGOs are admitted as Signatories who comply with the ethical framework defined by the Charter and
• it guides the development of the Charter and the related reporting process.

The Management Committee is also the entity which in the future may set up and oversee a peer review process.

Complaints Committee

The Complaints Committee takes up any complaints against the process immediately linked to the implementation of the Charter.

The members of the Complaints Committee are elected for three year terms by the Founding Signatories.

Any complaints against the Complaints Committee are handled by the Founding Signatories. Any complaints against signatories have to be addressed directly at the respective organisation.

Role of the Charter Secretariat

On behalf of the Founding Signatories CIVICUS operates the Charter Secretariat and administrates the Charter website and the sign-on process to the Charter.

CIVICUS will be financially compensated for undertaking this task.

CIVICUS fully enjoys its status as a Founding Signatory. CIVICUS will not have a vote in matters directly concerning CIVICUS%u2019 role in managing the Charter or in any other matters in which it may have conflicts of interests.

As long as CIVICUS undertakes these roles the organisation has a seat - but without a vote - on the Management Committee.

Signatories

All international NGOs who comply with the ethical framework defined by the Charter are invited to sign on to the Charter and thus become Signatories.

All Signatories - including the Founding Signatories - report annually against the criteria of the Charter.

All Signatories are entitled to provide feedback to the Management Committee, e.g. to recommend changes to the Charter%u2019s wording.

All Signatories - including the Founding Signatories - pay an annual fee of (to be determined and approved by at the least the majority of Founding Signatories) which will be used to cover the costs of administering and developing the Charter.