22 January 2014, Innsbruck – A leading organisation promoting standards for transparency and accountability has recognised SOS Children’s Villages for its good practice.
The General Secretariat of SOS Children’s Villages had previously been granted ‘affiliate’ membership of the internationally prominent INGO Accountability Charter, which has as members numerous highly respected organisations, such as ActionAid, Amnesty International, Care International, Plan International, and World Vision, among others.
A central pillar of full charter membership is the submission of an annual report that covers varied aspects of an organisation, such as strategy, governance, stakeholder engagement, human resources policies, financial management, environmental management, community impact assessment, and responsible fundraising.
“I am delighted that we are now full charter members and that the INGO Accountability Charter has recognised our high standards of management and transparency,” said Richard Pichler, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages. “It is absolutely essential that we be open and honest with all our stakeholders, and the annual report process of the INGO Accountability Charter is a good mechanism through which we can fulfil that responsibility.”
An independent review panel appointed by the INGO Accountability Charter provided feedback to the report submitted by SOS Children’s Villages International in 2013. Both the SOS report and the Charter’s response will be available on the website.
The review panel said of SOS Children’s Villages’ report: “For a first report in particular it is very comprehensive and good. SOS Children’s Villages has sound accountability practices in place assuring and driving the quality of its work.”
The panel suggested various areas for improvement, but also noted that “SOS processes for identifying and engaging with stakeholders and the organisation’s fundraising procedures can be seen as good practice examples. This is impressive for a first report.”