Transparency And Good Governance Imperative For Npos’ Credibility, Npo Sector Specialist

PRLog (Press Release) – Feb 27, 2008 – Transparency and good governance are imperative for developing the credibility of non-profit sector. This was reiterated by speakers at a workshop organized by Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare exclusively for international donor agencies on Nonprofit Organizations (NPO) Certification system at Serena Hotel, Islamabad.

Ms. Uzma Hussain, Policy & Research Analyst and Governance Unit ADB stated that without enhancing public trust in non-profits this increasingly valuable and vibrant sector is going to stay under utilized. Non-profit sectors in many countries like the Philippines have moved toward self-regulation through peer recognition or certification which is one of the best solutions to improve the accountability, transparency, efficiency and management of non-profit organization (NPOs), she added. Ms. Ayesha Khan, Executive Director MGPO highlighted the positive impact that PCP’s NPO certification had on their organizational effectiveness. Certification is a strong regime that can be utilized to improve NPO’s image and strengthen their operational capabilities, she stated.  

In his welcome address Mr. Saeed Ahmed Qureshi, Member Board, Chair Certification Committee PCP, highlighted the rationale and importance of the Certification Programme. Chairman Certification Panel, PCP, Dr. Humayun Khan gave the keynote address and mentioned that PCP has developed this certification programme based on objective evaluation for NPOs to improve their stewardship of the funds and resources, which the community as well as the donors have entrusted to them. Senior Programme Manager, Mr. Eazaz Dar, during his presentation, highlighted the role of nonprofits in development and need for synergistic partnership between government and civil society. He termed certification as an institutional support mechanism for supplementing and promoting government’s agenda of good governance, transparency and accountability. Till date, the Centre has granted 143 certificates of good NPO practices against 200 applications. These NPO are entitled to tax exemptions from the Government of Pakistan. The complete list of certified NPOs is available on http://www.pcp.org.pk.

The session was attended by large number of donors, diplomats, INGOs and some senior government officers including representatives from ADB, USAid, Save the Children UK, UNAIDS, IUCN, Children Advocacy International, AFD, Malteser International, British High commission, Embassies of Japan, Italy and Netherlands, Federal Board of Revenue and Economic Affairs Division. They appreciated and commended PCP’s endeavors to bridge the information and credibility gap between grant givers and grant seekers through institutional mechanism of certification.  

For
Pakistan Center for Philanthropy

By
Syed Khalid Gilan
www.mediaweavers.net

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About the Centre:
Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) was established in 2001 and is an independent nonprofit support organization. The Centre does not engage in direct philanthropy, instead it seeks to help others in their altruistic philanthropic efforts through encouragement and provision of systematic meaningful support services. PCP is the first and so far the only Government of Pakistan authorized NPO Certification agency in the country.