Improving NGO Internal Governance and Public Accountability: Sharing Experience and cases on NGO self Regulation

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Improving NGO Internal Governance and Public
Accountability Sharing Experience and cases on
NGO self Regulation

• A paper presented at the CIVICUS Webinar
  interaction on
• Legitimacy, Transparency and Accountability
  issues
• for civil society organizations
• By
• Bonnie Kiconco K. Mutungi
• National QuAM Coordinator
• 15th July, 2010

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Outline of the presentation

• Introduction
• The Rational for the QuAM initiative
• Over view of the QuAM process
• Governance structure and Features
• Certification levels and process
• QuAM Strategic Focus
• Achievements
• Anticipated Benefits
• Implementation challenges
• Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION What is QuAM

• The NGO Quality Assurance Certification Mechanism
  (QuAM) is a voluntary internal self assessment
  and regulation mechanism initiated to strengthen
  the internal governance of NGOs by supporting
  them to enhance their capacity to uphold accepted
  standards and ethical conduct.
• The QuAM development process was done under the
  patronage of the Uganda National NGO Forum
  (UNNGOF) and the Development Network of
  Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA). The
  two organizations and the promoters of the
  initiative.

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Rationale for the QuAM Initiative

• The rationale behind the initiative was that the
  NGO sub-sector itself should be actively engaged
  in promoting particular set of values and norms
  as part of maintaining a public reputation for
  professionalism and high ethical standard.
• To set out principles and definite standards of
  behaviour for responsible practices with an aim
  of protecting the credibility and integrity of
  civil society organisations in Uganda

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Rational

• CSOs to subject themselves to the same level of
  scrutiny as they demand of others (CSOs in Uganda
  have enjoyed special status and influence within
  development processes by highlighting the
  failures of Government and other institutions).
• To regulate the conduct of NGOs. There is
  consensus among CSOs themselves and other
  stakeholders including development partners, that
  there is need for a Civil Society Voluntary
  Certification Mechanism that would apply to a
  broader constituency within civil society.
• To enhance CSOs legitimacy by demonstrating
  their accountability, their openness to public
  scrutiny and their adherence to acceptable
  ethical standards of behaviour

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Overview of the QuAM Process

• The QuAM initiative was developed through a
  highly participatory process that took over 18
  months.
• The initiative came at an opportune time to
  salvage individual organizations codes of
  conduct most of which are just kept on shelves
  and not performing their intended purpose.
• The process also entailed public input through
  the media.

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Process

• The QuAM development process was done under the
  patronage of the Uganda National NGO Forum
  (UNNGOF) and the Development Network of
  Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA) and
  the initial phase was concluded in 2006.
• After over 3 formative years of the QuAM as a
  collective process, important gains have been
  made and lessons learnt.
• Key among lesions learnt is the nature and status
  of NGOs in Uganda.

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QuAM Governance Structure

• The QuAM organization structure is as follows
• The National QuAM Assembly,
• National QuAM Council,
• District Quality Assurance Certification
  Committee,
• Public or Beneficiary

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QuAM Features

• The QuAM goes beyond any single existent code of
  conduct it is based on clearly defined standards
  and sets out implementation modalities, including
  sanctions in the case of breach.
• Obtaining a QuAM certificates is not a legal
  requirement, but once issued, the provisions of a
  certificate are binding on the certified NGO.
• QuAM has three certification levels and an NGO
  qualifies for one basing on its compliance with
  the 59 standards as indicated below

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QuAM Certificate Levels

• There are three different levels of a quality
  assurance certificate issued
• Provisional applies to NGOs that are of recent
  creation, meet selected minimum quality standards
  (18 in total). They apply for full certification
  after one year.
• Full Certificate issued when all minimum quality
  standards have been met (they are 32 in total,
  including the 18 above)
• Advanced Certificate issued to an NGO that meets
  all minimum standards above as well as standards
  for improvement (27 in total).

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Levels of Development

• Attaining any of the above certificates depends
  on the level of development the organization has
  achieved. There are 59 standards that are used to
  assess an organization that applies to be
  certified and these are classified as below
  development as classified below
• (A) The NGO as an Organization
• (B) NGO Programs and Activities
• (C) Further improving our performance

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Certification Process

• The certification process and overall
  implementation of the QuAM is vetted and verified
  by two important external organs, and at times
  the third organ may be involved. The organs are
• National QuAM Council independent of any single
  NGO comprising of 7 persons from representatives
  of NGO networks (apex, thematic and district) and
  two independent persons with extensive knowledge
  of civil society. The Council issues Quality
  Assurance Certificates and also acts as the
  keeper of the QuAM monitors its implementation,
  keeps records, sensitizes and trains district
  committees.
• District Quality Assurance Certification
  Committee Is composed of 5 voluntary members, at
  least one third of whom are female.
• Public or Beneficiary vetting may be done with
  the help of the prescribed beneficiaries which
  the NGO in operates. At times the vetting
  mechanisms may require every NGO to subject
  itself to public scrutiny to get feedback on its
  work from the community or stakeholders that have
  a stake in the organization

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Strategic Focus

• Outreach and Publicity of QuAM to all NGOs and
  their constituencies in the country
• Encouraging and supporting NGOs to under take the
  Certification
• NGO Capacity Development (this will evolve as
  generic QuAM Gaps are identified through
  Monitoring and Evaluation it should be
  conceptualized as a mentoring process where more
  advanced NGOs can help the others)
• Networking, Learning and Synergy Building
  (national QuAM platform for learning and
  experience sharing

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Foreseen QuAM Benefits

• The QuAM is a progressive, nonthreatening
  instrument to internal self-governance, designed
  to enable NGOs at different levels of development
  to grow overtime
• QuAM ensures genuine appreciation of principles
  and practices, as opposed to enforced
  conditioning which leads to organizations
  artificially claiming governance standards
  without believing in them
• Having NGOs that are publicly accountable and are
  able to show the impact of their work to the
  community/ constituency they represent.

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Benefits

• Benefits for NGOs include
• Enhanced credibility, legitimacy, accountability,
  protection/autonomy
• Contributes to better cohesion amongst NGOs
• Helps to constantly improve performance and NGOs
  learn from examples and
• Raises profile

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Achievements so far made

• Launch by Minister of State for Internal Affairs
  at the 2nd Uganda Social Forum in September 2006
• Recognition of the QuAM by NGOs, development
  partners and government the QuAM is recognized
  in the NGO Regulations of 2009 and the draft NGO
  Policy
• QuAM infrastructure in place
• A fully established and functioning National
  Council
• Fully functioning secretariat,
• QuAM Committees in 19 districts,
• Recognition of the QuAM by NGOs, development
  partners and government the QuAM is recognized
  in the NGO Regulations of 2009 and the draft NGO
  Policy

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Achievements

• Sensitizing and marketing to NGOs both during
  the process of formulation and after its launch,
• Some NGOs have already gone through the process
  and testified to the importance of Self
  Regulation, and they can give testimony on how
  going through the process has helped streamline
  their operations and these include
• UNNGOF,
• Plan Uganda,
• Kalanga District NGO Forum,
• DENIVA, and
• Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU

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Outstanding Challenges

• Limited outreach especially at sub national
  level,
• Different interpretation by other stakeholders
  who look at QuAM as a compulsory instrument,
  rather than voluntary which would undermine a
  cardinal principle of the initiative,
• Lack of clarity on ownership some NGOs think
  that QuAM belongs to particular organizations and
  they have no business with it.

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Conclusion

• In a country facing a moral crisis in the public
  and private sector, the QuAM aims to make a
  contribution to inculcating moral impulses that
  will percolate through the entire society.
• The QuAM is one of the most important
  developments in the NGO sector that has got
  support from a cross section of NGOs local,
  national, International, and other partner
  sectors
• We therefore call upon all actors to respect the
  values and principles that QuAM espouses and
  support its implementation.
• We would encourage all NGOs in the country to
  adopt/assimilate to the QuAM Agenda as an
  instrument composed of standards aimed at
  enhancing Accountability as well as credibility
  in the sector.