NGOs for a responsible society

"We should talk less about social responsibility and responsible society. Because there is hardly a responsible society without citizens, associations, NGOs, political parties, institutions and, of course, responsible companies?. This statement ANGELES Castiñeira and Josep Maria Lozano is more relevant today than ever. The European governments have pumped more than 2.5 billion euros to rescue the financial system and every time you hear more voices pointing to the excesses of the high transnational executives in bonuses, stock options and incentives, even for breaking their own businesses. Unworthy to hear the presidents of the major banks and the violation of principles, lack of values ​​... Did not they have boosted salaries of managers and executives millionaires? Sing the mea culpa is a starting point whenever there is purpose of undoing mistakes, and that is to be seen. Voluntarist codes on corporate social responsibility, as the Olivenza on Good Government, or initiatives Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) or the Global Compact within the United Nations has been battered and in some cases, pulverizados.En this context, civil society organizations have to act as spearheads in the regeneration of the social structure.

At the time of establishing transparent criteria for solidarity organizations and initiatives, it has become evident the influence of the market and their languages. They are often exclusively quantitative criteria, statistical economist cutting, based on a logic of "products? and "customers? serving primarily the "balance of results? verifiable. The reality faced by civil society organizations does not fit into these schemes, even professional input parameters.

The volume of funds, both from public and private, who run the NGOs has increased substantially over the last twenty years. Therefore it is necessary to achieve the greatest possible transparency in management. In addition, occasional scandals in the sector, but with great media coverage, have shown that when a stricter self-regulation to prevent the bad practices of a few organizations damage the trust and credibility of conjunto.Según the 2007 report on the Sector Coordinator of NGOs for Development, Spain (CONGDE), its members were 655 million for development cooperation programs, of which 549 million were executed. Funds were allocated to development projects (69%), humanitarian assistance (11%) and awareness (5%). Over 80% of organizations working in coordination with over 3,000 local partners in recipient countries, 127 in total, have executed over 5,500 projects. America is still the place where more funds are allocated (52%), followed of? Africa (30%) and Asia (14%). People involved in the sector are already over 28,000, 21,000 voluntarily. The figures show the importance and complexity of the sector, which together with the non-profit, we have moved to establish a series of internal control parameters that ensure accountability accounts as clear and transparent as possible, together with a few lines of management ensuring good governance of them.

We open ourselves more to external criticism and be able to demonstrate the result of our work. To demand greater transparency to companies and public administrations, now more than ever, we need to exercise consistency. In 2009, the Coordinator shall approve a tool for member organizations which verify the degree of transparency in its management. Parameters are evaluated based on social, destination of funds, labor climate, liability of directors, volunteer training, relations with companies, administrations ... The year 2010 will be for voluntary and 2011 shall apply for a mandatory Coordinadora.Con entities initiatives like this, we focus on NGO transparency as one of our strategic assets, so that we can act and explain our work in a responsible, clear and simple. This situation contrasts with the protagonists of the current financial and economic crisis global.Las NGOs do a complex job and qualified, highly professional, focused on the fight against poverty, exclusion, against marginalization, involving itself same values ​​associated with the transparency of our mission.

* Director of Solidarity and UCMPOR professor DAVID? Alvarez Rivas *. While banks have violated principles of ethics and transparency, civil society organizations have to demonstrate they are governed by these principles.