‘Non-Governmental Organisations are told that they must keep their financial records up to date.’
Minister of the People, Social Development and Family Services Vandana Mohit made the statement as she addressed participants at a World NGO Day Workshop held at the Centre Point Mall in Chaguanas on Friday.
According to the Minister, her Ministry understands the responsibility of such groups and has been moving to strengthen its partnership with them.
“We must also recognise the heart alone is not enough. Purpose must be supported by structure. Passion must be strengthened by accountability. Good governance, transparency, and compliance are not burdens to carry. They are pillars that uphold not my credibility alone, not the State’s credibility alone, but the pillars that uphold your credibility and ensure that your work endures for generations to come because when your systems are strong, your impact becomes unstoppable.”
Minister Mohit revealed that soon, civil society groups would be approached to assist in addressing the socially displaced throughout the country.
“When I took office in this Ministry, one of the first things I said is we cannot operate without civil society. When all the media houses were asking me about socially displaced persons, I said to both PSs, we cannot get rid of this problem of socially displaced persons without civil society. So very soon you’ll be seeing that approach coming forward, so we can deal with this big issue which we are facing nationwide.”
The Minister said approximately $98 million is spent annually to support NGOs and pledged the government’s continued support.
She, however, urged them to ensure that their financial records are up to date.
“And I want you to understand that when you do the wrong thing, and of course it goes out into the public, such as not having your financials up to par, then I have to answer and we don’t want that to happen in the future. So that is why this is one of our initiatives to deal with matters such as those upfront because what I’ve noticed as well is many people have that passion in their heart. They want that funding. They want to start an NGO. They want to acquire that funding and when they get the funding, yes, you are doing excellent work but financial compliance is a big issue for us.”
The theme of the workshop was “Progress for Partnerships: Strengthening NGO Capacity for Sustainable Development.”