Draft Code of conduct for regional NGOs

Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Antigua, are meeting to review a draft code of conduct which stipulates how each member, staff or volunteer within the region should function.
They are also working to establish a harmonised NGO law that defines the relationship between civil society agencies and the government.
The two-day consultation, which opened yesterday at the Multipurpose Centre, is being spearheaded by the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), in conjunction with Volunteers United Antigua Barbuda.
Gordon Bispham, executive director of CPDC, said the Barbados-based organisation is seeking to create a greater level of awareness about NGOs and the role they are expected to play in society.
“We thought it would be a good idea to define ourselves by first establishing good organisational management, but at the same time to have certain principles that we agree to abide by,” Bispham said.
The organisations attending the conference are being asked to familiarise themselves with the content of the code. Organisations that agree with the terms of the document will be able to sign it and adopt the principles outlined.
Fifteen signatories representing regional and national networks from throughout the region have signed the code of conduct since it was first established in 2012.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)