Plan has been named one of the top performers in the One World Trust annual Global Accountability Report.
The independent report ranks 30 of the world's influential corporations, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on accountability and transparency.
Plan came second in the NGO section and finished third overall with a score of 69%. The high score placed Plan ahead of most other NGOs and intergovernmental organisations. Global corporations scored poorly - with only one company making it into the top 10.
Tom Miller, Plan's Chief Executive Officer said: "We welcome any independent assessment of our practices. As an organisation that actively promotes accountability at all levels, it is vital that we are also accountable to those we support. Plan has invested heavily in accountability and transparency over the past few years - this result shows that investment is paying off.
Accountability is core to our values and strategy. However there is no room for complacency, this is an encouraging starting point and we are happy to be named a global top performer."
The Global Annual Report, measures organisations' policies on transparency, participation, evaluation, and complaints and response procedures using a unique Global Accountability Framework, developed by the One World Trust.
The report is compiled using data collected from a variety of sources including publicly available information, documents provided by participants and interviews with key members of staff. In addition stakeholders and independent experts on each organisation are engaged in the data collection and verification stages of the research.
Michael Hammer, executive director of the One World Trust, said: "The current lack of accountability is a serious global issue, with serious global consequences. The credit crunch has demonstrated the devastating impact this can have on the world and it is imperative that improvements are made now before more issues arise. The organisations we reviewed this year in the report, however, should be applauded for taking part. Most have voluntarily engaged with us and continue efforts to enhance their accountability.
Hammer continued "Organisations need to look at accountability as an opportunity rather than a problem. It can, for instance, make powerful organisations more effective."
For a full copy of the One World Global Accountability Report visit the One World Trust website.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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