Eight NGOs at the community and national level have embarked on a new initiative with LNG producer Atlantic that aims to strengthen their governance and accountability procedures and also enhance service delivery to their primary stakeholders – the next generations of Trinidad and Tobago.
This initiative – the Atlantic Good Governance and Accountability Programme – is a joint initiative between Atlantic and Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute (TTTI).
Camille Salandy, Atlantic’s Head of Sustainability and Corporate Communications, explained that the participating NGOs are all partners with Atlantic on the company’s various Sustainability initiatives that target youth development through sport or capacity building at the community and national level.
“Atlantic wanted to increase the already significant impact that these NGOs are making on the children who participate in our sustainability programmes and there is an established link between good governance and good performance,” Salandy said. “Over an 8-month period, the Atlantic Good Governance and Accountability Programme will evaluate and upgrade the governance policies and processes of our NGO partners. They will be assisted through guided self-assessment exercises; special workshops on governance and accountability; and then through post-assessment interventions using the expertise of TTTI.”
Dion Abdool, Chair, Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute (TTTI), said that the Institute’s partnership with Atlantic was part of the organization’s wider aim to build good governance policy and practice in the public and private sectors and also in civil society organizations.
Abdool said that TTTI recently hosted an initial workshop on Accountable Governance, Financial Management, Human Resource Management and Accountable Programmes for these NGO partners of Atlantic. “The NGOs were exposed to the Accountability Tools – seventeen elements which comprise the Civil Society Accountability Toolkit, a framework developed by TTTI in collaboration with the Commonwealth Foundation.”
Abdool explained that the next phase of the initiative is now underway, with follow-up site visits to guide the implementation of governance best practices in these NGOs. Following these initial visits, TTTI will plan customized interventions for each NGO over the next six months.
“The Atlantic Good Governance and Accountability Programme will provide necessary support to Atlantic’s valued NGO partners, and in turn help to ensure the successful execution of Atlantic’s Sustainability programmes,” Salandy added. ”Most importantly, it will open the door for continuous improvement of these initiatives which benefit thousands of children across the country.”