Our Principles for Working within Burma

A group of Independent Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) operating inside Burma developed a Joint Principles of Operation (JPO) for Humanitarian Assistance, distributed in June 2000. These principles have been developed to clarify the role and ethical principles of INGOs working in Burma at this time. The intended audience is the regime, foreign governments, current and potential donors, INGOs inside and outside the country, UN agencies and other interested parties.

The JPO was drafted as a response to the discussion about the ability of INGOs to undertake humanitarian assistance due to the political situation. INGOs who adhere to the JPO are confident that they have developed and maintain a high level of ethical and effective programming that the complex operating environment demands. There is a belief that their experience over the last decade has improved their strategies and interventions. It is recognized that maintaining high operational and ethical standards while minimizing the potential negative impact of their presence is of critical importance.

Implementing a code of conduct or this JPO is part of reflecting organizational commitment to ethical performance. However introducing the JPO may not be sufficient to guarantee ethical performance. The effectiveness of the JPO hinges on personal interpretation and application by individual practitioners.

CoAid has adopted the JPO as its guiding set of principles for operating within Burma.

Joint Principles of Operation of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) Providing Humanitarian Assistance In Burma/Myanmar (June 2000)

1. Humanitarian Imperative
   INGOs recognise that the right to receive humanitarian assistance, and to offer it, is a fundamental humanitarian principle that should be enjoyed by all citizens of all countries. When we give humanitarian assistance it is not a political or partisan act and should not be viewed as such. Our primary motivation for working in this country or in any other country in which we work is to improve the human condition and alleviate human suffering.
    
2. Non-discrimination
   INGOs follow a policy of non-discrimination regarding ethnic origin, sex, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, political orientation marital status or age in regard to the target populations with whom we work.
    
3. Respect for Culture and Custom
   INGOs respect the local culture, religions and traditions of the people of Burma/Myanmar.
    
4. Independence
   INGOs are agencies that function independently from all governments, government controlled/organised bodies, and political parties.

   INGOs set independent policies, design our own programs and use implementation strategies which we believe are in the best interests of the humanitarian needs of individuals, families, and communities of the target population and, ultimately, in the best long-term interests of the people.

   While INGOs operate in Burma/Myanmar with permission from the host government, we do not implement the policies of the host government nor are instruments of foreign policy of donor governments, except in so far as these policies coincide with the independently set policies of the INGOs.

   INGOs select where we work based on our organisational mandate, our independent assessment of need and organisational capacity.

   INGOs do not knowingly allow ourselves to be used to gather information of a political, military, or economically sensitive nature for governments or other bodies that may serve purposes other than those purposes that are strictly humanitarian.

   INGOs provide funds and project materials directly to project beneficiaries.

   INGOs do not provide funds or materials directly or indirectly to government departments or parastatal organisations for project implementation.

   INGOs work with organisations that are determined to be independent non-governmental organisations, which may include religious and cultural groups, business associations, and others.

   INGOs recruit and hire staff independently of any outside influence.
    

5. Monitoring and Accountability
   INGOs are accountable to donors and beneficiaries and adopt and implement necessary monitoring mechanisms to ensure all assistance reaches the intended targeted beneficiaries.

   INGOs are prepared to discontinue assistance if we become unable to implement and/or monitor our programs in an ethical and effective manner.

   5.1 Financial Accountability
   INGOs consider themselves stewards of our donors' funds and accept that responsibility with the utmost seriousness.

   INGOs have monitoring and control systems in place to ensure that our financial resources and assets are used solely by and for our intended project beneficiaries and are not diverted by the government or any other party.

   INGOs seek to maximise the financial impact of our programs and we do not exchange money at the central bank rate of US$1 = 6 Kyats.

   INGOs have financial audit systems in place that verify all financial expenditures.

   5.2 Accessibility
   INGOs work directly with and have direct access to project beneficiaries and their communities to, assess, evaluate and monitor projects.
    

6. Rights-Based Programming and Advocacy
   INGOs respect fundamental human rights as defined by the United Nations and our programs take a constructive approach to advocate for rights of individuals as consistent with program objectives in the communities where we work.

   INGOs seek to promote an environment in which fundamental human rights are respected through a variety of means. INGOs balance the importance of our advocacy activities with the importance of our operations.
    

7. Capacity Building
   INGOs seek to operate in a way that supports civil society and builds the capacity of human resources in the country.

   INGOs are committed to enhancing the capacity of local community-based organisations.

   INGOs are committed to enhancing the capacity of individuals working within our individual organisations, across a wide variety of skills, including technical skills, critical thinking, problem solving and leadership skills.

   INGOs are committed to enhancing both the technical and organizational capacities of our beneficiaries.

   INGOs foster understanding amongst our staff members and between staff members and our target populations, recognising the importance of reconciliation and understanding amongst Burma/Myanmar's diverse peoples.
    

8. Sustainability
   INGOs employ a diverse set of strategies with a long-term goal of achieving sustainable impact in our programming. Sustainability can be defined in a number of different ways, including the long-term impact of a specific intervention following the closure of a project, continued financial viability of an institution, or capacity built within the community, within local community-based organisations or among staff members. Different INGOs may employ different definitions and different methods, but all of us consider sustainability of paramount importance and strive to achieve it.
    
9. INGO Co-operation
   INGOs exercise mutual respect for each agency's mandate, methodology, independence and self-determination.

   INGOs practice transparency and confidentiality in engaging in a regular dialogue with one another regarding these principles and encourage one another to maintain the highest possible level of ethical programming.

   INGOs encourage and support additional INGOs entering the country to develop and undertake responsible ethical programming to provide needed humanitarian assistance.

   INGOs encourage donor agencies to significantly increase funding for ethical and responsible humanitarian assistance activities within the country.