NGO Code of Practice
Over recent years there has been a considerable increase in the number and range of NGOs involved in responding to meet the increasing challenges of HIV and AIDS. This includes NGOs specifically focused on HIV, NGOs integrating HIV-specific interventions within other health programming; and NGOs mainstreaming HIV and AIDS within development and human rights programming, to name a few.
After extensive consultation in 2004 with a wide range of organisations, a “Code of Good Practice for NGOs responding to HIV/AIDS” was launched with the endorsement of almost 200 organizations worldwide. The Code sets out the key principles, practices and evidence base required for successful responses to HIV and AIDS. This represents an important first step toward the Code’s vision of ‘a united and accountable NGO response to HIV/AIDS, dedicated to continuous improvement, and informed by evidence and the needs of affected communities’.
ICASO contributed to the development of the NGO Code of Good Practice as a key accountability tool to promote good programming and disseminated information on the Code to its constituents. The Code is an important resource to guide NGOs in their work for effective programming and a tool to hold themselves accountable to their constituencies. Through the Code’s Steering Committee and the development of assessment tools ICASO continues to support and promote the use of the Code within the community sector.
