Singapore government strengthens the management of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and strictly eliminates risks that threaten the country.

The state media of Singapore, "Lianhe Zaobao," reported on the front page that in order to help charitable organizations enhance their regulatory capabilities, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth has partnered with the Singapore University of Social Sciences to launch a unified regulatory and transparency framework in early next year, providing simplified reference guidelines for charitable organizations.

Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Education, Liang Zhenwei, announced this news at a charity regulatory seminar on Wednesday (October 29).

Liang Zhenwei pointed out that in recent years, the Charity Council and the Office of the Charity Commissioner have successively introduced measures to strengthen the regulatory level in the charity sector. This includes updating the Charity Organization Transparency Framework in 2020 and launching the revised Charity Organization and Public Institutions Regulatory Guidelines in 2023.

In addition, the Charity Council collaborated with KPMG last year to launch a guidance manual to help charitable organizations implement environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measures more effectively. The Office of the Charity Commissioner also worked with Wang Law Firm to publish a guidance manual on developing anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing procedures for charitable organizations.

Currently, to assess the regulatory and transparency levels of charitable organizations, documents such as the Charity Organization and Public Institutions Regulatory Guidelines and the Charity Organization Transparency Framework must be referred to. Some charitable organizations have provided feedback that they hope for a more streamlined process to refer to and follow.

To develop a unified regulatory and transparency framework, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Singapore University of Social Sciences consulted over 150 charitable organizations and other stakeholders. The new framework will integrate multiple existing documents into a single simplified reference guide, allowing charitable organizations to clearly understand the actions they should take to achieve good governance and adopt best practices.

Dr. Lin Xiaoling, Course Director of the Nathan School of Human Development at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said when interviewed that charitable organizations of all sizes must demonstrate their regulatory and accountability levels to stakeholders, especially the general public, to gain public trust, volunteer support, and donations.

"In recent years, reference frameworks for regulatory levels have been gradually introduced... They are very practical, but some charitable organizations, including smaller ones, may not have enough time or resources to refer to different information sources. This framework consolidates all the information, and charitable organizations need only refer to one source of information, which helps them save time and effort when implementing governance policies."

After the framework is launched, it will be uploaded to the Charity Portal. In the future, the Charity Organization Regulatory Award and the Transparency Award will use this framework as the main evaluation tool.

Additionally, to help leaders of charitable organizations improve their leadership and regulatory capabilities, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth launched the new course "Governance Leadership: Excellence in Charitable Leadership Training Program" from April this year. The course content includes governance and ethical standards, fiduciary duties, financial management, and assessment of the impact of charitable projects.

Wu Qingjiao, Chairman of the Charity Council, said when interviewed that the Council has previously focused on training directors of charitable organizations to master governance capabilities. With the development of society and its increasing complexity, the Council believes that in addition to governance knowledge, it should help these leaders enhance other skills such as financial leadership and impact assessment.

The course is conducted both online and offline, and has already received 500 applications; some of the four units have already started, and it is expected that by the end of the year, the entire program will be fully launched. The course was co-launched with the Singapore Institute of Chartered Accountants, the National Council of Social Service, Pro Bono SG, The Majurity Trust, and the Singapore Directors Association.

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth has also partnered with Temasek Shophouse to create a dedicated space in this building located on Orchard Road, where charitable organizations can access professional services such as legal, financial, and accounting advice from groups like the Pro Bono SG, the Singapore Institute of Chartered Accountants, etc. Staff members of charitable organizations can also attend workshops at Temasek Shophouse to enhance their leadership, governance, and operational capabilities.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847413252412480/

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