About BOND
On other pages:
- How is BOND organised?
- BOND's Equal Opportunities Statement
- BOND's Statement of Principles
- BOND's Strategy 2006 - 2011
- BOND's Operational Plan 2008-09 (word)
- BOND Annual Review 2006/07
- BOND is a member of...
- Directory of BOND member organisations
What is BOND?
BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development) is the United Kingdom's broadest network of voluntary organisations working in international development (often called non-governmental organisations, or NGOs).
BOND was founded in June 1993, on the initiative of 61 NGOs, and now has over 340 members. It is officially recognised by the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID).
BOND aims to improve the UK's contribution to international development by promoting the exchange of experience, ideas and information amongst BOND members between networks of NGOs in the UK and internationally, with the UK Government, and between BOND members and other UK bodies with an interest in international development.
To support this work, BOND manages training, advocacy and information services.
BOND's work is funded by member subscriptions, income generation, and grants from DFID, the European Union and the Big Lottery Fund.
BOND Vision, Mission and Values
BOND is the UK membership body for non-governmental organisations working in the international development sector. We promote the exchange of experience, ideas and information and, as the UK's broadest network of international development organisations, provide our members with a powerful collective voice for change.
Together we are working towards a shared vision of the future, underpinned by a set of values that inspire our work and mission.
BOND's Vision
A world without poverty, inequality or injustice in which human rights are upheld and our environment
protected.
BOND's Mission
To strengthen the quality and effectiveness of UK-based international development organisations
and harness the power of collective action to influence public, private and political bodies in
the pursuit of BOND's vision.
BOND's Values
- Justice and solidarity
- Diversity and mutual respect
- Collaboration and participation
- Sustainability and shared responsibility
- Transparency and accountability
What does BOND do?
BOND works to promote the exchange of experience, ideas and information; By acting as a broker for a variety of relationships By collating and distributing information
BOND facilitates relationships:
Between BOND members
BOND enables members to learn together, sharing experience to ensure that
the best practice in the NGO community is accessible to all. Working
Groups and Learning Circles: Groups of BOND's members meet regularly
to learn from each other's experience and to develop expertise together.
Training: BOND manages about 30 training
events per year on a wide range of topics, and guides its members towards
other training providers. NGO Futures:
BOND supports its members in building an understanding of the changing
world in which they operate, to enable them to adapt appropriately.
Between other networks of NGOs
UK NGO
Networks: BOND liaises with other networks of UK NGOs undertaking
specialist work, to ensure that their work, and that of BOND members,
is appropriately co-ordinated. BOND publishes a Register of NGO Networks.
BOND exchanges information and experience with NGO networks in other parts
of the world to support its work. BOND is particularly interested in working
with other networks on government-NGO relations; on developing inter-NGO
learning mechanisms; and on building effective relationships with wider
civil society and the corporate sector.
With the UK Government
Representation and consultation: As the UK's broadest network of NGOs, BOND represents the views and interests
of the NGO community to government. Recent representation of members has
included work on the UK government's 1997 policy paper on international
development, Eliminating World Poverty; and on DFID's extensive consultation
during 1998 on its support for civil society in the South and the UK.
Civil society and NGOs: BOND specialises
in its work with government on the nature of government-civil society
relations on international development. It aims to ensure that mechanisms
for consultation and financial support are designed to ensure the most
effective work together for international development. BOND aims, not
to represent all NGO views on all topics, but to ensure that government
has access to the work of the NGO community on as wide a range of topics
as possible. Its information service enables government units to engage
with both specialists and the wider NGO community.
With the European Union
As an active member of the pan-European NGDO confederation CONCORD,
BOND has a key role in advocating on European Union development policy.
At an EU level, BOND's aim is to ensure that EC
development policy is prioritised over political considerations, that
an increasing share of EC aid goes to least developed countries and that
EU external policies are consistent with development objectives and integrated
with poverty reduction targets. BOND has a role in ensuring that UK NGOs
(individually and collectively), their European counterparts, and central
EU NGO Networks, are better informed about the actual and potential role
of EC development policy and practice and are better placed to influence
the EU. BOND enables member expertise to be pooled for collaborative EU
policy analysis, facilitates a shared analysis of policy issues and joint
positions and co-ordinates EU
advocacy activities.
Between BOND members and other UK bodies
BOND is in the process of developing links with the following companies,
organisations and institutions. If you would like to get in touch with
BOND about the development of these relationships please contact us. BOND
is currently developing its capacity to support its members' work with
the UK corporate sector. UK companies work alongside NGOs in some areas
of programme work, in commercial relationships, and as funders. BOND aims
to enable NGOs to work effectively with voluntary and community organisations
in the UK, so that experience of similar development work in the South
and in the UK can be drawn on effectively. BOND aims to ensure that the
experience of UK NGOs underpins academic work, and that academic insights
are accessible to NGOs.
Information collation and distribution
In support of this work, BOND's Information Service enables its members,
and a wide range of other users, to access information from or about the
UK NGO community.
- BOND Database of members: This lists all of our members (unless they have asked not to be listed).
- The Networker a bi-monthly publication which carries features and news on policy, funding, and other issues of strategic importance to the sector.
- Advertisements Bulletin
- Directories and Registers
- Other Publications