Advocating for UK NGOs and building the effectiveness of the development sector

Charities and terrorism

Recent counter-terrorism legislation may make it more difficult for charities to do their work, especially those with international links.

Charities are affected not only by UK legislation but also that of the EU, the United Nations and other countries such as the United States.

Bond is actively involved in lobbying for the needs of international development NGOs to make sure that complying with the law does not prevent them achieving their aims. We held a meeting in June 2009 to discuss impacts and further action needed.

Charity Commission strategy

The Charity Commission published its Counter-Terrorism Strategy in July 2008 in response to a Government review of the risks of abuse of charities' funds by terrorists.

The strategy is particularly relevant to international development NGOs because of their work overseas, which may bring them into contact with designated terrorist groups or individuals.

The strategy consists of four strands. First, the Commission will raise awareness among charities of new law and guidance, including issuing a toolkit, the first section of which was published in November 2009.

Second, a new pro-active monitoring unit has been set up to identify which charities are more at risk.

The third strand commits the Commission to more co-operation with other Government bodies and law enforcement agencies.

Finally, the Commission will intervene in a charity's affairs if it considers this necessary, for example by removing trustees or suspending activities during an investigation.

Bond's contribution

Bond convenes a group of members concerned about the impact of these measures on their work. We responded to several consultations on the strategy.

Bond is concerned that the risks to charities have been exaggerated.

Extra regulations could be too onerous, especially for small NGOs, and may result in charities being prevented from carrying out their work, for example by alienating overseas partners.

Charity Commission toolkit

Bond is continuing to contribute to the development of the Charity Commission's toolkit, which will consist of practical guidance for charities.

The first section of the toolkit, 'Protecting Charities from Harm', was published in November 2009. It summarises counter-terrorism legislation and how individuals and groups are officially designated as terrorist, and covers charities' monitoring and reporting requirements.

Further sections will include safeguarding charity funds and the beneficiaries and reputation of the charity, and case studies highlighting how charities can successfully carry out their work within the law, in areas where there is terrorist activity.

For more information, or to share your experiences of the impacts of counter-terrorism efforts on your NGO, contact the Bond Advocacy team.  Also let us know your views on the first section of the toolkit and we will feed them in to our ongoing dialogue with the Commission.