Qatar Charity Governance Structure

Governance

EXTERNAL
REGULATION

Qatar Charity, like all Qatar-based NGOs, operates under the supervision of the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities in the State of Qatar.

RACA is the regulator of charities in the State of Qatar and provides the legal framework that regulates the establishment and management of charitable work in the country, in alignment with leading international charity regulators’ guidelines

Qatar Charity also undergoes an annual external audit conducted by one of the global leading audit firms worldwide, KPMG. The annual audit is conducted in our head office and across all 30 field offices by a local external auditor accredited in those countries.

INTERNAL REGULATION

Board of Directors

Qatar Charity’s external and internal work environment is underpinned by a set of

60
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policies
procedures

adopted by the Board of Directors that provide guidance in all pertinent matters and define a clear, ethical, and lawful course of action for any situation affecting directly or indirectly the work of the organization.

The Board of Directors oversee the independent and specialized committees in risk management, compliance and audit with clear roles and responsibilities taking into consideration RACA’s legislations and Qatar Charity’s internal regulations. The Board undergoes an annual self-evaluation process as stipulated by the Qatar Charity’s Board of Directors’ Self Evaluation Policy and Self-Compensation Policy and Conflict of Interest Policy.


Risk management

Risk management

Risk management is an essential part of Qatar Charity’s governance system. It is guided by external regulations stipulated by RACA and by internal self-regulating policies and procedures developed by the Board. Qatar Charity adopts a risk-based approach in all aspects of its work by utilizing advanced tools to manage any risks that may incur

Qatar Charity worked with Refinitiv to develop a joint risk management system that is specifically adapted to the high-risk work of NGOs and that allows the organization to identify, anticipate and mitigate any risks that may arise before, during and after the delivery of aid.

Indicator 1 Corruption Perception Index
Indicator 2 FATF classification
Indicator 3 Fragile States Index
Indicator 4 Global Terrorism Index
Indicator 5 Conflict Risk Index

Indicator 1


Corruption Perception Index

Indicator 2


FATF classification

Indicator 3


Fragile States Index

Indicator 4


Global Terrorism Index

Indicator 5


Conflict Risk Index

Compliance

Because we recognize the risk that NGOs’ funds can be misused, we have added extra layers of protection by using advanced global systems to mitigate the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing in cooperation with major international institutions.

In 2019, Qatar Charity became the first organization in the MENA region to sign a unique cooperation agreement with Refinitiv Thomson Reuters, a world leader in AML/TF screening, to better identify risks related to money laundering and terrorist financing.
The cooperation comes in the form of a consolidated database of individuals and institutions between Qatar Charity and Thomson Reuters’ World Check that will enable us to quickly and effectively identify and isolate individuals and institutions that can pose a potential risk of money laundering or terrorist financing.
Our database screens all stakeholders, including partners, donors and beneficiaries against the United Nations Security Council Consolidated Sanction list, the European Union Sanctions list the National Sanctions list of the State of Qatar, and the US OFAC Sanctions list.

Audit

One of the main objectives of audit is enhancing internal control through a specialized committee, department and policy. A quarterly internal audit report is submitted to the board according to the audit policy.


Executive Management

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) manages the day to day activities of the organization with the support of a team of Executive Directors. The current team includes the Chief Governance Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Global Programs Officer and the Chief Local Programs Officer.

Organizational chart

Policies

Qatar Charity’s external and internal work environment is underpinned by a set of policies and procedures that provide guidance in all pertinent matters and define a clear, ethical, and lawful course of action for any situation affecting directly or indirectly the work of the organization.

The purpose of the conflict of interest policy is to protect Qatar Charity’s best interest when entering into any transaction, arrangement or decision where personal competing interests can potentially influence the thereof transaction, arrangement or decision.

The internal audit policy sets the guidance, scope and mechanisms for internal auditing practices being an inherent component of Qatar Charity’s governance system and helping ensure effective and efficient operations, ensure the reliability of financial reports and promote compliance with regulatory requirements.

The external audit is essential to assess internal control systems and ensure the accuracy of internally issued financial information. The external audit policy established a framework for the conduct of the annual external audit process to ensure full integrity and transparency of public financial records.

Humanitarian and development NGOs are often contending with ever-increasing and intensified risks to their personnel, operations and organization. The purpose of the risk management policy is to provide an organization-wide risk management framework to identify and anticipate potential risks and mitigate their impact.

NGOs often operates in volatile environments where there may be a risk of their funds being diverted to finance terrorist activities and are also considered to be “subjects at risk” in the money laundering framework. Qatar Charity implements a comprehensive AML/CFT policy adapted to the specific threats, risks and vulnerabilities facing NGO to safeguard the organization, its donors, partners, staff and beneficiaries from becoming a victim of, or an unintended accomplice to AML and TF activities.

The security and safety policy provides the guidance to protect staff from security and safety risks and to safeguard Qatar Charity’s life-saving resources and funds, as well as property in all the countries where the organization undertakes development programs and responds to emergency crises.

Child protection and welfare is at the core of Qatar Charity’s work. The child protection policy is a cornerstone in providing a safe enabling environment for children and young adults in our programs and projects. The policy unlocks rigorous child protection protocols and mechanisms for reporting incidents, preventing abuse and safeguarding the child’s dignity in all communication materials related to fund-raising, campaigning or policy.

The safeguarding policy aims to protect protect beneficiaries, particularly children and at-risk adults from any harm or abuse that may be caused due to their coming into contact with Qatar Charity.

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