IRM endorses NGO

The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) has granted accreditation to a risk management training programme that was jointly developed by Gallagher Bassett and Plan.

Plan works in 48 developing countries to improve the lives of children, their families and communities. Plan works with more than 3.5 million families each year throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America.

It is the first time an NGO has applied for, and met the international standards of the IRM.

Steve Fowler, IRM’s CEO, said: “Third sector organisations increasingly acknowledge the importance of effective risk management in safeguarding their work. Plan is the first non-governmental organisation to take this one step further by developing a comprehensive IRM accredited training programme and we are pleased to have been involved in this process.”

The programme is designed to support the roll-out of Plan’s three year global risk management strategy. It focuses on improving the skills of country and regional managers responsible for identifying, managing and monitoring the risks to the organisation’s field programmes in 48 developing countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Maria Comerford, Plan’s Global Risk Management Advisor, commented: “Risk management is a key element of Plan’s accountability and corporate governance structure and something the organisation takes very seriously. It puts in place a consistent process to manage both the threats and opportunities. Plan’s risk management adds significant value to the organisation and helps us deliver on our objectives more effectively”.

“As the majority of our income comes from the generosity of individual sponsors, we have an obligation, moral and legal, to ensure that “public” money received is accounted for, used for maximum impact, and spent on where it matters most – improving the lives of children living in poverty.”

Over 400 Plan managers and staff have already received training with a further rollout in other Plan countries expected in the near future.