Transparency

Transparency of financial reporting

Médecins du Monde was created on March 7 1980 and is an NGO, governed by the law of 1901, recognised as a public service by a decree on January 24 1989. Donations to Médecins du Monde are therefore tax-deductible. Donations and legacies are exempt from inheritance tax.

Médecins du Monde is a non-governmental, non-political and non-sectarian association. Its freedom to act and bear witness mainly depends on its financial resources. These must be sound, balanced and diversified. They may not under any circumstances be in contradiction to the association’s code of practice or expose it to external pressure.

Médecins du Monde undertakes to observe a policy of openness as regards its accounts. In addition to legal requirements (annual publication, audits, inspections etc the association has introduced additional procedures to guarantee its donors a high level of openness.

The Charter Committee

To improve financial accountability, from the time of its creation, Médecins du Monde co-founded the Charter Committee. This supervisory body brings together over 50 associations and French foundations who share a number of ethical principles including budgetary discipline and financial transparency. In 1996, Médecins du Monde was elected to the governing body of the Charter Committee. The association is already a member of a large number of its working groups, and it now intends to step up its action within the Committee, in working out a policy of accountability with regard to donors.
Comité de la Charte - 133, rue Saint-Maur
75541 Paris Cedex 11
http://www.comitecharte.org/

The Donor Committee

In 1990, Médecins du Monde set up the first Donor Committee, one of the tasks of which is to audit the actions of the association, in both operational and financial terms. As such, the Donor Committee carries out on-site assessment missions. It reports these assessments in the journal published by Médecins du Monde for donors.
The Donor Committee is made up of a maximum of sixteen members. A third of their number are elected every two years from applications submitted at meetings to which all donors are invited.
Mr Carl Van Eiszner was re-elected as President in 2005.

For all the above reasons, in December 1996 the National Council of Auditors awarded Médecins du Monde the “Prix Cristal” (Crystal Prize) for openness in financial reporting, which is awarded each year to companies, associations and foundations who have provided the public with the best information concerning the management of their finances.