The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) is honored to announce its favorable assessment in One World Trust’s 2008 Global Accountability Report. An independent think tank, the One World Trust conducts research, develops recommendations, and advocates for reform to make policy and decision-making processes in global governance more accountable to the people they affect now and in the future, and ensures that international laws are strengthened and applied equally to all.

The 2008 report, the fifth-annual report of its kind, used the One World Trust’s Global Accountability Framework to assess 30 leading intergovernmental and non-governmental (NGO) organizations and global corporations, including UNICEF, the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO), the International Olympic Committee, Unilever, and Carrefour. The Framework identifies four dimensions of accountability � transparency, participation, evaluation, and complaints and response. These dimensions are applicable across a broad spectrum of organizational models and enable the balanced management of the needs and interests of internal and external stakeholders. Documenting emerging accountability principles, the Framework also serves to highlight organizational best practice.

IFOAM was the highest ranking NGO as well as the top performer overall. The Federation received an accountability capability score � determined by averaging the accountability capability in each of the four dimensions � of 71. This ranking is even more impressive when considering that this year One World Trust raised the threshold for the minimum basic accountability in all each dimension.

“IFOAM should be congratulated for topping this year's sample of 30 global organizations,” said Robert Lloyd, project leader and lead author for the Global Accountability Report. “The standards it sets on organic agriculture affect consumers and producers around the world and it is crucial that they are developed through a consultative and transparent process. Our assessment of IFOAM's accountability capabilities has indicated that they are up to the task.”

Scoring particularly high in the transparency and participation dimensions, IFOAM’s ranking reflects its emphasis on empowering all its members and also non-member stakeholders. IFOAM received a score of 100 percent for its policy on stakeholder engagement and has the best-developed external stakeholder engagement capabilities across all the 30 organizations.

Open, consultative processes are crucial to IFOAM’s success, and have enabled the organization to develop internationally recognized, credible standards. One of only three NGOs assessed as having made a commitment being transparent, IFOAM’s process for engaging member participation is highlighted in the report’s “Good Practices Case Studies.” Here, IFOAM explains how it involves external stakeholders in the development of global standards on organic agriculture.

“The culture of accountability is rooted in IFOAM’s history and its mission, which is to lead, unite, and serve the Organic Agriculture movement in its full diversity,” said Katherine DiMatteo, President of IFOAM. “Not only does the 2008 Global Accountability Report reinforce IFOAM’s current achievements in accountability as noted in the report, but also it will inspire and guide us toward even greater accountability based on the achievements of other innovative organizations."
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