websites include the articles of incorporation, the names of board members, relevant reports and public letters.1116 In the period just before the October 2012 elections, watchdog CSOs engaged in an extensive campaign with billboards, radio spots, media performances and newsletters. The campaign was aimed to influence the voting behavior of the people of Curaรงao. According to those interviewed, the CSOs opted not to disclose information about the funding sources of those campaign activities. Certainly in that period, there was a growing call for transparency in the financing of CSOs in Curaรงao public and political debate.
Accountability (practice) Score: 50 TO WHAT EXTENT ARE CSOs ANSWERABLE TO THEIR CONSTITUENCIES?
CSO boards and members are only partially effective in providing oversight of CSO management decisions. Most CSOs observe principles of democracy and accountability in their formal internal structures. The law ensures that within associations all members are given an opportunity on an annual basis to control the financial position and business activity of its executive committee. 1117 Regarding foundations, if there are doubts about the compliance with the statutes, the law gives the right to key stakeholders and the public prosecutor to ask the board for information any time.1118 On the positive side, an expert interviewed noted that effective accountability mechanisms are often imposed by donors. The expert argued that donors are generally successful in performing this function, and the CSOs usually report to them and provide them with the relevant documents, because they would otherwise face the prospect of being denied funding in the future. Also, unions succeed, to varying degrees, in answering for their decisions to key stakeholders and members. For instance, some unions do exert strong supervision of board decisions, while others do not. A union expert emphasised that the level of professionalism of the union is decisive here. On the negative side, several CSOs face a number of dilemmas when it comes to a professional approach and transparent and timely reporting. The preparation of a good annual report takes considerable time which is often needed for other core tasks, and is often not available in the case of the many volunteer-led CSOs.
Integrity (practice) Score: 25 TO WHAT EXTENT IS THE INTEGRITY OF CSOs ENSURED IN PRACTICE?
In practice most CSOs in Curaรงao are based on trust, and they have a rather reactive approach to ensuring integrity of their staff and members.
1116
See, for example, www.stichtingsmoc.nl and www.akshonsivil.com [accessed 8 May 2013]. Cf. Civil Code, Book 2, Article 89. 1118 Ibid. Article 54. 1117
191
NATIONAL INTEGRITY SYSTEM ASSESSMENT CURAร AO