The event was moderated by Ms. Eli Roman, moderator with The Money Channel TV. It was organised under the patronage of the Norwegian Embassy as a result of the substantial financial contribution that Norway brought to the Romanian civil society through the EEA NGO Fund 2007- 2009. Over 80 representatives of the corporate sector, of the civil society took part in the event, as well as members of the diplomatic corps and media.
The Best Annual Reports Awards is an annual competition of RDF, launched in 2002, which aims to support and encourage a good practice among Romanian nongovernmental organizations – the practice of annual reports as instruments for transparency and responsibility. RDF Federation is a network of leading donors and sponsors foundations and institutions active in Romania (view the RDF members here).
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Hovdkinn underlined that “Transparency is not only closely linked to predictability, to trust, to accountability, but also to efficiency, productivity and good governance. Transparency is a precondition for a well- functioning system/organisation. It is good both for business and for the civil society… Can we imagine having trust in an organization or an institution without having a minimal critical mass of information about its activities, about how it operates, about its results and their impact? Definitely not.”
The 2009 edition of the Best Annual Report Competition registered the highest number of competitors so far: 41 NGOs competing for 8 awards, which were carefully evaluated by a jury of 9 representatives of the civil sector and mass-media. For the first time ever, the Best Annual Reports Competition welcomed the annual reports of 4 multinational companies competing for one award, companies which have chosen to show their way of working transparency and responsible by producing annual reports dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility in Romania. The 8 awards offered by 8 sponsor companies and NGOs amounted to a total of 4,300 Euros. Please view here the list of winners and the evaluation jury of the 2009 Best Annual Reports Competition and Awards.