Certificate of institutional commitment for civil society organizations: an Arab model for sustainability and professional performance
Written by: Dr. Walid Sayed
Director of the Department of Institutional Development for NGOs at the Misr El Kheir Foundation
NGOs in Egypt and the Arab region are witnessing a qualitative shift towards institutional excellence, driven by increasing development challenges and the need for tools based on transparency, governance and quality standards. In this context, the “Certificate of Institutional Commitment for NGOs” came as one of the leading models that reflects this transformation, and provides NGOs with a systematic framework for developing their performance and enhancing their societal impact.
The Certificate of Institutional Commitment is an effective tool for linking institutional performance to the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 16, and contributes to highlighting an Arab model that can be used as a guide to building more transparent, efficient, and inclusive societal institutions.
The certificate also comes as part of a broader path adopted by the Misr El Kheir Foundation through the Arab Center for the Sustainability of Civil Work, based on the “Community Vision Document for the Development of the NGO Sector,” which was launched in May 2025. The document aims to build strong organizations that adopt standards of institutional governance and comprehensive quality, and work according to a clear vision that enhances institutional sustainability and societal effectiveness.
The Arab Center for the Sustainability of Civil Work, affiliated with the Misr El Kheir Foundation, and in partnership with the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, launched the second version of the certificate in September 2024, with the aim of strengthening the commitment of civil society organizations to institutional governance standards, and supporting paths of institutional transformation and sustainability. The second session witnessed the advancement of 201 civil society organizations, including 177 Egyptian organizations representing 24 governorates, and 24 Arab organizations from 6 countries: Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, and Iraq. After a comprehensive review, 20 organizations passed the approved requirements, including 7 Arab organizations. The number of applicants reflected the widening scope of the certificate’s impact at the national and regional levels, and the increasing awareness of civil society organizations about the importance of quality as a strategic tool for trust and sustainability.
The “Certificate of Institutional Commitment for NGOs” relies on a comprehensive institutional review methodology, which aims to evaluate the institutional reality of the organizations through multiple stages that ensure fairness, transparency, and accuracy in the evaluation, as the organizations begin with the electronic submission via the official platform, followed by the initial screening stage and desk review to select the organizations qualified for the technical review. After that, a first remote review of Arab NGOs is conducted, while field visits to Egyptian organizations are carried out by specialized teams from the NGO Development Sector of the Misr El Kheir Foundation. These visits include careful review of documents, interviews with stakeholders within the organization, and verification of actual practices on the ground.
Following this phase, each organization receives a report containing observations and clarifications, and is given a period of time of up to two months to work on addressing gaps and improving. Then a second review is conducted to evaluate the organization’s commitment to implementing the required improvements, and based on its results, an accreditation decision is made.
The certificate is issued according to the final evaluation percentage, and is awarded in one of three grades:
* One-year bronze certificate, for organizations achieving 65% to less than 75%.
* Two-year silver certification, for organizations achieving 75% to less than 85%.
* A three-year gold certificate, for organizations that achieve 85% or more.
The second cycle of the certificate was implemented in partnership with the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, as the training arm of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, which played a pivotal role in supporting the state’s direction towards empowering civil society with tools of governance, transparency, and accountability.
The Egyptian Society for Quality also participated in designing evaluation and quality assurance mechanisms, and contributed its national expertise to building review methodologies in accordance with the best standards, which reflected a qualitative integration between development and quality expertise in supporting the private sector.
To learn more about the Certificate of Institutional Commitment: The path towards sustainability and professional performance in civil society organizations, you can visit the following link: