Frequently Asked Questions
What's the Network All About?
The Population and Sustainability Network was established to clarify and communicate the importance for sustainability of both population and consumption factors.
It aims:
- To increase leverage on population issues. These are defined, in generalised terms, defined as population growth in the majority developing world and over-consumption in the minority developed world. There is also the issue of a trend towards policies to increase the birth rates in the minority world.
- To bring together development, environment and reproductive health NGOs, government departments, academics and others, by providing a 'space' in which different constituencies who do not normally interact on these issues can learn from each other
- To increase public and professional understanding of the inter-relationship of the key issues and their importance in addressing sustainable development and poverty eradication both in the rich minority world and in the majority world
- To explore the barriers that inhibit discussion and action on these issues
The Network is co-ordinated from a London office, but it has rapidly expanding links with a range of overseas organisations and is seeking to promote closer co-ordination among these.
Governance
- 1. Are you a registered NGO?
- No, we are a Network, but many of our members are registered NGOs.
- 2. Who controls the activities of the Network?
- A Steering Group plans and carries out activities and evaluates progress against objectives in conjunction with Network members.
- 3. Are you a charity?
- No, but our founding sponsor is the Margaret Pyke Trust (charity number: 1064672), and all funding is channelled through the Trust with an independently audited procedure.
- 4. Who 'hosts' the Network?
- The Margaret Pyke Trust, whose main aim is the advancement of medical education and research in sexual and reproductive health, provides a charitable framework and service support. PSN reports on a quarterly basis to the Margaret Pyke Trustees.
- 5. What is the role of the UN, since the Network is a UN-registered partnership?
- The Network was launched as a UN Partnership in April 2004 at the United Nations in New York. Being part of the UN system helps the Network to work with other UN accredited organisations
- 6. How is the finance managed?
- All monies are paid into the Margaret Pyke Memorial Trust and are monitored by their financial system. The Network has its own bank account within the Margaret Pyke Memorial Trust's financial structure.
The PSN Co-ordinator and the Company Secretary of the Margaret Pyke Trust jointly manage expenditure through a preset budget drawn up by the Network Co-ordinator and agreed by the Steering Group.
An Audit Committee, made up of one member of the Steering Group and two external non-members, has two central functions: 1) monitoring the development and implementation of the PSN budget, and 2) receiving monthly expenditure statements from the Co-ordinator and any other cost centres, and verifying these against budget.
- 7. Do you have any public occasion when members and others can meet?
We hold public meetings to communicate with our target audiences. These events provide an open forum for members and others to contribute and share viewpoints on development of the PSN, its policies and their role in furthering them. Regular meetings are held with combinations of relevant organisations. To receive invites for PSN public meetings please subscribe to our mailing list.Resourcing
- 8. How are you funded?
- The founding sponsor is the Margaret Pyke Trust and they continue to provide the major part of PSN's funding; the rest is made up by donations from a variety of sources.
9. How do you raise additional funds?
We approach organisations whose aims and objectives are similar to our own and for whom the Network is addressing an unmet need.
We also welcome individual donations from Friends of PSN. These donations can be ‘gift-aided’ – please contact the Network Coordinator for information.Membership Issues
- 10. How do you report to the Members?
- By electronic newsletters and individual correspondence as appropriate. A printed version of the newsletter is also produced.
- 11. How do you relate to your international members?
- In much the same way as the UK national members (see 10 above).
- 12. How does one become a Member of the Network?
- One central feature of the Network is that the membership should reflect as evenly as possible the sectors the Network aims to represent. Organisations approach us asking if they can join: a successful 'application' depends on a clear indication that the organisation shares our central aims and objectives, conducting its affairs with due probity, and that admission to membership is in line with the balance of the sectors the Network aims to bridge.
- 13. Do members of the Network pay a fee for membership?
- We invite members to contribute, but it is not a condition of membership.
- 14. Do you have any grass roots projects?
- We support individual projects where these have the potential to provide role models for our advocacy work.
- We have supported a model project in KwaZulu Natal which has provided support to communities concerning HIV/AIDS education.
We are currently supporting a population planning/sustainable conservation project in Samburu, Kenya from 2006, and one in Madagascar in collaboration with Blue Ventures from 2007.- 15. Will you support any other grass roots projects?
- We will consider suggestions on a case-by-case basis. See 14 above.
- 16. What happens if a Network member does not agree with a statement or policy?
- We would discuss their objection with them and seek to resolve the issue. Any paper we produce which requires explicit support from the Network would be circulated for comments before publication.
Work of the Network
17. How will you measure your impact?
A strategic plan (2006-2009) has been developed with objectives, activities, targets and indicators, and means of evaluation.
The answer to this question is in two parts:
18.1 Activities
We conduct a wide range of activities, including seminars, research and advocacy initiatives, each with a set of indicators in order to monitor and evaluate effectiveness.
18.2 Outcomes
The PSN has been in existence for five years. However since the organization aims to raise awareness and exert influence, any outcomes, insofar as they will be measurable, should become linked to:
- Changes in public and institutional perception of the importance of population issues
- Indications that the recommendations from research projects have been integrated into government and NGO policy internationally
- Evidence that Population issues are back on the research and operational agendas of international policy-making organisations (including government departments, NGOs and research organisations)
- The unsustainable consumption debate being moved from discussion to action: for example, relevant policies and fiscal measures being introduced and greater public awareness about the need to conserve resources
- Greater interchange and discussion between the environment, development and reproductive health sectors through convened seminars/meetings
- 19 How far do you 'speak for' your members?
- We do not aim to represent our members directly, but rather to act as advocates for the issues and objectives expressed elsewhere in the website. The presumption is that those organisations/bodies which have joined the Network are broadly in sympathy with the aims and objectives of the Network.