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2020-12-31-accounts

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020

Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation Number 1174798 (Formerly Charity Registration Number 290367)

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

CONTENTS

Page
Reference and administrative information 1 - 2
Report of the trustees 3 - 16
Independent auditor
s report		 17-18
Statement of financial activities 19
Balance sheets 20
Statement of cash flows 21
Notes to the financial statements 22 - 32

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2020

Elected at 29[th ] Triennial World Conference 9 April 2019 includes changes in 2020

World President Mrs Magdie de Kock South Africa
Deputy World President /Chairman
Agriculture		 Mrs AlisonBurnett Scotland
Secretary / Chairman TriennialConference
Committee		 Mrs ChristineReaburn Canada
Treasurer / Chairman Finance &Membership
Committee		 Miss Ruth Cargill (resignedJune
2020)		 Australia
Mrs Alison Burnett (Acting)
Chairman Communications &Marketing
Committee		 Mrs SheilaNeedham Canada
Chairman ProjectsCommittee Mrs Maybel Moyo(deceased
June 2020)		 Zimbabwe
Mrs Edwina Marr (cooptedJune
2020)		 NorthernIreland
Chairman United Nations Committee Mrs Marie Kenny Canada
Area President Canada Mrs Linda Hoy Canada
Area President Caribbean, Central &South
America		 Mrs IreneHinds Trinidad &Tobago
Area President Central & SouthAsia Sr Lucas Arul Seeli(removed
June 2020)		 India
Mrs Magdie de Kock (Actingfrom
June 2020)
Area President East, West and Central Africa Ms Irene Chinje Cameroon
Area President Europe Mrs Afrodita Roman Romania
Area President South East Asia & the Far Mrs Norjanah Razali Malaysia
Area President SouthernAfrica Mrs Anphia Grobler(Resigned
October 2019)		 SouthAfrica
Dr Marina Muller(co-opted
October 2019)		 Namibia
Area President South Pacific Mrs Gail Commens Australia
Area President United States of America Mrs Bonnie Teeples United States of America

Chief Executive Officer Ms Tish Collins

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Charity Registration Number 1174798 (formerly 290367) Principal Office A04 Parkhall 40 Martell Road London SE21 8EN Banker National Westminster Bank plc 57 Victoria Street London SW1H 0HP Investment Manager Close Asset Management Limited 10 Primrose Square London EC2 2BY Auditor Azets Audit Services 2nd Floor Regis House 45 King William Street London EC4R 9AN

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

The Trustees of Associated Country Women of the World ('the Charity' or ACWW) present their report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the Charity s trust deed, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing the accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Structure, Governance and Management

Constitution

The Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales, number 1174798. It is governed by a constitution revised and confirmed by the Charity Commission on 22 September 2017 and confirmed by voting delegates at the 29[th ] Triennial World Conference in May 2019. Formerly ACWW was registered as an unincorporated charity, registration number 290367.

Trustees

The administration of ACWW is vested in a Board of sixteen Trustees. The officers are the World President, Deputy President (Chairman Agriculture Committee), Secretary (Chairman Triennial Conference Committee) and Treasurer (Chairman Finance & Membership Committee) who together with the three Chairmen of the other Specified Committees (Communications and Marketing, Projects and United Nations) and the nine Area Presidents form the Board of Trustees. The World President is the Chairman of the Board. The day-to-day management of ACWW is delegated to the Executive Committee made up of the World President and the six specified Committee Chairmen, who employ Central Office staff in London, including a Chief Executive Officer. In line with the Constitution, a new Board was elected at the 29[th ] Triennial World Conference held in Melbourne, Australia in May 2019. During the course of the year 2020 there were two resignations, one removal, one death, two co-options and two members of the Board acting in additional roles until the next Triennial World Conference (see the list of Trustees on page 3).

Structure

The Charity consists of independent organisations and individuals affiliated to it as fee paying members which are associated for achieving shared objectives. ACWW represents one of the largest international organisations for rural women with an extensive membership in over eighty countries and with consultative status at the United Nations. ACWW is a forward looking, friendship organisation committed to raising the health and standard of living of rural women and their families and the empowerment of women by advocacy, partnerships, local activities and sharing of knowledge; this includes funding training programmes and community development projects. ACWW seeks to be a non-sectarian, anti-racist, non-party-political, non-religious association.

There are four categories of society membership which are differentiated by the size and nature of the applicant organisation. Categories govern membership fees and voting rights at the Triennial World Conference; there are also individual members and a special Category for elected members of the Board for the duration of their being in post.

Board members are elected by voting delegates at the Triennial World Conference, with the nine Area Presidents elected by voting delegates from the appropriate Area. Candidates may be nominated by Category 1, 2 and 3 societies from among the active membership of these societies and candidates are also to be an individual Category 5 member of ACWW. Elections are conducted by secret ballot with a 50% +1 majority. The term of office is one Triennium and they may be re-elected to the same position for one succeeding Triennium, or for different positions totaling a maximum of 4 triennia. All Officers are expected to attend the Triennial World Conference and Board meetings. Trustees do not receive any benefits.

The Triennial World Conference is the highest legislative body of ACWW, it establishes policy and all matters concerning the Constitution. The Constitution, Rules and Bye Laws govern the workings of the organisation; this has been provided to all member societies and is downloadable from our website and may be sent as a hard copy on request. Printed copies were sent to all member societies in advance of the 29[th ] Triennial World Conference in April 2019. Trustees are inducted to their role and responsibilities in pre Conference workshops and at the Board meeting immediately following the Triennial World Conference. Governance training was continued at subsequent meetings of the Board tailored to suit the diverse experience and needs of Trustees. The Board for the 2019-2022 triennium included representatives from thirteen countries.

ACWW organises its work on policy objectives through six specified committees: Agriculture, Communications & Marketing, Finance & Membership, Projects, Triennial World Conference and United Nations. Whilst each is responsible for one aspect, they are all interlinked towards a common goal. Committee meetings are facilitated by staff administrators based at Central Office in London.

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Generally, the specified committees meet twice a year except for the Finance & Membership and the Executive Committees which meet thrice, with some members participating via videoconferencing. Decisions are reached on a majority vote basis (unless specified otherwise by the Constitution) but are subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees or Executive, whichever meets first, who also operate on a majority vote basis. Each triennium specified committees complete a review of their policy papers to be approved at the following Board meeting, to ensure they are robust and meet the governance and developing needs of the Charity. No in-person meetings were held in 2020 but a greater reliance on connecting via video-conferencing developed.

The World President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) are in frequent and regular contact. The CEO and Central Office staff in London carry on the day-to-day administration of the organisation ensuring compliance with statutory and charity requirements, financial and membership record keeping, projects administration and publications including The Countrywoman magazine, drafting statements and policy documents, research and information to support and administer the work of the specified committees and Board. Electronic communications are used between committee meetings as the appointed members are spread geographically.

There were some staff changes in the year: Mrs Jessica Green resigned during lockdown as she moved to another city and took up employment there. In September 2020 Mr Rowan McKinnon was recruited as Office Administrator in her place.

Volunteers

The ACWW Board and Committee members are volunteers who contribute considerable time, personal resources and energy to furthering the aims of the Charity. In some areas of the UK members of the WI take on the role of ACWW Representative and act as a conduit between the two organisations, in the Country Women s Associations in Australia and elsewhere, this role is played by the International Officers. As activities are carried out across over 80 countries, it has not been possible to quantify the number of volunteer hours. At conference time, in addition to the local volunteer Hostess Society, many volunteers come forward to act in a variety of vital administrative and support roles, for what become great social occasions and opportunities to forge friendships with people from different cultures and countries.

Central Office and Covid Pandemic 2020

Central Office is located at A04 Parkhall, 40 Martell Road, London SE21 8EN, a rented property. These premises enable the charity to have offices and to accommodate Board and committee meetings as well as the ability to hold an extensive archive and conduct workshops for up to 50 people. The Board meeting in March 2018 decided to name Central Office, wherever it is located, the virtual Madge Watt House , in honour of a founding member. The Office was closed and staff worked from home from 17 March 2020 as the UK went into lockdown. The office opened again between September and October until London went into another phase of lockdown due to the Covid19 pandemic.

The impact of Covid-19 on ACWW s membership has been addressed via three surveys, the results of which have been shared with the UNESCO. The so-called 'lockdown' has increased rural isolation and made access to food and banking facilities even more of an issue for our members globally, particularly so as public transport has been curtailed. Additionally, the forced cancellation of meetings for member societies and support groups has resulted in a fall in membership income and donations. The Board has taken steps to drawn down some of the reserves in order to meet commitments for the year.

IT System Refresh: In June 2019 it was agreed by the Finance and Membership Committee and the Board that the Policy and Communications Manager should be tasked with establishing a case for refreshing ACWW s IT setup and bringing a proposal in early 2020 to the Board. This would include the outsourcing of IT support and switching to a Cloud-based system, relieving him of the additional in-house workload of full-time IT support and Server maintenance. In February 2020, the business case for what was needed was prepared, quotes from 5 suppliers were received, and all was ready to recommend Cloudserve as the preferred vendor at the forthcoming meeting of the Board. When COVID-19 required Central Office to close in March 2020, ACWW staff were unable to work from home because of the existing setup. The Board therefore authorised the plan as presented by the Policy & Communications Manager, and Cloudserve were engaged as Cloud and support supplier. New machines were ordered, and the Policy & Communications Manager worked for 10 days straight with Cloudserve and Harlequin to set up the new system. 11 days after the office closed, with the CEO, he delivered the new machines, and training notes, to each member of ACWW staff at home. By day 12 Central Office was operational, with all staff working from home on new machines and with fully-secure, compliant and user-friendly systems.

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Rent and Lease at Parkhall: In March 2020, we negotiated with our landlords for 50% reduction in rent for 3 months, saving in the region of £7,500. When discussed with the former treasurer, World President and CEO, it was agreed that we should try and extend our lease at Parkhall, and remain in the current office at the end of the initial 3 year lease. 27 September 2020 was the date for our first lease period came to an end, and we negotiated with Workspace Group Ltd, our landlords. Our initial lease included an annual 5% increase in rent, with a 5% increase per annum in service charge. We successfully secured an additional 3 year lease at Parkhall, with a fixed rate of £52,885.82 thus no annual increase for the length of the term, and a drop in the service charge increase from 5% to 3%. This will save ACWW a minimum of £5,400 per annum over the term of the lease, plus of course removes all the costs of sourcing a new office, setting it up, and moving.

Policy Renewal and Updates: In May and June 2020, the Chief Executive Officer and Policy and Communications Manager reviewed and updated more than 20 internal policies and procedures to ensure continuing compliance and best practice.

Membership and Conferences

ACWW is an International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO) and pursues its charitable objectives through its member societies and through networks of non-member Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). In 2019 there were 440 Member Societies (445 in 2018) and 1,427 Individual Members, in 82 countries throughout the world. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on rural women, the Board decided that no member societies would be lapsed for non-payment of membership fees in 2020. The number of Life Members has declined since no new Life Members have been added since 1997. However, many Life Members pay a current membership fee and are included in the Individual Member category.

ACWW works in three-year cycles and the 29th Triennial World Conference took place from 4[th ] to 10[th ] April 2019 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The 30[th ] Triennial World Conference is scheduled for May 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. However, because of the Covid-19 global pandemic the Board considered what steps to take if the Conference needed to be postponed. A Special World Conference was called for 17-23 April 2021 to consider a resolution to delay the Triennial World Conference by a year.

ACWW has an organisational structure for members to meet and, at least once every three years, hold a specially convened general meeting / Area Conference in each of the nine Areas namely: Canada; Caribbean, Central & South America; Central and South Asia; East, West and Central Africa; Europe; South East Asia and the Far East; Southern Africa; the South Pacific; and the United States of America. There are formal and informal partnerships to enable representation at meetings recognising the varying costs of travel involved. Full reports of Area Conferences are presented by the Area Presidents to the Triennial World Conference. The World President and other officers attended Area Conferences where appropriate, however, a number of Area Conferences were postponed in 2020 and the World President was in lockdown in South Africa. Each member society is encouraged to send a triennial report of work to be published and distributed at the next Triennial World Conference.

Objectives and Activities for the Public Benefit

ACWW s objectives are the relief of poverty, the relief of sickness, the protection and preservation of health, and the advancement of education for women in both rural and non-rural areas worldwide, to empower women and improve the quality of life for all people. The trustees confirm that they have referred to the Charity Commission s guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Charitie aims and objectives and in planning future activities. The CIO constitution maintains the same objectives as the former charity.

The charity aims, through its membership and networks of rural and non-rural women, by cooperation and understanding, to empower its members and rural women worldwide, creating opportunities for women to exercise more power. ACWW believe women will be empowered when they are able to make better decisions and change their own lives. In order to do this, they need to be better informed, be part of an enabling environment and have the necessary tools in order to carry out the changes they want. ACWW s mission is to bring these conditions about through partnership, advocacy, sharing of knowledge and local activities.

Mandates set by Resolutions passed at the 29th Triennial Conference held in Melbourne, Australia in April 2019 guided the work.

  1. Registration of Old Landfills: Be it resolved that ACWW and its member organisations urge the governments of all countries to map and register the presence of old landfill sites. The register should record the presence of dangerous substances (if known) and the risk of future leakage. In addition, we urge each country to develop a strategy for the rehabilitation of these sites .

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2. Protection of Shared Marine Environment, Sustainable Coral Reefs, and Fish Stocks: Be it resolved that Member societies of the ACWW request their Governments and Industries to take urgent action, as appropriate, to ensure the wise use and protection of the shared marine environment, to protect the sustainability of coral reefs and fish stocks for future generations.

  1. Use of Plastics: Be it resolved that ACWW calls on all governments to regulate the use of plastics in packaging and manufacturing processes to reduce the impact of discarded plastic on the environment.

  2. Action on Climate Change: Be it resolved that all ACWW member societies support the historic Paris Climate Agreement 2015 by taking action at local, national and international level to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help build resilience within their communities to deal with the adverse impacts of climate change.

5. Pollinator Protection: Be it resolved that ACWW societies and members urge their governments and research institutes to continue to identify and reduce specific drivers of insect pollinator decline, develop agricultural pollinator-friendly practices, and promote greater public awareness of the role of insect pollination in global food production.

6. Elimination of Dog Mediated Rabies: Be it resolved that the Associated Country Women of the World member societies support rabies education globally and support Zero by 30 . This initiative of the World Health Organisation, World Organisation for Animal Health, Food and Agriculture Organisation and Global Alliance for Rabies Control seeks to eliminate dog mediated rabies by 2030 through: rabies education programs on bite prevention, expanding dog rabies vaccination coverage to stop transmission, improving access to post exposure prophylaxis and by lobbying governments to provide the funds to achieve this.

  1. Iron Deficiency: Be it resolved that ACWW societies and members urge their governments and health organizations to continue financing and supporting the research needed to eliminate the world-wide incidence of iron deficiency .

8. Gender Sensitive Health Care: Be it resolved that ACWW and its member organizations urge their governments to strive for gender sensitive health care by carrying out a gender analysis on all health policies as they are developed and before they are implemented.

9. Health and Nutrition for Women with Emphasis on Environmental Health: Be it resolved that ACWW gives high priority to programs relating to health and nutrition for rural women including provision of clean water, training in sanitation, hygiene and waste disposal which are of paramount importance to vulnerable rural communities. Where possible member societies should promote work with Governments and other non-governmental agencies in unison to achieve measurable improvements in malnutrition and environmental health for rural women.

10. Q or Query Fever: Be it resolved that ACWW Member Societies advocate to governments in their respective regions that increased funding be made available to: a) educate medical practitioners and alert all communities about the identification, treatment and prevention of Q fever, and b) if not already in place, implement a scheme to subsidise vaccination programs to prevent Q fever in high risk areas.

11. Textiles and Clothes: Be it resolved that ACWW and its member organisations put pressure upon all textile, footwear and apparel companies and manufacturers to ensure fair pay and working conditions, as suggested by current International Labour Organisation conventions and recommendations, for all their women workers.

  1. Domestic Violence: Be it resolved that ACWW and its member organisations urge the governments of all countries and their agents to develop and implement strategies for the prevention of domestic violence.

13. Safe and Secure Access to Toilet Facilities for All: Be it resolved that ACWW and their members aim to raise the standard of living of rural women and their families by putting specific emphasis to Goal 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Goal for water and sanitation, by including special and appropriate sanitary facilities for people with disabilities, serious illnesses and the elderly.

14. Adoption of the New Constitution: Be it resolved that the constitution of the Associated Country Women of the World Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1174798, approved by the Charity Commission in September 2017, be formally adopted.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

15. Adoption of Bye Laws, Standing Orders, and Rules of Procedure: Be it resolved that the Bye Laws, Standing Orders and Rules of Procedure be ratified and approved as amended and in line with the new Constitution.

16. Membership Subscriptions: Be it resolved that the membership subscription for Categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 increase to: Category 1 £110 (currently £105) Category 2 £69 (currently £64) Category 3 £55 (currently £53) Category 4 £37 (currently £35) Category 5 Individual £27 (currently £25) Category 5 Individuals for 3 years £68 (currently £65). Note, the new rates will apply from January 2020.

17. Chairman of the Agriculture Committee: Be it resolved that the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee be a singular position on the Board and Executive.

Throughout its ninety-year history ACWW has forged partnerships with like-minded organisations in order to further its aims connecting and supporting women and communities worldwide. The relationship with rural women s organisations has grown from membership covering 18 countries in 1929 to 84 countries in 2020. Through its member societies, ACWW gives voice internationally to over 9 million women. In pre-Pandemic years, the World President, Area Presidents and other Board members would travel to carry out extension work and give presentations to member societies, speaking at meetings and conferences throughout the world. However, no local or international travel took place on ACWW business from March 2020 to the end of the year. In its place, there was a rapid learning of videoconferencing tools which facilitated local and international meetings and ensured the Board, members and Central Office where able to maintain contact.

In 2020 ACWW maintained its relationships with UN agencies and is proud of the fact that it has held special consultative status at the United Nations for so many years. We file annual and quadrennial reports of our activities as required and feed into other consultations and meetings as appropriate.

ACWW United Nations affiliations and our commencement date: ECOSOC the Economic and Social Council Special consultative status (1947) FAO Food and Agriculture Organization Consultative Status (1947) CoNGO Conference of Non-governmental Organizations consultative status (1948) UNESCO UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - Consultative status (1949), NGO Official Partner

Women Walk the World events were severely curtailed this year because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, however, some members found ingenious was of marking the International Day of Rural Women around 15 October, rather than the usual ACWW Day on 29 April. These events were to raise awareness and, where possible, funds, to help support women and communities worldwide. This event brings together women in fellowship, a core function of ACWW.

The Area Presidents continued to email newsletters to keep in touch with their members. All the Area Conferences scheduled for 2020 were postponed to 2021 or 2022. The World President sent regular newsletters to all members by email.

ACWW s partnership with Global Action on Rabies Control (GARC) continued by offering free awareness raising online training to ACWW members. Members were encouraged to take up this excellent source of information about how to recognise the disease, what to do in an emergency and how to prevent it.

Many member societies work with local partners and they were encouraged to send in reports of work to Central Office so they could be acknowledged and used for reporting to UN agencies, building up a picture of rural women in action and sharing through our media channels.

ACWW seeks to empower women and communities through: Advocacy

CSW64: Each year, the United Nations convenes the Commission on the Status of Women at its Headquarters in New York. This is a two week gathering of governments, UN bodies, and civil society organisations and NGOs like ACWW to discuss women s rights and agree new standards for action. 2020 was due to be a Review Year, marking 25 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 5 years since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals, and several other anniversaries. In the end the main conference was not able to take place because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, but there was a series of negotiations which started in February and which aimed to agree a Political Declaration on behalf of all governments.

In mid-February, ACWW was invited to a private briefing from the United Kingdom Government Equality Office, which gave an overview of the progress in negotiations, and which asked for input on the political declaration. There were some very troubling indications from the negotiations and draft text, including removal of references to women s rights as human rights, attempts at changing agreed language which protects rights in existing treaties, and switching the blame for slow progress from governments to women globally.

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Whilst ACWW represents millions of women worldwide, we felt it important that with such an opportunity to have input into a UN process at this high level, we reach as many of our members as possible. A letter to the UK negotiators was drafted and circulated to all member societies for agreement - it must be said that we were thrilled with the response! In just five days we received a huge number of messages from members and even other organisations outside of ACWW who wanted to support our letter to the UN. Individuals contacted us and asked how they could promote it to their branches, and we saw a superb response from countries across the world. The letter was signed by 185 organisations in 35 countries, representing more than 11.95 million women globally. The letter was sent to the UK negotiator on 24 February 2020.

When the Political Declaration was published on 9 March, we were pleased to see that three of the points raised in our letter had been listened to and their impact was visible in the Declaration. Sadly, our fourth point had not survived the negotiating process and the text did indeed include made the least progress . However, because of ACWW s intervention we did see the acknowledgement of rural women in the list of specific groups suffering the least improvement globally, as you can see in this extract:

that significant levels of inequality persist globally, that many women and girls experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, vulnerability and marginalization throughout their life course, and that they have made the least progress, which may include, inter alia, women of African descent, women with HIV and AIDS, rural women, indigenous women, women with disabilities, migrant women and older women .

It is through these processes that we can seek to achieve real change, with all governments now committing to this renewed Political Declaration, and giving us a mechanism for monitoring their action. It is not a perfect system, but by member brilliant response, and involvement in it, they have ensured that the voices of rural women are amplified and, crucially, heard at the international level.

CSW65 (for 2021): The Executive agreed that ACWW should host a Parallel Event at the 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and approved a minor budget of £175 to cover the costs of the online Parallel Event and associated resources.

In December 2020, a Special Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) under the auspices of the Secretary General was called to discuss the ongoing response to Covid-19. This was a Head of State/Government session, the highest level of UNGA meeting (as opposed to Ambassadorial/Permanent Reps or Ministerial level meetings). ACWW submitted a statement to this meeting and it was attended digitally by Nick Newland in his role as UN Committee Administrator.

High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development: Usually held in New York in July each year, the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is the monitoring mechanism for the Sustainable Development Goals. Normally, each year sees around 40 governments present Voluntary National Reviews, or VNRs. In 2020, because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, HLPF was held online. ACWW used information gathered during our Covid-19 Impact Surveys to present the needs and concerns of rural women in the NGO Major Group position paper, and made a high-level intervention during the governmental session on uilding Back Better which outlined the critical need for the inclusion of local voices, experience, and expertise when governments plan their post-Covid initiatives. 93,340 people viewed live events and streams via UN Web TV during HLPF. In preparation for HLPF, ACWW acted as a ent Observer in Ministerial negotiations for the Ministerial Declaration. This is a major vote of confidence in ACWW, and our role within the NGO Major Group. Whilst the Chatham House Rules mean that we cannot quote or name any participants (publicly), this is a fantastic opportunity to collect intelligence on how each government at the UN is positioning itself on sustainable development, Covid, women s rights, climate change, and a host of other issues. Of course, we use this internally to inform our lobbying process for CSW, HLPF, and other processes like CEDAW. With heads of state and senior ministers present, it also is a great opportunity to raise the profile of ACWW as being one of just 2 NGO representatives across the whole UN system allowed into the meeting.

Orange the World / 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence: Since 2016 ACWW has been active in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, and the global banner of Orange the World . Efforts to raise awareness have seen statements, videos, posters, and other resources produced and shared with members in more than 80 countries. In 2020, the UN identified a hadow Pandemi of gender-based violence accompanying the impact of Covid-19. As families all over the world were subject to lockdown, so the prevalence of domestic violence increased. Now, more than ever, the campaign to raise awareness from 16 to 365 Days is critically important. During ACWW s Orange the World campaign in 2019 more than 63,550 people saw ACWW s materials online and more than 850 people actively shared these materials on their Facebook pages. This is a fantastic reach for these resources, and the reach of ACWW s campaign was significantly increased in 2020, possibly reflecting the increased level of digital literacy amongst the membership in light of Covid-19 and greater reliance on computerbased communication.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

Commission on Food Security: In October 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) hosted the first virtual session of the Commission on Food Security. Whilst ACWW has previously attended the in-person sessions of CFS, this was an opportunity for wider participation and 12 members of ACWW s Board and Committees attended CFS virtually. This included the World President and Deputy World President.

UNESCO: With the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, ACWW initiated impact surveys with our membership to chart the specific impacts of the virus on rural women around the world. These surveys received a high level of response from our membership, and were registered with UNESCO as part of their initiative to record global policy and advocacy initiatives for which we were recognised as taking a world-leading policy response. At the direction of the World President and UN Committee Chairman, ACWW stood for election to the NGOUNESCO Liaison Committee at the bi-annual International Conference of NGOs. In December 2020, ACWW was successfully elected, and duly joined the Liaison Committee for the 2020-2022 term (actually running from January 2021 to December 2022).

Statements

In 2020, ACWW issued the following statements:

a) World Environment Day 5 June 2020

b) International Day of Families 15 May 2020

c) Joint Statement to the UN Commission on Population and Development (April 2020) our first time submitting to CSocD, and co-signed with Soroptimist International and Zonta International

d) Co-signed the ovid-19 Recover: Building Back Better letter from the President of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the UN (CoNGO), sent to the UN Secretary General.

Training: In June 2020, the Policy and Communications Manager undertook training with the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies and was awarded a Professional Certificate in Strategic Gender and Development Planning. This was high-level training, and the other participants on the course were the Director for the Gender Affairs Department of the Ministry of Nationality, Immigration, and Gender Affairs from the Republic of Botswana, and the Principal Gender Officer for the same department; The Global Technical Lead for Economic Empowerment for Sightsavers International (an NGO we have collaborated with at HLPF in the past); the Gender Justice Manager for the Rights and Resources Initiative in Washington, DC; and the Director of Human Resources and Gender Mainstreaming at the World Food Programme.

ACWW seeks to empower women and communities through: Sharing knowledge & Learning from each other

ACWW publishes a quarterly magazine, The Countrywoman, which is circulated globally to our Members and supporters. We use Forest Stewardship Council approved sustainable paper for both the magazine and its packaging. For every tree used in the production of an issue, 3 are planted in its place. We are proud to work with a local, family-owned printer in the UK called Polstead Press. During 2019, all magazines from 2011 onwards were added to the website as an accessible digital archive. The Board responded favourably to a request from the East, West and Central Africa Area Conference that The Countrywoman be made available as a digital download especially for areas where postal systems were unreliable.

Editorship of The Countrywoman passed to the Agriculture and Member Engagement Administrator from issue 1 in 2020. Directed by the Communications and Marketing Committee the journal and the website provide a wealth of shared information on relevant issues keeping members and the public in touch with the organisation, its policies and activities. The decision was taken to send Issues 2, 3 and 4 electronically in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic was impacting both our printer s ability to provide a service and the lockdown of postal systems internationally meant distribution was halted. The World President maintained a regular e-Newsletter which contained a link to the magazine. A consultation was undertaken to ascertain how the membership feel about transitioning to a digitalonly magazine versus continuing to receive a printed and posted magazine. This consultation towards the end of 2020 utilised all communications channels to reach as many members and members of member societies as possible, including those only reachable by post.

To celebrate International Women s Day, Central Office worked with members all over the world to produce a 27foot-long banner using traditional textile crafting methods. The inspiration was the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the 25th anniversary for which was being observed this year. ACWW believes that all of the 12 critical areas of concern raised in the Declaration remain a problem in some way for Rural Women. We gave 24 members briefs that referenced one of the Critical areas or its continuing challenges, and they each gave their own interpretations through their desired medium within a 30cm square of fabric. The resulting banner was intended to be unfurled outside the UN, raising the voices of the many rural women who don t have access to the UN or even their own government. However, with the cancellation of CSW, Central Office had to think of another way to use this beautiful banner and took it to a meeting with Essex Women s Institute to be filmed together with the World President and UN Chairman. A video is being produced which will be an impactful and heart-rending call to action and awareness of the problems still faced by rural women.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

Published statements and new advocacy and campaigning resources were published on social media and on our website, to inform and support members in their local campaigns. These resources were also sent to members directly by email. In light of reported impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was decided that our social media should have a focus on domestic violence.

Immediately prior to Lockdown a Rural Women in Action pack was produced, designed to generate support and engage previously casual members with the full breadth of the work of ACWW. The packs would be used to convince members of the relevance, importance, and impact of ACWW in order to join and maintain meaningful membership. It gives women a measurable way to fully engage with our work. Initially planned to distribute to all members, this was halted because of Covid and costs of distribution. Some members of the Board asked for bulk supplies to be sent to them for local distribution. The CEO was asked to speak at the Women in Agriculture Conference in Canada in October 2020 and a video presentation of her introducing the 100 Ways You Can Make a Difference booklet was delivered online to an audience of about 250 women.

ACWW seeks to empower women and communities through: Local Activities

For many years ACWW has funded grassroots projects, led by local women s organisations. The award of grants to project applications was considered by the Projects Committee in October, the March meeting having been cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Women Empowered Fund received donations in 2019 and 2020 that enabled 22 projects to be funded and an amount set aside for future evaluation visits. Of these, five were from Member Societies and seventeen from non-member societies, with a total planned beneficiary reach of 21,102. The average size of the grant was £3,601. A balance of around 25% remained in each WE Fund pot or focus area ready for the next round of funding.

ACWW provides funding for small-scale community projects, primarily in developing countries, and prioritises grants that relate to the SDGs. The Projects Committee has defined the grant making policy which has Board approval and oversight. In line with the overall aims and objectives, small grants are awarded to community-based projects with identified outcomes of alleviating hunger, poverty, sickness or the advancement of education. These are linked to SDG indicators and are reflected in the six WE Fund priority focus areas. Whilst many of these projects are initiated by Member Societies, applications from non-members are also welcomed. The benefit is generally far wider than the direct project participants and will often include family members and even whole communities.

There were two members of staff, working a combined 7 days per week, whose sole endeavour was to administer the project application process, deal with applicants, grantees and donors on behalf of the Committee. Initial evaluation is carried out by these Central Office staff, who prepare a onglist of eligible projects from the applications received. This list is then considered by the Projects Committee Chairman who shortlists the applications to be considered by the Projects Committee at one of their biannual meetings. The recommendations from the Committee are then considered by the Board or Executive, whichever meets first. Projects supported primarily benefit women and children. These women tend to be strong activists in their own communities but would not normally have access to external funds. ACWW believes that all women deserve a chance. Grassroots organisations tend to have expert knowledge of their own communities and realities and, are supported where possible so that their communities can benefit from this knowledge. ACWW recognises its project partners as experts and teachers, rather than beneficiaries. ACWW does not implement projects but rather funds them and works in partnership with grassroots organisations. ACWW does not have staff or representatives in situ.

The Women Empowered (WE) Fund priority focus areas fall within criteria set by the ACWW policy and constitution: Education and Capacity Building; Nutrition, Good Health, and Wellbeing; Sustainable Agriculture, Training and Development; Income Generation and Livelihood; Sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Energy; and Maternal and Reproductive Health. Donors may choose to support one or more of these areas and through these donations, they also declare their interest in a specific area of ACWW s development work. Materials with indicative projects for each pot were provided to supporters via email and were shared on ACWW s social media channels and website. Donors are given project profiles, progress and final reports for their interest in response to priority focus areas supported. Case studies and project reports are published in The Countrywoman and in the annual Projects Newsletter, showing that lives of women are being improved.

In 2020, donations to projects and the projects restricted Women Empowered Fund amounted to £96,765.

When an organisation applies for funding from ACWW, we apply checks to ensure that donations are used responsibly. Reporting and evaluation allow us to measure the impact of funding and, where applicable, ensure longevity and increasing independence. It is intended to resume evaluation visits once the Covid-19 pandemic allows.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

Projects Funded in 2020

Sustainable Agriculture, Training and Development:

Project name: Value Addition Opportunities for Female Farmers Project number: 1070 Organisation: Success Trust, India

Project name: Increased Economic Opportunities for Female Farmers Project number: 1072 Organisation: WEEDS Women's Education and Employment Development Society, India

Project name: Economic Opportunities through Agribusiness Project number: 1082 Organisation: TIDEF Tingathe Development Forum, Malawi

Project name: Goats for Empowerment Project number: 1089 Organisation: Pallisa Children's Concern Project (PCCP), Uganda

Income Generation and Livelihood:

Project name: Goat farming to Support Dalit Arunthathiar Women Project number: 1080 Organisation: ROSED Rural Organization for Social Education and Development, India

Project name: Tailoring training for Women living with HIV/AIDS Project number: 1085 Organisation: Efforts Integrated Development Foundation (EITEDEF), Uganda

Project name: Income Generation for Female Headed Households Project number: 1087 Organisation: Kitabu Integrate Development Association (KIDA), Uganda

Project name: Vocational Training for Economic Independence Project number: 1090 Organisation: Paramedical Educational Trust, India

Project name: Essential Life Skills for Young Mothers Project number: 1075 Organisation: CIFORD Community Initiatives for Rural Development, Kenya

Maternal and Reproductive Health:

Project name: Midwifery Skills for Community Health Workers Project number: 1073 Organisation: MamaCare Ghana, Ghana

Project name: Improving Rural Gir s Menstrual Sanitation and Hygiene Project number 1083 Organisation: YWFT Youth with a Focus Teso, Uganda

Project name: Safe Menstrual Health Management for Tribal Communities Project number: 1086 Organisation: Institute of Research and Development for the Rural Poor Trust (IRDRP), India

Project name: Sexual and Productive Health and Rights Education for Adolescent Girls Project number: 1091 Organisation: Society for Women's Education and Awareness Development (SWEAD), India

Nutrition, Good Health and Wellbeing:

Project name: Sustainable Farming Practices for Economic Growth Project number: 1078 Organisation: GREPO Green Global Promotion Organization, Tanzania

Project name: Health and Sanitation Awareness Raising for Disabled Communities Project number 1079 Organisation: Kasese District Women with Disabilities (KADIWOD), Uganda

Sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Energy:

Project name: Safe Water for Tribal Communities Project number: 1071 Organisation: SWEET Society for Women Education and Economic Thrust, India

Project name: El Niño Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project Project number: 1074 Organisation: Water, Agroforestry, Nutrition and Development Foundation (WAND), Philippines

Project name: Erussi and Ndhew Community Water Projects Project number: 1076 Organisation: CUWEDE Community Uplift and Welfare Development, Uganda

Project name: Mabuye Village Water Project Project number: 1088 Organisation: Kagera Woman and Aids Organisation (KWAO), Tanzania

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

Education and Capacity Building

Project name: Financial literacy for Tribal Community Women Project number: 1077 Organisation: Children Watch, India

Project name: Jikwamue Social Enterprise Hub Project number: 1081 Organisation: UWWK Umoja wa wawezeshaji KIOO, Tanzania

Project name: Promoting Girl's Education Project number: 1084 Organisation: CINTA Foundation Uganda (CFU), Uganda

Achievements and Performance

A few examples of case studies from projects completing in the year.

Mamacare-Ghana Organization, Ghana. Project 1073

Training of community health workers in basic Midwifery practices. The project specifically aims to improve the quality of Maternal and Child care at the primary level of health care (community level and health posts)

Case Study 1: Shadrack (Community Health Nurse). Shadrack works as a community health worker in his suburban community. He visits 7-10 clients each day. Shadrack prior to receiving training from MamaCare-Ghana Organization was practicing as Community Health Nurse. Hen does not have much knowledge of basic midwifery and obstetrics care for women. However, he has been managing to cope with his work. The major challenges Shadrach was facing amongst others is lack of medical equipment and materials to work with, knowledge of basic midwifery practices and emergency delivery. Fortunately, when MamaCare-Ghana organization introduced a project on training of community health workers on basic midwifery, Shadrack was selected to participate in a three-day workshop. Shadrack has gained more knowledge on emergency delivery practices and has received medical equipment which will help him in his work. In addition, Shadrach also received training in HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Diarrhoea including Nutrition education for community members targeting mothers and their children. The Ministry of Health Ghana in partnership with Ghana Health Service is preparing certificates to be awarded all the participant s including Shadrack for their proficiency. Shadrach works in the community of Kpinchila sub-district area. Since the training workshops, Shadrack has delivered 5 babies safely and conducted about 10 Ante-natal cases. Shadrack does his community health education during monthly child welfare clinics. Thanks to Associated Country Women of the World for their funding support.

Case Study 2: Ajara (Community Health Nurse). Ajara works as a community health worker in his suburban community. She visits 10-15 clients each day. Ajara prior to receiving training from MamaCare-Ghana Organization was practicing as a Community Health Nurse. Ajara, does not have much knowledge on basic midwifery and obstetrics care for women. However, she has been practicing. The major challenge Ajara was facing amongst others is lack of medical equipment and materials to work with, knowledge on basic midwifery practices and emergency delivery. Fortunately, when the MamaCare-Ghana organization introduced a project on training of community health workers on basic midwifery, Ajara was selected to participate in a three-day workshop. Today Ajara has gained more knowledge on emergency delivery practices and has also received medical equipment which will help her in her work. She also also received training in HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Diarrhoea including Nutrition education for community members targeting mothers and their children. The Ministry of Health Ghana/ Ghana Health Service is preparing certificates to be awarded all the participant s including Ajara for their proficiency. Ajara works in the community of Dashie sub-district area. Dashie is a small farming community with a population of about 900 people. The community has no health center. Ajara therefore, embarks on home visits almost every day to provide necessary health care for the people. Ajara has managed to deliver about 3 babies since trained. Ajara conducts her monthly Child Welfare Clinic (CWC) where she gets the opportunity to educate mothers and general population about HIV/AIDS, causes of Malaria and Diarrhoea and its prevention. Ajara is thanking MamaCare-Ghana Organization and Associated Country Women of the World United Kingdom for their support.

Pallisa Children s Concern Project (PCCP), Country, Uganda. Project 1098

Goats for Empowerment To empower the most vulnerable female led households and their children to initiate their own household income generation and improve nutrition in a sustainable manner.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

Case Study 1. My name is Florence and I am 15 years old, a pupil at N*** Primary School, now in Primary Six. I am a total orphan having lost both my parents. My mother died in 2015 and my father died in 2018, and since then I have been living with my 73-year grandmother. Life is very difficult for us at home because my grandmother has other children she takes care of and she is now old. Many times we sleep hungry because we don t have food to cook. I would like to sincerely express my gratitude to the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) for having considered vulnerable women and girls in our community of Kameruka Sub County to have an opportunity for income generation activity. I received my goat from the project and I was excited when it produced one kid last week. I am happy to have this goat because it has given me hope, the hope that I had lost due to the feeling of uncertainty of my future. I will keep the goat very well with support from my grandmother and PCCP to make sure it multiplies. I see a brighter future with the support from the goats project because I will sell some in the future to pay fees for my secondary education. I feel grateful to you ACWW because you have made me feel that I am not alone; I feel there is someone out there who has some big heart for people like me.

Case Study 2: I am called Nulu, a resident of N*** cell, in Budaka district , aged 62 years old. I don t know what I should say, or even how I should thank our project funders, ACWW and PCCP. What you have done is unimaginable. You have listened to our cries as elderly women and girl children in this community. My own children passed on but I have 5 grandchildren I am taking care of. It is a big burden on me because I am weak and sickly most of the time. I cannot afford to send the children to school much as some of them want to be in school. I depend on small subsistence farming to get food to feed the family. About two weeks ago our Chairperson for women called me to go and collect my goat from the project. For sure I was overwhelmed with joy and happiness when I received my goat. I am also lucky that my goat is already pregnant and I know in a few months to come I will start enjoying the milk. I thank you for considering elderly women like me who are struggling to raise orphans, leave alone getting what to eat. My plan is to make sure that I raise the goat well. I will take care of it as one of my children to make sure it multiplies. And please, send my voice to those women (ACWW); that I am overjoyed by their deed. It is the tears of joy rolling down my cheek to see that we still have some good people in this world who are able to support other struggling souls out there. Please let them know how happy I am. Thank you.

Financial Review

The major sources of incoming funds for the year were voluntary income and investment income. Voluntary contributions made up 75% of total incoming resources, as compared with 86% in 2019. Just over 21% of voluntary income arose from membership fees compared to 15% in 2019; there was no income from legacies in 2020 although this source yielded 5% of voluntary income in 2019. Donations in total accounted for 78%, slightly below the 79% of the previous year.

Membership fees from societies and individuals amounted to £46,719, a decrease from £69,425, received for 2019; and donations from all sources totalled £172,630 in 2020, substantially below the 2019 level of £357,569. This decrease is attributable to the Covid pandemic as member societies were not meeting and therefore not collecting donations as has been reflected in charity donations globally. Donations from Women s Institute members in England and Wales amounted to £45,409.13 in 2020 (£121,967 in 2019) and were restricted to Projects. Investment income at £67,209 was £2,733 lower than in 2019 when it yielded £69,942 and represented 23% of total income as compared with 8.5%. Income from the Triennial World Conference was reported in the 2019 accounts.

Total income amounted to £290,435 of which £98,342 was restricted. In 2019 total incoming resources amounted to £816,793 which included ££296,052 related to the Triennial World Conference and £197,927 restricted to Projects. In the same period, total expenditure was £460,837 compared with £905,837 in 2019. Restricted funds expended in 2020 for projects was £135,146 compared with £170,285 in 2019.

Expenditure was incurred supporting the charitable activities of the organisation. Governance costs were similar to last year at £15,159 which was about half for the 2019 figure of £35,608 which reflects a reduction in non-audit professional accountancy fees as such work was brought in house by the Finance Manager.

A gain on investment assets of £162,868 compared with £249,729 in 2019 a good result under the circumstances of the Covid pandemic. This resulted in a net movement of funds indicating a loss of £7,544 contracted with a gain of £160,686 in 2019.

All the work of Central Office is directed to the charitable activities of ACWW. The direct funding of projects in developing countries and their evaluation and administration necessarily incur support costs. Two administrators, (one full-time and one part-time equalling 7-day equivalent) have their work solely directed towards all aspects of projects administration. Unrestricted funds cover the costs of maintenance of an information network and production of the quarterly magazine, sustaining the international membership organisation with Board and Committee activities and extension work, representation at the United Nations and related advocacy activities to ensure our consultative status is secure and advocacy effective. Thus, expenditure is apportioned towards charitable activities which are projects, education, outreach, information and research, United Nations representation and Conference preparation.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

Risk Management

The Trustees reviewed the risks faced by the Charity and confirm that systems are in place to manage those risks and accompanying procedures are strengthened as appropriate. As a substantial part of the Charity s income derives from membership fees, strategies to increase membership numbers and retention continue to be addressed. The major source of unrestricted funds is donations to Pennies for Friendship and plans for increasing this fund were also considered and developed. At the end of the year the Board took the decision to launch an Appeal early in 2021. Investments and investment policy are regularly reviewed with investment managers to avoid unnecessary losses. The global Pandemic of Covid-19 had a major impact on donations received in the year and the Board took measures to reduce costs primarily by having meetings of Committees and the Board on line and savings were made by issuing the Countrywoman digitally, a negotiated rent reduction and utility bills were lower as staff worked from home. The Board maintain sufficient financial reserves for project commitments and 36 months operational commitments in line with current reserves policy.

Attention continues to be given to minimizing the risk of project grants being misspent. Working with project partners to agree project outcomes in advance has been strengthened. No evaluation visits were able to take place in the year and some project plans were put on hold where lockdowns were in force. The Projects Committee did not meet to allocate grants in spring 2020 but carried applications over to the autumn meeting when it was confirmed that projects could be carried out.

Reserves policy

The Reserves Policy of ACWW is to seek to maintain 36 month worth of normal income and expenditure in order to meet the requirements of a triennium.

To provide a level of working capital that protects the continuity of our core work

To provide a level of funding for unexpected opportunities

The strategic plan reviewed each triennium identifies measures to strengthen the organisation and its impact.

Investment Policy and objectives including any social, environmental or ethical policies

The policy continued towards the retention of the organisation s capital reserves and to raise funds towards operating expenses. Funds invested were managed on a medium ri strategy through the holding of a range of different types of assets. Restrictions continued to be disallowed on investments in armaments, negative environmental impact, oppressive regimes, pornography and no additional investment in tobacco products. Funds held in CAF are in a fixed interest account.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

Plans for the Future

As agreed at the Incoming Board meeting after the 29[th ] Triennial World Conference in Melbourne in May 2019, the strapline ural Women in Action and the slogan Our Diversity is our Strength remained the focus of the Board activity. Increasing the number of members and our unrestricted income were highlighted as key elements in enabling the organisation to fulfil this mission. The strategic plan for the next 3 - 6 years was reviewed at the Board meeting in October 2019. The focus on advocacy as a means to empowering rural women has been revitalised in the last couple of years and this continues to be a strength as it was possible to be carried out effectively via virtual platforms. In December 2020 ACWW was elected to the Liaison Committee for NGO s engaged with UNESCO.

In light of the disruption of the Global pandemic, the 2020 Special World Conference decided to change the date of the 30[th ] Triennial World Conference to May 2023, from May 2022.

Future project funding priorities were reviewed and remain as in the previous year: prioritising project funding proposals from small, women led organisations whose projects focus on basic literacy, skills-training, incomegenerating businesses, organic smallholder agriculture, improved health, nutrition and access to water and sanitation. These have been grouped within the WE Fund six priority focus areas and linked to SDG indicators, which also informs our reporting to agencies of the United Nations.

Early in March 2020 it became clear that Covid-19 was spreading at such a rate that a global pandemic was declared and most nations went into some form of lock down or travel restriction. A major strength of the organisation is its global reach and diversity and new methods were employed in order to maintain contact. I n n o r m a l y e a r s , t his allows for member societies to become involved with campaigns at a local or Area level that have the most relevance to their circumstances or interest. Key campaigns that member societies were encouraged to engage in were linked to Conference Resolutions and the nature of the work around them which may be locally focused, including those passed by the 29[th ] Triennial World Conference. Supporting information and publicity resources continued to be developed, added to the website for download and promoted via social media, particularly Facebook.

For Resolutions passed in 2019, please see above.

Plans include:

To develop a campaign to recruit new members and increase donations for unrestricted and restricted funds. To encourage take up of Gift Aid on donations from UK taxpayers.

To work towards a successful Triennial World Conference in April 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

Trustees' responsibilities statement

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustee Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales, the Charities Act 2011, Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

This report was approved by the trustees on

Signed on behalf of the trustees:

Mrs Magdie de Kock President

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Associated Country Women of the World (the charity ) for the year ended 31 December 2020 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Irelan (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the F s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to report to you where:

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 20083 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustee responsibilities statement, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 151 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Counc s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charity s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 20083. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

John Howard (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Azets Audit Services, Statutory Auditor 2[nd ] Floor, Regis House 45 King William Street London EC4R 9AN

Date:

Azets Audit Services is eligible for appointment as auditor by virtue of its eligibility for appointment as auditor of a company under section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020

Notes
Income:
Donations, membership and legacies
2
Investment income
Charitable activities
3
Total income
Expenditure:
Raising funds:
Investment management costs
Charitable activities:
Project activities
Education
Outreach
Information and research
United Nations representation
Conference preparation
Total expenditure
4
Net (expenditure)/income
Transfers between funds
Net income/ (expenditure) before
other gains
(Loss) /Gains on investment assets
Net movement in funds
Fund balances brought
forward 1 January 2020
Fund balances carried
forward 31 December 2020
12		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Funds
Funds
£
£
121,007
98,342
67,209
-
3,877
-
192,093
98,342
10,716
-
83,992
135,146
53,306
-
44,422
-
88,843
-
44,422
-
325,701
135,146
(133,608)
(36,804)
-
-
(133,608)
(36,804)
162,868
-
29,260
(36,804)
2,528,954
407,806
2,558,214
371,002		 Total
2020
£
219,349
67,209
3,877
290,435
10,716
219,138
53,306
44,422
88,843
44,422
460,847
(170,412)
-
(170,412)
162,868
(7,544)
2,936,760
2,929,216		 Total
2019
£
450,799
69,942
296,052
816,793
8,514
269,728
44,417
44,417
88,835
44,417
405,509
905,837
(89,044)
-
(89,044)
249,730
160,686
2,776,074
2,936,760

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities

The notes on pages 22 to 32 form part of the financial statements.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

BALANCE SHEET

AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2020

Fixed assets
Notes
Tangible assets
5
Investments
6
Current assets
Debtors
7
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: Amounts falling
due within one year
8
Net current assets
Total assets less current liabilities
Creditors:Amounts falling
due within more than one year
9
Net assets
Funds
ACWW
Restricted funds
10
Designated funds
11
Unrestricted funds
Total funds		 2020
£
22,113
2,638,872
2,660,985
34,546
385,349
419,895
(142,704)
277,191
2,938,176
(8,960)
£2,929,216
371,002
279,413
2,278,801
£2,929,216		 2019
£
23,410
2,683,603
2,707,013
56,119
254,774
310,893
(71,452)
239,441
2,946,454
(9,694)
£2,936,760
407,806
288,153
2,240,801
£2,936,760

The financial statements were approved and signed on behalf of the Board by:

Mrs Alison Burnett Mrs Magdie de Kock Treasurer President

Date:

The notes on pages 22 to 32 form part of these financial statements.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOW

AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2020

Note
Net cash used in operating activities
15
Cash flows from investing activities
Dividends and interest from investments
Purchase of fixed assets
Disposal of fixed assets
Purchase of investments
Proceeds from sale of investments
Net cash provided by investing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Cash and cash equivalents brought forward
Cash and cash equivalents carried forward		 2020
£
(136,790)
67,209
(7,678)
235
(764,464)
972,063
267,365
130,575
254,774
£385,349		 2019
£
(303,888)
69,942
(3,098)
(288,172)
116,686
(104,642)
(408,530)
663,304
£254,774

The notes on pages 22 to 32 form part of these financial statements.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:

1.1 Basis of accounting

The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The Associated Country Women of the World meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).

1.2 Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

The Charity has a reasonable expectation that there are adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. It has therefore continued to adopt the going concern basis in preparing its financial statements. The COVID-19 pandemic has been taken into consideration when performing the going-concern assessment.

1.3 Income

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

Voluntary income including donations and grants, membership subscriptions and legacies is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable. Grants, where entitlement is not conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charity, are recognised when the charity becomes unconditionally entitled to the grant.

Legacies are included when the charity is advised by the personal representative of an estate that payment will be made and the amount involved can be quantified.

Investment income plus associated tax recoverable is credited to income on an accruals basis, using dates of payment for dividends, and daily accrual for interest.

1.4 Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. All expenses including support costs are allocated or apportioned to the applicable expenditure headings. All costs are allocated between the expenditure categories noted on the Statement of Financial Activities on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly, others are apportioned on an appropriate basis, for example, time spent, per capita or floor area.

22

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

1.4 Expenditure (continued)

Costs of raising funds consist of investment management fees for the period. The irrecoverable element of VAT is included with the item of expense to which it relates.

Grants payable are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when approved by the trustees and agreed with the beneficiary. Grants where the beneficiary has not been informed or has to meet certain conditions before the grant is released are not accrued but are noted as financial commitments.

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.

1.5 Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost or valuation of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives as follows:

Furniture and equipment - 5 years straight line

1.6 Investments Investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value and subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price.

All gains and losses are taken to the Statement of Financial Activities as they arise. Realised gains and losses on investments are calculated as the difference between sale proceeds and opening market value (purchase date if later). Unrealised gains and losses are calculated as the difference between the market value at the year end and opening market value (or purchase date if later). 1.7 Debtors and creditors receivable / payable within one year Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in expenditure.

1.8 Foreign currencies Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at rates prevailing at the date of the transaction. Balances stated in foreign currencies are translated at the rate of exchange prevailing at the year end.

1.9 Funds accounting Restricted funds these are funds that can only be used for specific restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Designated funds these are funds set aside by the trustees out of unrestricted general funds for specific future purposes or projects.

Unrestricted general funds these are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the trustees.

1.10 Operating leases The rental charges of operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as and when these are paid.

23

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

2.
DONATIONS, MEMBERSHIP AND
LEGACIES
Membership subscriptions
Donations
Legacies
3.
CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
Conference income
Other income		 2020
2019
£
£
46,719
69,425
172,630
357,569
-
23,805
£219,349
£450,799
2020
2019
£
£
-
291,572
3,877
4,480
£3,877
£296,052		 2020
2019
£
£
46,719
69,425
172,630
357,569
-
23,805
£219,349
£450,799
2020
2019
£
£
-
291,572
3,877
4,480
£3,877
£296,052
2020
2019
£
£
-
291,572
3,877
4,480
£3,877
£296,052

Triennial World Conferences are held every three years. As historically the major associated income and expenditure takes place in the year of the conference, this is generally recorded in that year. The 29[th ] Triennial Conference took place in April 2019.

4. EXPENDITURE
Cost of raising funds:
Investment management costs
Charitable activities:
Project activities
Education
Outreach
Information and research
United Nations representation
Conference preparation		 Staff and Direct Support Total Total
Costs Costs 2020 2019
£ £ £ £
10,716
-
10,716
8,514
173,339
45,799
219,138
269,728
33,678
19,628
53,306
44,417
28,065
16,357
44,422
44,417
56,130
32,713
88,843
88,835
28,065
16,357
44,422
44,417
-
-
-
405,509
£329,993
£130,854
£460,847
£905,837

This table represents an apportionment of resources expended on each of the charitable activities.

Conference Preparation: Actual Triennial World Conference income and expenditure are reported in the year of the event, the 29[th ] TWC took place in 2019.

Project activities: The project administrators work solely on projects and handle all communication concerning applications for funding, administering the work of the Projects Committee and communicating with donors. Restricted funds shown here cover just the direct salary costs of the projects administrators, amounts allocated to project grants and an allocation for monitoring and evaluation (these form the Staff and Direct Costs). All the resources expended supporting Project activities including a percentage of office space, utilities, materials used, payments out, bookkeeping, generation of publicity materials, website presentation and generation of forms and postage are shown in the Support Costs column and were expended from unrestricted funds in 2020.

Education: Includes production and provision of resources in support of charity policies and mandates and some advocacy work.

Outreach: Includes outreach and extension work by members of the Board and key staff plus resources associated with promoting the charity and administering committees.

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THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

4. EXPENDITURE (continued)

Information and research: Includes the costs of producing The Countrywoman magazine, the annual report, production of information, advocacy materials, publicity leaflets, designing and maintaining the website, time and postage distributing publicity materials, responding to enquiries, administering committees, keeping of the archive. The unit print costs of The Magazine and other materials have reduced substantially over recent years thanks to active negotiating and sourcing. The costs of postage have risen considerably due to a general increase of postal charges.

United Nations: Includes subscriptions to international bodies, attendance at some international meetings, administering the United Nations Committee. In June 2019 a new UN and Advocacy budget was approved to increase the impact of such work. Much of ACWW s advocacy work is focused here.

The basis of allocation of staff and support costs was reviewed and updated to reflect the time spent on each charitable activity by the CEO and other members of staff of the charity. Support costs shown above include an apportionment of governance costs, except in the case of Project activities.

4.1
Governance Costs
Auditor
remuneration - for audit
- for other services
Legal and professional
Trustee indemnity insurance
Other governance		 2020
£
8,200
6,188
335
209
227
£15,159		 2019
£
8,000
22,382
4,816
410
-
£35,608

In 2020 ACWW produced in-house management accounts and filing of VAT returns, previously outsourced to Azets/Wilkins Kennedy. Payroll and pension services continue to be outsourced to Azets. The Trustees indemnity insurance was paid mid-way through the year and this shows only the corresponding months paid in 2020 for 2020.

4.2 Staff Costs 2020 2019
£ £
Salaries and wages 195,311 205,905
Social security costs 14,413 15,928
Other pension costs 9,485 10,773
Other costs 5,312 2,881
£224,521 £235,487

The key management personnel comprise the Trustees, who received no remuneration or other financial benefits during the year (2019: nil) and the Chief Executive Officer, Finance Manager and the Policy & Communications Manager whose emoluments totalled £130,498 (2019: £113,186).

14 trustees were reimbursed a total of £22,319 travelling and accommodation expenses (2019: £30,431).

The Charity employed 7 staff during the year at Central Office (2019: 8). There were no employees earning more than £60,000 during the year (2019: none).

25

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

5.
TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
Cost
As at 1 January 2020
Additions
Disposals
As at 31 December 2020
Depreciation
As at 1 January 2020
Charge for year
Released on disposals
As at 31 December 2020
Net Book Value
At 31 December 2020
At 31 December 2019
6.
FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS
Market Value at 1 January 2020
Additions
Disposal proceeds
Net investment gains
Market value at
31 December 2020
Historic cost at
31 December 2020		 Furniture &
Equipment
£
55,981
7,678
(335)
63,324
32,571
8,740
(100)
41,211
£22,113
£23,410
2020
2019
£
£
2,683,603
2,262,388
764,464
288,172
(972,063)
(116,686)
162,868
249,729
£2,638,872
£2,683,603
£1,405,775 £1,405,775

26

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

6. FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS (continued)

Analysis of investments:

Equity
UK
Equity
overseas
Fixed interest securities - UK
Alternatives
Property
Money Market fund
CAF Income Fund
Capital Account Balance
Cash deposits
Total		 2020
£
512,727
666,193
296,718
148,021
47,925
-
898,502
60,552
8,234
£2,638,872		 2019
£
469,063
718,215
453,192
118,555
-
45,000
825,643
44,497
9,438
£2,683,603

The following investments represent more than 5% of the total investment portfolio as at 31 December 2020:

CAF Fixed Interest B Income Fund

£ 898,502

7.
DEBTORS
Income tax and VAT recoverable
Dividends and interest receivable
Prepayments
Prepayments related to Conference
Accrued income		 2020
£
3,193
12,522
18,831
-
-
34,546		 2019
£
7,547
9,438
15,554
-
23,580
£56,119

Included within Prepayments is a balance of £ 11,992 (2019: £11,992) relating to a property deposit , recoverable in 2020.

8.
CREDITORS:Amounts falling due
due within one year
Trade Creditors
Taxes and social security costs
Deferred income (note 9)
Other creditors
Grant commitments
Accruals		 2020
£
1,975
4,296
26,055
4,681
86,529
19,168
£142,704		 2019
£
450
4,355
30,535
4,814
-
31,298
£71,452

The Projects Committee met towards the end of the year and grants approved by the Board were paid in 2021.

27

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

9. CREDITORS: Amounts falling due 2020 2020 2019
in more than one year £ £
Deferred income at 1 January 2020 40,229 325,787
Income recognised in year (30,535) (310,000)
Income deferred in year 25,321 24,442
Deferred income at 31 December 2020 £35,015 £40,229
Made up of:
Membership deferred income due within
one year 26,055 30,535
Membership deferred income due in more
than one year 8,960 9,694
Total deferred income £35,015 £40,229
10. RESTRICTED FUNDS Balance Investment Balance
1 January gain 31 December
2020 Income Expenditure & Transfers 2020
£ £ £ £ £
Project Funds 206,043 96,765 (135,146) - 167,662
Conference Sponsorship Fund 488 - - - 488
Lady Aberdeen Scholarship Fund 80,910 1,459 - - 82,369
Elise Zimmern Memorial Fund 32,035 - - - 32,035
Nutrition Education Fund 88,330 118 - - 88,448
407,806 98,342 (135,146) - 371,002
RESTRICTED FUNDS PRIOR
YEAR Balance Investment Balance
1 January gain 31 December
2019 Income Expenditure & Transfers 2019
£ £ £ £ £
Project Funds 273,232 197,487 (170,285) (94,391) 206,043
Conference Sponsorship Fund 3,183 440 (3,135) - 488
Lady Aberdeen Scholarship Fund - - - 80,910 80,910
Elsie Zimmern Memorial Fund - - - 32,035 32,035
Nutrition Education Fund - - - 88,330 88,330
£276,415 £197,927 £(173,420) £106,884 £407,806

28

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

10. RESTRICTED FUNDS (continued)

Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions imposed by donors or by the specific terms of the Charity appeal, both of which are binding on the Trustees.

Total Income restricted to Projects activities was £98,342 (2019 £197,487), of which the WI of England & Wales contributed £45,409 in the year (£121,967 in 2019).

Project income constitutes the main source from which allocations are made for ACWW s charitable work directed towards grassroots projects and paid out of the restricted Women Empowered Fund (WE Fund) and its six priority focus areas which are supported by donors. From England and Wales only, the Women s Institutes Pennies for Friendship (WIPFF) classification represents monies donated to the WE Fund for projects.

11.
UNRESTRICTED FUNDS
Unrestricted
Designated funds
Margaret Pollock Fund
Conference Contingency Fund
Office Relocation and
Maintenance Fund
IFRW Fund
UNRESTRICTED FUNDS
PRIOR YEAR
Unrestricted
Designated funds
Margaret Pollock Fund
Conference Contingency Fund
Office Relocation and
Maintenance Fund
IFRW Fund		 Balance
1 January
2020
£
2,240,801
105,330
15,000
132,931
34,892
2,528,954
Balance
1 January
2019
£
2,006,985
105,330
15,000
142,569
36,111		 Investment
Balance
Gain (loss)
31 December
Income
Expenditure
& Transfers
2020
£
£
£
£
192,093
(325,701)
171,608
2,278,801
-
-
-
105,330
-
-
-
15,000
-
-
(8,740)
124,191
-
-
-
34,892
192,093
(325,701)
162,868
2,558,214
Investment
Balance
Gain (loss)
31 December
Income
Expenditure
& Transfers
2019
£
£
£
£
608,523
(728,466)
353,759
2,240,801
-
-
-
105,330
-
-
-
15,000
-
-
(9,638)
132,931
-
(1,219)
-
34,892
£2,305,995 £608,523
£ (729,685)
£344,121
£2,528,954

29

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

11. UNRESTRICTED FUNDS (continued)

Designated funds form part of unrestricted funds and relate to amounts set aside by the Trustees to meet specific future requirements of the organisation.

The Margaret Pollock Fund, set up with the proceeds of a substantial legacy received in 1994 has been designated by the Trustees as a capital fund for the time being. The income accruing to this fund is available for general purposes.

The Conference Contingency Fund was provided by the 1992 conference host society to offset unusual costs of future conferences, to be used at the discretion of the Trustees.

The Office Relocation and Maintenance Fund was set up in 2019 by transferring the historic Relocation Fund (residue), the Leasehold Sink Fund of 1 January 1999, the Equipment Reserve Fund and Building Maintenance Fund (residue) from general unrestricted funds.

The IFRW Fund relates to the International Forum for Rural Women and the Global Survey of Rural Women set up in the year from legacy income received in 2018 and 2019 and a specific donation. The intention is that the survey should be reviewed and repeated on a triennial basis for the foreseeable future. The balance will be spent on the continuing costs of surveys and data analysis.

12. ALLOCATION OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

The funds of the charity are represented by the following net assets:

Tangible fixed assets
Investments
Current assets
Current liabilities
Long term liabilities		 Unrestricted
£
22,113
2,267,870
419,895
(142,704)
(8,960)
2,558,214		 Restricted
£
-
371,002
-
-
-
371,002		 Total
£
22,113
2,638,872
419,895
(142,704)
(8,960)
2,929,216

13. PENSIONS AND OTHER POST RETIREMENT BENEFITS

Defined contribution pension plans:

The charity operates a defined contribution pension plan for its employees. The amount recognised as an expense in the period was £9,485 (2019 - £10,773).

30

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

14. OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS 2020 2019 £ £ The charity had annual commitments under operating leases as follows: In less than one year 54,979 41,701 In more than one year ~~98,259~~ 129 £153,238 £41,830

15. RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES

Net (expenditure)/ income for the reporting period incl. investment
gains
Adjustments for:
- Interest and dividends
- Losses/(gains) on investments
- Depreciation
- (Increase)/decrease in debtors
- Increase in creditors		 2020
£
(7,544)
(67,209)
(162,868)
8,740
21,573
70,518
(£136,790)		 2019
£
160,686
(69,942)
(249,730)
9,638
118,234
(272,774)
(£303,888)

31

THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

16. STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES PRIOR YEAR

Income:
Donations, membership and legacies
Investment income
Charitable activities
Total income
Expenditure:
Raising funds:
Investment management costs
Charitable activities:
Project activities
Education
Outreach
Information and research
United Nations representation
Conference preparation
Total expenditure
Net (expenditure)/income
Transfers between funds
Net income/ (expenditure) before
other gains
(Loss) /Gains on investment assets
Net movement in funds
Fund balances brought
forward 1 January 2019
Balances transferred in from previous
connected charities
Fund balances carried
forward 31 December 2019		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Connected
Funds
Funds
Charities
£
£
£
242,529
197,927
10,343
69,942
-
-
296,052
-
-
608,523
197,927
10,343
8,514
-
-
99,443
170,285
-
41,685
-
2,732
44,417
-
-
88,835
-
-
44,417
-
-
402,374
3,135
-
729,685
173,420
2,732
(121,162)
24,507
7,611
94,391
(94,391)
-
(26,771)
(69,884)
7,611
249,730
-
-
222,959
(69,884)
7,611
2,305,995
276,415
193,664
-
201,275
(201,275)
2,528,954
407,806
-		 Total
2019
£
450,799
69,942
296,052
816,793
8,514
269,728
44,417
44,417
88,835
44,417
405,509
905,837
(89,044)
-
(89,044)
249,730
160,686
2,776,074
-
2,936,760		 Total
2018
£
495,885
76,034
438
572,357
8,985
204,665
46,780
46,780
93,559
46,780
146,186
593,735
(21,378)
-
(21,378)
(120,185)
(141,563)
2,917,637
-
2,776,074

32