Charity Registration Number: 1205874 (England and Wales)
RAMPHAL INSTITUTE
TRUSTEES' REPORT AND AUDITED ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 MAY 2024
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LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Trustees
Kamela Palma - Chairperson Dr. Ajay Agrawal Richard Evans Mark Robinson Anita Nzeh Meenakshi Dhar Steve Cutts Winnie Kiap Akinyi Eurallyah
Charity number : 1205874
(The Institute was previously registered as a company charity number 1117152)
Registered office:
Woburn House 5[th] Floor 20 Tavistock Square London WC1H 9HF
Bankers: HSBC 1 Woburn Place Russell Square London WCIH OLQ
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REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 MAY 2024
Annual Report and Accounts
The Trustees of the Ramphal Institute present their report and accounts for the period ended 31 May 2024.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the Charity’s’ Memorandum and Articles of Association, and the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" issued in March 2005.
Structure, governance and management
The charity is governed by its revised Memorandum and Articles of Association as adopted on 14 November 2023.
The charity changed its name on 2 December 2011 to the Ramphal Institute, from the Ramphal Centre for Commonwealth Policy Studies.
The charity was first granted charitable status on 6 December 2006. On 29 June 2023 the Institute applied for Charitable Incorporate Organisation (CIO) status, and this was granted by the Charities Commission on 23 November 2023.
Trustees
The Trustees of the Ramphal Institute who served during the period (2023 – 2024) were:
Kamela Palma – Chairperson Ajay Agrawal Richard Evans Mark Robinson Anita Nzeh Meenakshi Dhar Steve Cutts Winnie Kiap (from November 2022) Akinyi Eurallyah (from January 2023)
- Ramphal Institute trustees – leading figures, key experts, and community and thought leaders in fields relevant to the priority areas of work of the Ramphal Institute, including trade, sustainable development, governance and environment/climate change – are selected from across Commonwealth members states and regions. Trustees are identified and nominated by an ad hoc committee of the Board of Trustees established for this purpose, and nominations are vetted and voted by the wider group of Trustees at their regular meetings prior to the new trustee officially assuming a place with the organization.
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Objectives and Activities
Mandate and Objectives
The Ramphal Institute works “ to advance education for the benefit of the public, including policy makers, in the fields of social, economic, governance and environmental policies within the commonwealth, by means of analysis, studies, meeting, lectures, conferences, seminars, workshops, research and the dissemination of the useful results of the foregoing.”
It creates and shares knowledge, undertakes policy research and analysis, and provides advice to policymakers and other stakeholders within and across Commonwealth member states via targeted virtual dialogues, briefings, conferences, seminars and workshops, printed publications, and its website and social media accounts. In so doing, the Institute contributes to informed policy debate that can help make international and national policy making and regulation more conducive to sustainable development and the advancement of equity and good governance.
Notable Occurrences
During the last reporting year, there were several notable occurrences.
Firstly, the Institute formally changed its registered status to that of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The Institute was informed of this change by the Charities Commission by email on the 23[rd of] November 2023 and the charity’s details are now available on the Register of Charities in England and Wales.
Secondly, the Institute was officially re-accredited as a Commonwealth Organisation (CO). COs are required to go through reaccreditation every three years and the Ramphal Institute was one of the first COs to successfully complete this process and is now “reconfirmed as a Commonwealth, accredited organization in the ‘Professional and Civil Society Organisations’ category.”[1]
Thirdly, in preparing for its re-accreditation with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Institute commissioned an independent review of its finances in accordance with the general directions given by the Charities Commission. This was done by JTA Accounting of 23 Prospect Street, Caversham. The review found that the accounts of the Institute were in good standing and met all requirements as set out by the Commission.[2]
Finally, Sir Shridath Ramphal (Sonny), OE, OCC, GCMG, former Secretary General of the Commonwealth and the person after who the Ramphal Institute was named after seceding from the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, passed away in September 2024. Sir Shridath was the longest serving Secretary General of the Commonwealth and a leading diplomat from Guyana, his place of birth.
1 Letter from Deborah Jamieson, Chief of Staff & Senior Director in the Office of the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, to the Ramphal Institute, 13 June 2024.
2 Independent Examiner’s Report on the Accounts, JTA Accounting, 7 March 2024.
Achievements and Performance
1. Re-registration as Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
In late 2022, following the earlier decision of trustees, the Director started the process of changing the Institute’s status from registered company to Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). This entailed preparing and adopting a new constitution, getting trustees to sign new declarations, and notifying companies house of the change, among other things. Although the process was not fully completed prior to the end of the Institute’s reporting year (i.e., by 31 May 2023), on the 29[th of] June 2023 the Institute submitted its full application for CIO status. On 23 November 2023 the Institute was informed by the Charities Commission of its successful re-registration as a CIO.
2. Enhanced Governance
Following development of terms of reference to guide the work of Trustees in Q3 of 2023 (part of the reporting year), the Board of Trustees, nominated two trustees to the roles of Deputy Chair and Honorary Treasurer. This undertaking was aimed at strengthening the governance structure of the organization and also the functions of the Board of Trustees by allowing for establishment of an ‘executive committee’ of the Board. This includes the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and Honorary Treasurer.
3. Implementation of the Work Plan
The Director reported that work on implementation the work plan was continuing. The Work Plan sets out key activities (under the Institute’s four priority areas) for meeting the Institute’s strategic objectives, specifically: building capacity across the Commonwealth for responding to policy challenges ; undertaking research on relevant policy areas ; convening meetings and events with Commonwealth stakeholders ; and communicating and raising awareness about the work of the Institute .
3.1 Climate Justice
In April 2024, the Institute through the leadership of Miss Kelsie Garbutt, Researcher and Coordinator for Climate Justice, launched a five-part series of webinars to explore issues of climate justice across the Commonwealth. The series featured leading political figures, heads of international organisations, senior staff of the Commonwealth Secretariat, and people at the forefront of climate justice issues in Commonwealth member states and regions. Main themes for the series included strategies for achieving Net Zero that prioritise just transitions and climate equity; colonialism and climate justice indigenous voices and climate justice; climate resilience and economic development as an integrated approach in SIDS; and Commonwealth Collaboration on Climate Change. The series reached over 300 people from more than twenty commonwealth countries and video recordings are available for viewing on the Institute’s YouTube channel.
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3.2 Ramphal Dialogues – The Podcast
As part of the series on climate justice, Kelsie also produced a podcast episode on climate justice and the Commonwealth. The podcast titled “Climate Justice and the Commonwealth” is available for listening at the following link https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUAdSyV7rbOSoAgL279bVMJOqawrsixnF
3.3 Eye on Africa
In May 2024 the Director launched a new series titled Eyes on Africa. The program developed and implemented in collaboration with the Young African Policy Research Hub (YAPORH) interrogates the development challenges and forces shaping Africa today from a youth perspective. The initiative which included webinars, high level discussion and publication of policy briefs and research about relevant themes, engaged leading thinkers, policymakers, and other stakeholders from African countries, especially those that are Commonwealth member states. The object of the programme is to illuminate the issues countries, communities and people in Africa are facing and to understand how policy makers and Commonwealth member states are responding to the issues. The programme approaches this from the perspective of African youth leaders and provides a platform and space for them to share their thinking about events and to provide feedback or considerations to better inform decision-making and more effective policies in African Commonwealth member states.
4 Commonwealth Oceans Ministers Meeting
In April 2024, the Director, on the invitation of the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, participated in the inaugural Commonwealth Ocean’s Ministers Meeting in Cyprus. The meeting which was held April 18-20 addressed themes related to the management of the oceans resources of Commonwealth member states and put forward text for Heads to consider at their meeting (i.e., CHOGM 2024) in Samoa later in the year (i.e., October). Thus the "Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration for One Resilient Common Future was adopted and this calls on all 56 Commonwealth nations to protect and restore the ocean in the face of severe climate change, pollution and over exploitation."
5 COP28
As with COP27, the Ramphal Institute did not physically attend United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai in November 2022, but the Director participated in several virtual meetings COP28 including meetings convened during the event as well as others held prior to or leading up to this event. Additionally, one of its Trustees attended COP28 and reported back on developments and outcomes at COP. Additionally, the Institute convened several webinars on themes strongly related to key themes of COP28 including on decarbonization and green transitions.
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6 Appointment of Youth Leaders to Staffing Roles
In keeping with the agreement by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their meeting in Kigali, Rwanda for “increasing meaningful representation of youth in decision-making processes and mechanisms” and “placing young people at the heart of policy development,” the Institute in the third and fourth quarters of 2023, and the second quarter of 2024 appointed different youth leaders from Commonwealth member states to (volunteer) staff position. This included Miss Kelsie Garbutt, a national of Belize, to the position of Researcher and Coordinator for Climate Justice programs; Mr. Ashral Nehal, a national of India, to the role of Youth Coordinator; and Mr. Lovansh Katiyar, also a national of India to the role of Policy Researcher. Notably, the Institute is the first Commonwealth organisations to deliver on the objective agreed by Heads at their meeting in Rwanda in 2022.
7 Advancing the Principles of the Commonwealth Charter
The Institute continues to advance the Commonwealth Charter through its work and engagement. A recent study commissioned and funded by the Commonwealth Secretariat found that the Ramphal Institute “works in and contributes to advancing the values and principles in the Commonwealth Charter in its annual activities, including in the areas of democracy; human rights; good governance; sustainable development; protecting the environment; access to health, education, food and shelter; gender equality; importance of young people; recognition of small states; and recognition of vulnerable states.”
8 Commonwealth Day 2024
The Director of the Ramphal Institute once again represented the organisation at the official ceremony for Commonwealth Day 2024 on 11 March 2024. The event which involved a service at Westminster Abbey attended by King Charles and other members of the royal family marked the beginning of a week-long series of events and activities in the UK and around the globe, including faith and civic gatherings, debates, school assemblies, flag raising ceremonies and cultural events. The Director also participated in other events during the week, including the reception hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat as well as online events convened by other Commonwealth organisations.
9 Enhanced Reach and Communication
The Institute continues to expand its reach within and across Commonwealth member states and regions using social media and digital channels. For instance, the Institute receives an average of 10 new visitors a week to its LinkedIn account where followership now stands at 562 persons – up from 457 over the previous period – an average of more than 8 new followers per month. At the same time, over 500 persons have participated in the Institute’s virtual events or viewed its content and recordings on YouTube over the past year. These figures represent a significantly expanded reach for the Institute with participants in the Institute’s virtual programmes and
followers on its social media accounts hailing from over thirty Commonwealth member states, and a growing number from non-Commonwealth countries.
10 Project Funding Proposals
The Institute continues to explore opportunities for funding from organisations and development partners both within and across the Commonwealth, but also externally.
Public benefit
The activities and events hosted by the Institute have been open to the public and all its publications during the year were available free of charge and were posted on the Institute's website.
The research, briefings, and meetings undertaken and/or convened by the Institute have advanced understanding of alternative approaches to addressing issues and challenges facing Commonwealth member states and regions, including the climate crisis and other sustainable development issues. The work of the Institute has informed and contributed by providing additional intellectual input for policy making in the wider Commonwealth and beyond.
The Institute maintains strong relationships with members of the strong Commonwealth civil society community which exists both in London and across the wider Commonwealth. This has given us ideas and a wider forum through which to promote our mission, in particularly concerning press freedom, democracy and human rights. At the same time, the Institute continues to develop its close relationship with the Commonwealth Secretariat, utilising shared contacts and other benefits which enables the Institute to promote and maintain access to all the Commonwealth, in particular; African, Caribbean and pacific countries.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees
Kamela Palma Chairperson, Ramphal Institute
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THE RAMPHAL INSTITUTE STATEMENT OF INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2023
| Notes Income Restricted Donations Designated Donations Unrestricted Donations Sales Grant TOTAL INCOME Expenditure Governance Events and Research Rent Other3 TOTAL EXPENDITURE EXCESS/DEFICIT OF INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE Net movement in funds Fund balances at 31 May 2023 Fund balances at 31 May 2024 |
Total Total 2023 2023 2024 2024 £ £ £ £ - nil nil nil nil |
Total Total 2023 2023 2024 2024 £ £ £ £ - nil nil nil nil |
Total Total 2023 2023 2024 2024 £ £ £ £ - nil nil nil nil |
|---|---|---|---|
| nil nil nil nil |
|||
| 25.00 452.00 452.00 534.13 - - 482.29 275.88 275.88 |
|||
| 1,041.42 1,041.42 727.88 727.88 |
|||
| (1,041.42) (727.88) 5,213.58 4,485.70 |
|||
| (727.88) | |||
3 Bank charges plus Zoom subscription.
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THE RAMPHAL INSTITUTE
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 31 MAY 2023
| Notes Current assets Cash at bank and in hand Debtors Current Liabilities Payments Owing (Audit + Cyprus Meeting) Other Liabilities Net Assets Income funds Surplus/ (Deficit) carried forward Grants & Other Funding |
2023 2024 £ £ 5,213.58 4,485.70 |
|---|---|
| 5,213.58 4,485.70 (1,300.00)4 - - |
|
| - - |
|
| 5,213.58 4,485.70 |
|
| 5,213.58 4,485.70 |
4 Payment was made in June 2024, after the close of the Institute’s financial year.
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For the year ending 31 May 2024, the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
Trustees responsibilities:
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The directors (trustees) acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
The accounts were approved by the Board on 12[th] September 2024 .
…………………………….
Ms. Kamela Palma Chairperson
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RAMPHAL INSTITUTE NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS PERIOD ENDED 31 MAY 2024
1 Accounting policies
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The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
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The accounts have been prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards in the United Kingdom, following the guidance and format (where relevant) of the Statement of Recommended Practice, "Accounting and Reporting by Charities", issued in March 2005 and the Companies Act 2006.
2 Employees
The average number of employees (unpaid volunteers) was 4 in 2023 - 2024.
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