A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

As an international nonprofit organization, Physicians for Peace plays a part in the influential role of international NGOs in shaping global health policies. Because of our potential impact within the global community, Physicians for Peace deeply values public trust and we do not take it for granted. We are committed to sustaining and deepening this trust by ensuring our actions are reflective of our strategic plan. This strategic plan includes our Accountability and Transparency position which encourages constructive oversight of mission goals and program development so that we can effectively set the right long-term priorities and implement them efficiently and effectively. 

In the year 2000, 189 heads of state agreed to the Millennium Declaration, a plan for the United Nations and its members to address the challenges of the new millennium.  (Add link to MDG page.)  The declaration, which covers peace and security issues, development, human rights and institutional reform of the United Nations, represents an agreement of the global community to realize targets to advance development by 2015.  The resulting Millennium Development Goals (MDG) have gained currency, galvanizing disparate and sometimes competing development agendas.  The leadership of Physicians for Peace, the Board and staff, are committed to work within the global development community to help meet the critical health goals set forth within the MDGs.

As a non-profit, humanitarian organization we achieve strategic effectiveness when it directly and forcefully implements prioritized goals in its operations.   It ensures effectiveness by creating a culture of openness and full accountability, including the areas of good governance and management; and fundraising and multi-stakeholder engagement, responsible advocacy, effective program development, non-discrimination, ethical fundraising.

We have a sustained passion for continuous improvement and innovation that will propel Physicians for Peace into a long-term, upward spiral of accomplishment and performance.  To do so, we have spent considerable time and energy developing strategic, proactive plans to give us greater leverage.

Setting the framework for our strategic thinking and actionable planning, and by continuously aspiring towards the accomplishment of our vision, we will become recognized internationally as a forward-thinking and innovative leader among development and humanitarian organizations.

Commitment to Transparency and Accountability
Physicians for Peace is a results driven organization that is committed to making a world of difference in the lives of the underserved.  While our staff is small, our capacity to meet and even exceed our goals and objectives comes from a unique combination of a highly skilled and motivated professional staff and a cadre of hundreds of well- respected and capable medical practitioners who make selfless sacrifices to help Physicians for Peace help others. 

All of our work is done in an environment focused on strategic planning, which leads to more efficient and effective execution, both underpinned by a desire to ensure we measure and evaluate progress towards success.  

We ensure that progress towards our goals through the leadership of our Medical Operations Committee, a select team of volunteer medical and business leaders who provide day to day insight and oversight of our field operations.   This quality assurance committee evaluates, approves, and monitors all projects.  Depending upon the specific mission, assessments are based on evidence-based research model. This model consists of both qualitative and quantitative assessments, including stakeholder participation in defining progress and recommendations for change.  The tools used to measure outcomes  include, for example, 1) interviews and pre-tests; 2) interviews with patients and primary caregivers to assess socio economical aspects and care provided; 3) assessment of the quality of life; and 4) review of patient's medical records to assess information about their treatment and rehabilitation.  

And we take our accountability and transparency to an even higher level by being active participants as a member of InterAction, the nation’s largest membership organization for international NGOs.  By subscribing to their exacting standards, as well as those of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, donors and other stakeholders can be assured that the stewardship of philanthropic investments in Physicians for Peace are properly and efficiently utilized. 

In Summary
Our donors are the lifeblood of our operations.  They are our partners, our stakeholders, our friends.  Only by creating lasting relationships with our stakeholders can we ensure that we meet the healthcare needs of the world’s most vulnerable populations. 

We are fervently committed to an operating environment where no one person is more or less important than any one else; an environment where open communications are encouraged;  an environment where we work together to ensure trust, participation and collaboration.  Such openness will only strengthen our work and promote efficiency and effectiveness.  We encourage you to challenge us if you feel we are doing otherwise. 

Brigadier General Ron Sconyers (USAF, Ret.)
President and CEO