(Ecns.cn) – The Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) officially launched a project establishing a platform for the disclosure of information related to public welfare and charitable donations on Monday. It is expected to be put into use in the first half of next year, according to the Beijing Times.
The ministry has been soliciting public opinion on draft guidelines requiring charity organizations and governments to disclose detailed information on donations since August, which will be released this month, according to Xu Jianzhong, deputy head of the Social Welfare and Charity Promotion Department under the MCA.
The guidelines would require charity organizations to disclose information on donations at regular intervals. After the establishment of the platform, charities must also submit information such as fundraising activities, donation details, use of donations and financial status.
The disclosure of such information is an irresistible trend, Xu said, but the guidelines are only instructive and not enforceable. By the end of 2012, the government will unveil new policies to make the disclosure an obligation for charity organizations, which means charities will be under mandate to disclose donation information, he added.
Xu revealed that the policy has already entered legislative procedures, and will hopefully further regulate China's charity sector in a more effective way.
