UK: Reception at Number 10 for Acevo

The English Prime Minister Tony Blair has hosted a reception for leaders from the Third sector to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Acevo. The Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (Acevo), which brings together CEOs from across the charity and NGO communities, is part of the Vita Europe network.

Tony Blair: the voluntary sector as a whole could look forward to an immensely exciting future
Speaking at the reception, Mr Blair said that Acevo had helped make the third sector "more organised and more dynamic" than before, and that the voluntary sector as a whole could look forward to an "immensely exciting" future. Here we publish the Prime Minister's remarks.

Welcome here to Downing Street. This is a very happy occasion because it allows us to do two things at once: the first is obviously to celebrate your 20 years; and the second thing is for me to say Thank You to you before I depart out of this building, and obviously as I have already had some very kind job offers on the way through here, to which I have expressed varying degrees of interest.

But I just want to say a couple of things about the sector. The first thing is that this is I think one of the most exciting areas of public and civic policy that is going on at the moment. I think there is an immense amount more that the voluntary sector can do. I still think there is a huge amount of ignorance, particularly inside government, about the possibilities and the potential, but I also think that the sector is a lot more organised and dynamic than it was a few years ago and that is in many ways as a result of your work, Stephen, and your colleagues.

The thing I would say as well is that what I notice from within the political system, and I mean across political parties incidentally, is the argument used to be did government want to use the voluntary sector as a way of getting government out of responsibilities that it didn't want any more, and therefore you have got this great debate the whole time as to whether this is the government on the cheap trying to get things done and so on. I think that where this has moved to now is an understanding that a heavy centralised bureaucratic solution is usually not the best solution and that there is a creativity therefore and an ability to deliver within the voluntary sector that makes it worthwhile, irrespective of, you know the funding levels are something you have to decide in any event, but as a delivery mechanism it is a lot more effective. And I think whether it is in dealing with things like sort of truancy and exclusion at schools, or things to do with rehabilitation after time in prison, or to do with some of the basic new elements of public service in the children's sector, or the health sector, there is just a huge possibility out there for what you are all about.

And I also think the other thing that is happening too is that people want a relationship with government that is far more based on partnership rather than top-down, and I think for that reason as well the voluntary sector has a series of dimensions of enormous benefit.

So I think you know this is obviously to celebrate your 20 years, but actually I think the really important thing is I can see an horizon for this sector that is immensely exciting for the future. And one of the good things that I think is positive, personally I think this is a benefit, is I think this is almost as a matter of political consensus true.

So very good, and I would like to give you a toast to your 20 years and to say thank you very much indeed. Happy Birthday.

www.acevo.org.uk