Tightening noose: NGOs to be put under tighter surveillance

Government to keep closer check on foreign donations.

ISLAMABAD:

Non-governmental organisations might always be the first when it comes to blaming the government for not giving people their rights, but they seem reluctant to speak up on a policy designed to regulate their own activities.

The federal government has drafted a policy for the ‘regulation of organisations receiving foreign contribution’. This policy aims to tighten the grip over national and international organisations receiving foreign donations in Pakistan. The proposed policy is to remain effective until the government introduces a new legislation.



As per the process of getting registered with the Economic Affairs Division and entering into a Memorandum of Understanding for a period of up to five years, however, analysts say that the government would not get into an agreement for more than one year to keep a closer check on the NGOs.

Under the new policy the organisations will apply to the EAD and submit a set of documents which will be cleared through the Ministry of Interior, provincial governments and ‘other stakeholders’. The process would take four months to complete.

Each NGO is expected to sign an MoU to provide the government with information regarding the NGO’s scope of work, its address and their bank account details. The NGOs will be able to apply for extension, going through the same process.

The objective stated for changing the policy is to improve the accounting of foreign funding and ensure greater aid effectiveness.

An official working for INGO confided in The Express Tribune that it was the government’s aim to control NGOs which bring up issues quite embarrassing for the state.

He suggested that the government could have improved financial accountability by plugging existing laws instead of creating a special structure. He added that these organisations registered under Companies Ordinance of 1984 and Social Welfare Acts have already been declaring their accounts.



He further suggested that if any new arrangement is to be made, it should be outside the ambit of the government to ensure transparency. He said the responsibility to keep a check should be given to regulatory bodies like the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.

Huge sums of foreign assistance have flown into Pakistan since 2001 but questions have often been raised over the use of this aid.

According to another person working with an international organisation, most of the aid given by the United States is disbursed through American contractors who are not working for any cause in Pakistan. He said instead of clamping down on project-based NGOs and advocacy groups, the government should tighten noose around American contractors being hired by United States Agency for International Development.

Under the Kerry Luger Act, US is to disburse $1.5 billion in civilian assistance. However, so far the annual disbursements have remained below this benchmark and most of the donations come through USAID.

Meanwhile, officials working in these organisation say that the Pakistani government lacks the expertise to handle the hefty amount of donations it receives.

Spokesman for the EAD was not available for comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2013.