Nepali govt planning tighter controls on INGOs
by Kalpit Parajuli
Kathmandu says it wants to improve coordination, but associations respond that its real goal is to control groups working for immigrants, democracy and human rights.
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) – Nepal’s Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare wants to tighten controls over international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) operating in the country. The latter however accuse the government of persecuting them in the name of transparency.
The ministry has created a monitoring unit with the National Planning Commission and set in motion a process to amend the Social Welfare Council Act in order to give the Ministry’s Facilitation Recommendation Committee (FRC) the power to check how INGOs carry out their projects.
“A technical team is working on the Act which broadens the FRC ambit and will give it more authority to manage INGO activities,” Ministry Undersecretary Ram Prasad Bhattarai said.
The government has decided to monitor INGOs following criticism that their activities are not transparent. Under the amended act, all INGOs in Nepal will come under the FRC.
“The attempt is to enhance the coordination of INGOs with the government as well as making one door policy more effective,” Bhattarai said.
However, NGOs are not convinced and remain highly critical of the government’s policy. In fact, they accuse the authorities of persecution.
"We are ready if government wants to see our economic transparency but transparency in our activities may hamper our work. So, we request government not to interfere in our works in the name of transparency,” said Baburam Neupane, Country Representative for Aide et Action International Nepal.
International NGOs are convinced that government wants to persecute those that work for minorities, democracy and human rights in order to force them to leave the country.
According to the Association of Non-government Organisations, local NGOs and INGOs are hampered in their emergency operations because the government wants to approve all their activities before they implement them.
More than 100 international NGOs are active in the country, also helped by the work of Christians.
Caritas is the best-known NGO. Thousands of families benefit from its assistance in case of emergencies as well its help to improve their life, farming and education.
The ministry has created a monitoring unit with the National Planning Commission and set in motion a process to amend the Social Welfare Council Act in order to give the Ministry’s Facilitation Recommendation Committee (FRC) the power to check how INGOs carry out their projects.
“A technical team is working on the Act which broadens the FRC ambit and will give it more authority to manage INGO activities,” Ministry Undersecretary Ram Prasad Bhattarai said.
The government has decided to monitor INGOs following criticism that their activities are not transparent. Under the amended act, all INGOs in Nepal will come under the FRC.
“The attempt is to enhance the coordination of INGOs with the government as well as making one door policy more effective,” Bhattarai said.
However, NGOs are not convinced and remain highly critical of the government’s policy. In fact, they accuse the authorities of persecution.
"We are ready if government wants to see our economic transparency but transparency in our activities may hamper our work. So, we request government not to interfere in our works in the name of transparency,” said Baburam Neupane, Country Representative for Aide et Action International Nepal.
International NGOs are convinced that government wants to persecute those that work for minorities, democracy and human rights in order to force them to leave the country.
According to the Association of Non-government Organisations, local NGOs and INGOs are hampered in their emergency operations because the government wants to approve all their activities before they implement them.
More than 100 international NGOs are active in the country, also helped by the work of Christians.
Caritas is the best-known NGO. Thousands of families benefit from its assistance in case of emergencies as well its help to improve their life, farming and education.
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