Government Organisation from an NGO Perspective

1
Government Organisation from an NGO Perspective

• International Conference on Poverty Reduction
  and Forests Tenure, Market and Policy Reforms,
  RECOFTC, Thailand
• 3-7 September 07
• Sanjoy Patnaik
• RCDC
• India

2
Some Strengths

• Technically qualified human resource to carry out
  things.
• Vast administrative network to address complex
  and colossus work.
• Mandated by policies and Acts to carry out forest
  and other development.
• Availability of information.

3
Some Weaknesses

• Largely reluctant to incorporate plural
  views/opinion.
• Not very open and supportive of new ideas.
• Too much bogged down by procedures, rules, law or
  over interpretation of law.
• Mostly afraid of taking risk.
• Suspicious and not comfortable to criticism.
• Very limited recognition of peoples knowledge.

4
How GOs can contribute to pro-poor policy change

• Recognise the strengths of NGOs and carry forward
  the work initiated by an them.
• Create space for NGOs and other CSOs in decision
  making process.
• Try to build a team of multistakeholders.
• Structurally integrate a policy feedback process
  to incorporate multiple ideas/periodic policy
  review with NGOs.
• Recognition of communitys rights over forest
  resources and creating space for them in public
  law.