Issues  -   Actors and Other Stakeholders   -  Who is "on board" and why?

Wiki: NGOs as development actors: their role, their limits; their challenges

 

Issue 3 - NGOs as development actors: their role, their limits; their challenges

The of the Documentary is:

To show the ways in which people in richer countries are involved in raising funds and other resources for the people of developing nations and in what sense this also benefits the developing countries.

more in  Documentary Purpose

 

Issue deal it in Episode 4 - MDG 4 Reduce child mortality


 

 
Testimonials

Manoj Kumar  Country Director of Concern Worldwide  was interviewd  by Stefano De Santis on December 2010   in River N 2, Freetown Peninsula, Sierra Leone.

Image:Media.png http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcPx0vVlqZI&list=PLB670B648F6840C29&index=2&feature=plpp_video

see full interview: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB670B648F6840C29

 

 
 
Testimonials
Dilip Kumar is the Founder Member of Pravah. He was interviewed on the 3rd of April 2010 by Fausto Aarya De Santis
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see full interview:  ttp://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1BF1E6742830DB62

 

 

 
Testimonials
P. Krishna is the Rector of the Krishnamurti Foundation India, Varanasi. He was interviewed in Delhi on the 24th of March 2010 by Fausto Aarya De Santis
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see full interview: :http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL19CD1F8E78885101

 

 
 
Testimonials
Julian Parr,  Regional Manager, South East Asia for Oxfam GB.

Julian Parr says that you have to be very sensitive on how much you challenge and how much you assist countries to achieve MDGs. I think it is how you approach... is about dialogue, about communication, it is certainly not taking a dictatorial or accusatory attitude towards any country or nature.

He continues to say the NGOs often get it badly wrong when they want to be inclusive and genuine when representing the voices of local communities. To get that authentic voice takes trust, takes time, takes investment... and very often agencies don't have that length of time to achieve the scope of goals they want to. The challenge of listening and being inclusive of community voices means that you have a much stronger solution to their problem... and he genuinely believe that all communities can actually find their own solution if you create the right space around them, the enabling environment and create the resources to make change, they can often come up with the right answers.

Do you think we need NGOs to support development activities around the world?

A robust civil society is hugely important in terms of democratization and hearing the voice of people. For civil society has a more inclusive definition which is not just NGOs but also Media. The freedom of press in India it's is major strength... and if you suppress the freedom of Media you suppress development. 

What are their Challenges? 

NGOs are having the define their role in a new world order, especially international NGOs. What is are role now? We cannot continue to deliver services, for in doing so they undermine the role of the Government in doing that. My own sense it that we are now moving more towards advocacy and policies and that it the role we should be playing... we should be arguing to governments like India that you should put more than just 1% of the GDP into health.

What are their Challenges? 

Is whether they have an authentic voice. NGOs are very good in claiming to speak on behalf of people but they are not democratic institutions in their own right.

I can say that, yes, we have some very robust programs on the ground, but that is because I am saying it... if I had the same response from Coca-Cola, BP, Shell or even the government, I will be very sceptical of those figures and statistics. If we are going to hold other stakeholders and other sectors into account then we ourselves have to be much more transparent and honest about our own structure.

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see full interview: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF143F55954667298

 

 
 
Testimonials
Zulfiquar Haider is the National Programme Coordinator for the Planning Commission (GoI) - UN, Joint Programme on Convergence. He was interviewed in Delhi on the 13th of April 2010 by Fausto Aarya De Santis

In Afghanistan there was a project called NSP (national solidarity project). The interesting things i found was that (1) it was something in the agenda of the government itself, (2) donors without wanting their flags and identity is publicized were ready to back it up and (3) unlike many other projects, this project was a lot more flexible in design, it allowed a degree of flexibility for the project to evolve.

The government saw all the local and international organizations as partners so there was a lot of space for dialogue which was created; so realities from the ground as implementation happened were feeding in the design aspect of the program... which changed, in many significant ways.   Instead of saying what will happen in the name of development, this project was building on creating local government councils and these councils would then make plans in a participatory way. Their development plans would determine what happens. Yes there was technical support given on budget, questioning who the beneficiary were and help people prioritize... but it was the people's plans and inspirations which were finding space.

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see full interview:  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL77195325F4994608


 

 
 
Testimonials
Olivier Consolo is the Director of CONCORD, an European NGO confederation for Relief and Development. He was interviewed by Vrinda Dar and Stefano De Santis in June 2011 in Brussels, Belgium
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see full interview:   http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9D696DEFD5A5F5F7