Daily Times

Civil Society Organizations and government officials on Tuesday called for measures to improve mutual cooperation and support among government and Non-Profit Sector to promote human rights and sustainable development in the province and country.

Two separate consultations were organized by AWAZ- CDS Pakistan, Blue Veins, and National Commission for Human Rights NCHR in collaboration, to discuss and explore effective strategies, activities, measures, and initiatives to improve civic spaces, strengthen civil society and have greater access to resources. Questions like ‘how civil society can engage meaningfully from the grassroots to the provincial and national level for improved participation and reasonable compliance process also came under discussion.

The participants of the consultations urged the importance of legal framework and a conducive political and public environment for CSOs and national institutions for the protection and promotion of human rights.

The participants thoroughly discussed the national and provincial legislation and regulatory frameworks including the new EAD Policy, Provincial Legislation towards collecting charity, and other mechanisms to obtain NOCs.

Tariq Javed Member/Commissioner National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while addressing the participants said “An effective civil society is the backbone of thriving communities and countries. Civil society can be a catalyst for social, political, and economic progress. Civic groups mobilize people and resources to fight disease and hunger. They work to strengthen rule of law and promote accountability and transparency”. NCHR is committed to uphold the constitutional rights and will work as a bridge between Govt and civil society” he added.

Zia Ur Rehman, Chief Executive AWAZ CDS- Pakistan shared the results and findings of the nationwide survey conducted by Awaz CDS-Pakistan and Pakistan Development Alliance on challenges faced by civil society organizations towards the existing legal and regulatory frameworks, operations and access to resources. The survey indicated the confusion among the Government agencies as well as NGOs in complying with the legal frameworks.

According to the results more than 60 percent of the NGOs working in the country face challenges to obtain various types of MOUs, NOCs and other permissions to implement their development interventions. Another key finding says working on minorities rights, women rights and transgender rights in Pakistan is comparatively more difficult than services delivery related interventions. More than 81percent NGOs representatives face challenges in opening bank accounts for their projects.

He emphasized that the Federal and Provincial Governments should establish communication channels for effective coordination and must ensure that regulations on funding for CSOs comply with international human rights standards.

Moreover, he said, “We encourage the authorities to put in place measures, in consultation with others including civil society, that could mitigate the gaps to ensure that the enforcement of regulatory policy framework does not lead to violations of the right to freedom of association.”