![](https://www.nextias.com/ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/4205257Screenshot_6.png)
In News
- Each year World NGO Day is celebrated on February 27th.
World NGO Day
- About:
- It is an international day dedicated to recognize, celebrate and honour all non-governmental and nonprofit organisations, and the people behind them that contribute to the society all year around.
- History:
- The World NGO (Non-Governmental Organisations) Day assumed its official status when 12-member countries of the IX Baltic Sea NGO Forum on April 17, 2010 formally recognised it.
- In 2012, the forum’s Final Statement Resolution adopted the day.
- Later, in 2014 it was decided that this day would be celebrated as World NGO Day when the United Nations celebrated it.
NGOs
- About:
- Non-governmental organisations, or NGOs, were first called such in Article 71 in the Charter of the newly formed United Nations in 1945.
- They are nonprofit entities independent of governmental influence who work for, environmental, social, advocacy, and human rights work.
- Range of function:
- They work across a range of arenas and play important roles of facilitator, catalyst or partner in bringing social transformation.
- NGOs play a critical part in developing society, improving communities, and promoting citizen participation.
- Aim:
- The main objective of NGOs is humanitarian and cooperative work rather than commercial purposes.
- Importance:
- The central government gives a great thrust to NGOs that promote the country’s development.
Significance
- Core issues dealt by them:
- The NGOs look into accelerating activities like issues dealing with poverty alleviation, water, environment, women’s rights and literacy.
- In the past decades, there has been significant growth in areas where NGOs have been active.
- Dynamic:
- They have been dynamic in almost all sectors: Health, education, livelihood in rural and urban areas to name a few.
- Influence the Government policies:
- Another major achievement of NGOs includes influencing the Indian government to formulate various developmental laws and policies, which include:
- Right to Information,
- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA),
- Juvenile Justice and
- Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS).
- Another major achievement of NGOs includes influencing the Indian government to formulate various developmental laws and policies, which include:
- Partner in campaigns:
- NGOs also partnered with the government to successfully implement major campaigns like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
- Such partnerships gives better results and involvement of common people.
- Great help in crisis situations:
- NGOs have always been on the forefront, taking accountability by offering multiple solutions for development.
- During the pandemic, NGOs played a pivotal role and supported the government’s COVID-19 response initiative full-fledged.
- Grassroot presence:
- Given their grassroots presence and solid community relations, local NGOs played a very important role in accelerating vaccination drives and encouraging communities to practice COVID-19 protocols.
Challenges faced by NGOs
- Lack of Long-Term Strategic Planning:
- NGOs appear to be incapable of predicting what they will do even in one or two months.
- Most of their activities look like one time shots. However, a single event is not enough to change the attitude towards some problem.
- Lack of Funds:
- NGOs feed on their want to be able to help more individuals and communities depending on their needs. To do so, NGOs need to constantly acquire funds.
- In some cases, NGOs become complacent and simply wait for donations or previous supporters to contact them.
- This practice will in no way contribute to the successes of an NGO.
- Absence of networking:
- NGOs working together to reach their goals more efficiently is one perspective.
- However, some NGOs also see it as a form of competition.
- For some reason, there are NGOs who believe getting close to other NGOs or nonprofits will cause them to have more competition in terms of applying for grants.
- Lack of maintenance:
- In many developing countries, the lack of infrastructure is quite common and NGOs believe that people deserve a better standard of living.
- Without proper maintenance, the benefits to their living standards may only be temporary.
- Lacking skill:
- Most NGOs lack the technical know-how for efficient working and are also not interested in investing in training etc.
Way Ahead
- NGOs need to step in where governments couldn’t, and provide services that governments do not.
- The working of NGOs should never be put on the back-burner.
Source: DTE
Previous article
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
Next article
Suez Canal