Involvement Of Non-governmental Organizations Research Articles

EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMS FOR OLDER POPULATIONS IN NIGERIA

Aging populations are growing at a fast rate. The situation is not different in Nigeria, although variations exist among nations. The growing number of older people has implications for social and economic development of the world, especially in developing economies, which have to spend more in the social sector than economic sector. This paper presents analyses of the growing trends in aging populations in the world as well as the trend in Nigeria, discusses the causes and implications of this growth, and suggests educational and welfare programs that can assist in addressing the problems associated with elderly people. Among the programs recommended are adult literacy, health education, skill development, professional training, women's education, retirement and pre-retirement education, social welfare, and the involvement of non-governmental organizations in provision of assistance to old people. The paper cautions against sending elderly people to old people's homes in Nigeria, because it is against our culture and, instead, recommends the establishment of day care institutions with facilities for learning, enjoying leisure, and recreation. It is hoped that this will prevent alienation associated with life in an old people's home.

Mapping Relations between Family Policy Actors

In line with calls from the European Commission for greater involvement of non-governmental organisations in the policy process, this article draws on research across EU member and applicant states to investigate the potential for enhancing cooperation between political and civil society actors in family policy formulation. The authors argue that the role of civil society is highly differentiated between countries, due to three key factors: party ideology, political culture and political transitions, which determine the capacity for improving alliances. Structural barriers to development may prevent the Commission's advocacy of closer cooperation between policy actors from being successful in the shorter term.

Post‐conflict reconstruction of the health system of Afghanistan: Assisting in the rehabilitation of a provincial hospital ‐ context and experience

Over more than two decades of conflict, Afghanistan's health system came to depend heavily on assistance from donors and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs). When the Taliban fell in November 2001 the health system was in a state of collapse; Afghanistan's health indicators were amongst the worst in the world. National Health Policy is to deliver an essential package of health services to the entire population. It is acknowledged that reconstruction of the health system will depend on donor financial support and NGO involvement in health programmes. An example is Medécins du Monde's involvement in health system rehabilitation in the Ghor province. Investing in health can contribute to peace, stability and political transition. Security, needed for reconstruction and for NGOs to continue their crucial work in health, has recently deteriorated in parts of Afghanistan. Joint Regional Teams to provide security to outlying areas have been announced by the US. There is concern that their proposed humanitarian and development role could compromise perception of the neutrality and impartiality of NGOs.

Ethnography of a policy process: a case study of land redistribution in Bangladesh

AbstractThroughout the developing world, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are involved in various aspects of an increasing number of policy interventions. The donor community has lent considerable support to this strategy. One of the key assumptions behind the strategy is that the greater involvement of NGOs in policy processes will result in more resources being distributed to the poor, and will also facilitate the establishment of a policy process which is more inclusive and egalitarian. Here the involvement of NGOs in an important land redistribution policy initiative is used to examine both these assumptions. While there is strong evidence that more land was redistributed to the poor as a result of NGO involvement, the actual mechanism or process for deciding the distribution of land was not found to be all inclusive or completely egalitarian. This ambivalence serves as a timely critique to the naive optimism and simplified assumptions underpinning development thinking and practice. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Patient satisfaction at haematology and oncology clinics in the Free State & Northern Cape

The Free State and Northern Cape make up some 40% of the land area of South Africa, while being home to only 10% of the total population. Haematology and Oncotherapy outreach clinics were established in Kimberley, Bethlehem and Welkom to provide a more accessible service to the thinly spread population. A previous study showed these clinics to be cost-effective, but we had no idea how the patients experience them. Our aim was to obtain information about the demographics of the patients, the logistical support of the clinics, the medical needs of the patients and how they experience the clinics. This can help us to improve the service. A questionnaire was tested in a pilot study. The demographic questions covered age, sex and ethnicity. The logistical questions dealt with distance travelled to the clinic, mode of transport, length of time as a patient and cost. The medical need questions dealt with type of disease, treatment received, type of doctor seen and origin of referral. The questions about experience covered satisfaction with the service, staff, waiting times and involvement of non-governmental organizations. Of the 95 patients interviewed 42% were from the haematology clinics. The mean age was 59.5 and the male: female ratio was 0.6:1. Forty-six percent of the patients spoke Afrikaans and 31 % spoke South Sotho. The black:white ratio was 1:1. Twenty-eight percent used the government ambulances (of whom 80% were satisfied) and 56% used their own cars. The median payment at a clinic was R20 (R0 to R200). Only 19% of patients were paying privately. Ninety-five percent of the patients were follow-ups, with the median length of follow-up being 24 months (1 to 468). The patients were mainly referred by local hospitals. Twentytwo percent of the patients had chronic haematological malignancies, while 68% had solid tumours. Thirty-seven percent of the patients received drugs to take home and only 6% got intravenous chemotherapy. Consultants saw 44% of the patients. The median waiting time to be seen was 1.5 hours (0 to 5). Consultation time averaged 10 minutes and most patients were satisfied with this. Despite the study’s small size the system of outreach clinics seems to be delivering a satisfactory service. Criticisms were few. However there were suggestions to create better clinic facilities and to shorten the waiting times at the clinic.

Territoriality and topocracy of cross-border networks

Typically, border regions are peripheral and their infrastructure is frequently underdeveloped. The European Union, states and subnational actors are involved in cross-border cooperation. I argue that territoriality and governmentality are part of cross-border activities in Europe. Many topocratic cross-border networks launch projects mainly to achieve funding for networking. This is studied with three cases: EUREGIO Karelia, EUREGIO Helsinki-Tallinn, and ESTRUFIN networks. EU co-funding is important for cross-border networks, but state authorities control the activities, and the involvement of non-governmental organizations and local people is limited. Cross-border cooperation is European designed, state controlled, and public authority driven.

The impact of social, economic and political forces on emerging HIV epidemics.

The impact of social, economic and political forces on emerging HIV epidemics.

Development NGOs and Political Participation of the Poor in Bangladesh and Nepal

This paper examines the role of development NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) in furthering the political participation of the poor, with data from Bangladesh and Nepal. The topic is discussed from three aspects: the role of NGOs in prodemocracy movements, the issues raised by antiglobalization movements, and the extent of NGO involvement in local government elections. The paper draws on fieldwork conducted in two villages—one in Bangladesh and the other in Nepal. It is concluded that development NGOs tend to contribute more to elite interests than to the democratic political participation of the poor.

The participation of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the WTO dispute settlement system

This article focuses on a particular aspect of the post-Uruguay Round trade dispute settlement system: the extent of the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in WTO dispute settlement. It presents this issue in a larger context of NGO representation in the WTO in general. After providing a brief summary of the present dispute settlement system, the central portion of this article will deal with the repeatedly voiced calls for a participation of NGOs in the WTO dispute settlement system. There is little doubt that in a rapidly growing global village, trade policy and other policy areas overlap more and more and thus an involvement of NGOs in the WTO dispute settlement system may be required to satisfy the need for well-informed and all-embracing decision-making. But opinions differ considerably as to whether, and how, such an active role for NGOs should be defined. Radical reformers demand standing for NGOs before WTO dispute settlement panels, whereas most scholars and policymakers would be satisfied with an extended indirect role of NGOs in panel proceedings. This article will explain the theoretical basis for this demand, examine the role NGOs currently play in WTO dispute resolution proceedings, put forward arguments for and against NGO participation, and briefly outline potential future developments.

A community of citizens: disability rehabilitation in the Palestinian transition to statehood

Purpose : It has been widely argued that community based programmes offer considerable advantages to the classical institutional forms of health and rehabilitation services delivery. With about 10 years of experience in operating community based rehabilitation projects (CBR) for the disabled, the Palestinian experience points to potentially serious problems relating to the conception and operationalization of such programmes in real life situations. Issues : Of importance is the issue of the impact of communal care on the already burdened lives of women, especially when such care is expected to be voluntary in nature. Caretaking in the Palestinian context, especially of the disabled, elderly and the sick, is a pre-defined sex linked role dictated by a patriarchal society and system of policy making that excludes women from economic and social life. The voluntary care aspect entailed in the CBR conception and practice, can and does contribute further to the exclusion of women not only from the labour force, but from most other aspects of life as well. This represents an apparent contradiction between the needs of two excluded groups, the disabled and women. The other problematic entailed in the communal model of caring for the disabled is the strategic and operational bias focusing on community, to the exclusion of the notion of social rights of all citizens, and the role and duty of state structures in the fulfilment of the disabled basic needs. Such an approach can only relegate the disabled rights back to their original place as charity. On the other hand, when CBR projects are operated holistically, in the context of social movements existing within power relation and with a broader democratic agenda engaging different groups - including a disability movement - as is currently taking place in Palestine, CBR projects can also turn into a mobilizing force for the social rights of all excluded groups. Conclusion : Thus the question is not merely one of governmental involvement as opposed to the involvement of nongovernmental organizations and charitable societies in community based projects. Rather, it is a question of the right to a decent life for all, in dignity and security, that citizenship and statehood promise, but have yet to deliver in many developing countries, especially in Palestine.

Health promotion in South-East Asia: Indonesia, DPR Korea, Thailand, the Maldives and Myanmar

SUMMARY The state of health of South-East Asian nations depends as much or more on extranational forces beyond their control —global warming, economic boom and bust—as it does on their own policies and practices. Nonetheless, the political systems of the region, the scope that these allow for community participation, and their attitudes to human rights, are also key determinants of health status. Governments in the region hold different attitudes to the desirability of a monopoly of effective power in government hands, and therefore vary in their commitment to concepts of community empowerment for health promotion and the involvement of non-governmental organizations. Health promotion in these nations is inextricably linked with the creation of social capital.

Political Globalisation and the Politics of International Non-governmental Organisations: The Case of Village Democracy in China

Although there is a body of research regarding the development of village self-governance in China, there is only limited research regarding the activity of international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in relation to this development. The paper fills this gap through an analysis of the activities and effects of the village self-governance programs of three American-based NGOs: the International Republican Institute (IRI), the Carter Center and the Ford Foundation. These NGOs have assisted in the implementation of a number of reforms to village self-governance in China. NGO involvement in village democracy in China exemplifies a process of 'political globalisation' that involves the intermingling of layers of power and interests at the national and international levels. The paper concludes that, through this process of political globalisation, rural political reforms in China are both promoted and exploited by national and international political actors.

NGOs and UN peacekeeping operations: Strange bedfellows

This article examines the increased interaction between international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and UN peacekeeping operations in complex emergencies and civil conflicts. The involvement of NGOs in civil conflicts and the increased delegation of service delivery from states and institutions to NGOs has become a prevalent aspect of peacekeeping and peacebuilding exercise in the 1990s. The article reviews a number of the reasons for this development and argues that the increased involvement of NGOs in conflict situations has not always facilitated the resolution of conflicts or the implementation of UN mandates. The authors argue that NGOs will need to reassess their practices if they are to play a constructive role in UN operations in the future.

Viable self-management: The FUNACOM Housing Programme of the São Paulo Municipality

This paper describes the FUNACOM Housing Programme (Municipal Programme to support Housing for Low Income Groups through self-management). More specifically, the basis of the programme, community self-management and community participation, reinforced by the involvement of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), will be focused upon. FUNACOM, designed by the Municipality of São Paulo (1989–1992), directly allocated money, needed to improve housing and infrastructure conditions, to low-income families organised in so-called community associations. They linked up with technical assistance teams who, as NGOs, assisted both in elaborating projects and organising the process of building based on self-management and mutual-help. The associations, however, were ultimately the entity which managed the financial resources and the mutual-help projects.

Aid, NGOs and grassroots development: Northern Burkina Faso

The last two decades (and perhaps the next decade) could be described as the age of Non‐Governmental Organisations (NGOs). These organisations have become important players on the development scene. They are also major recipients of international aid. Between 1970 and 1990 aid channelled through NGOs rose from $2.7 billion to $7.2 billion. This trend has continued, with the OECD estimating in 1993 that northern NGO spending is between $9 billion and $10 billion annually. The significance of NGO involvement is particularly marked in Africa. For example, in 1991 forty‐four World Bank assisted projects implemented by associated local NGOs took up 55 per cent of all loans and credits granted Africa that year (Marcussen, 1996:406). The increasing importance of what remains a poorly defined and heterogeneous sector is reflected not only in the amount of resources being channelled through these organisations but also in the increasing controversy surrounding their role in Africa's development. In this article, we review the experiences of two UK based NGOs ‐ Oxfam‐UK/Eire and ACORD ‐ who have been promoting (for nearly two decades now) grassroots development in a country which has not recently experienced conflict ‐ Burkina Faso. We draw lessons from their experiences and suggest that whilst some good work has been done, northern NGOs facilitating the emergence of grassroots organisations still face enormous challenges.

Women, Politics, and Global Management

The United Nations (UN) sponsored three decennial world population conferences over the period 1974-94. The first such conference was held in 1974 in Bucharest, Romania, at which the North and the South became polarized over the importance of demographics relative to other development concerns. Northern countries proposed vigorous family planning programs to control rapid population growth, while many Southern governments, led by China and India, argued instead that higher priority should be given to socioeconomic development and the more equitable distribution of resources between the North and South. After a decade of extremely rapid population growth, however, most Southern countries had adopted antinatalist policies by the second world population conference held in 1984 in Mexico City. While Southern countries had adopted the 1974 Northern view of world population growth, widespread political and religious conservatism in the US at the time of the second conference had the US delegation opposing abortion and being neutral on demographic factors. The US argued that private markets would solve many population problems and the US government even withdrew financial support to several international organizations, such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the UN Population Fund. The third decennial UN-sponsored world population conference, the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, Egypt, however, succeeded in shifting concern about world demographics into a gender-sensitive, people-centered approach of sustainable human development and bringing sensitive and ideologically charged population issues into the public domain. It was also a landmark in the management of complex global problems such as population. The international consensus achieved in Cairo and summarized in a World Program of Action was truly a monumental achievement. The authors note the shift in rhetoric to concerns about women's status and reproductive health, the involvement of nongovernmental organizations, and the unfinished agenda of the World Program of Action.

NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL STRATEGY IN THE POST HIV PERIOD

The tuberculosis situation in the country is a matter of great concern since the disease has not been contained. The problem has been further compounded by the emerging problem of HIV infection in the country together with development of multi-resistant tubercle bacilli. There is, therefore, a need to change our National Tuberculosis Control Strategy without disturbing the basic infrastructure of the National Tuberculosis Programme. Changes such as reinforcement of the District Tuberculosis Centre, HIV and drug sensitivity testing, giving up of long term chemotherapy, BCG vaccination policy, chemoprophylaxis policy and involvement of Non-Governmental Organisations and general practitioners are suggested.

The World Bank and environmental assessment: The role of nongovernmental organizations

Starting in 1983, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from developing and industrialized nations launched efforts to stimulate policy, operations, and lending reforms in the World Bank. Focusing attention on environmental issues, NGOs have pressed the Bank to undertake changes in its lending operations. In response, the Bank implemented operational changes over the last few years designed to incorporate environmental concerns in its lending. One of the most significant developments involves the environmental assessment (EA) procedures established by the Bank's Operational Directive 4.01. This policy provides specific points at which NGOs may officially participate in the EA process. Using these points of entry allows active NGO involvement early in the project cycle. In effect, Operational Directive 4.01 and the EA process provide NGOs with powerful new tools for working with the Bank on environmental issues. It is essential that NGOs understand World Bank environmental assessment policies and procedures, taking advantage of the opportunities they present.

An international programme for the protection of a semi-enclosed sea—The Mediterranean Action Plan

The paper describes the Mediterranean Action Plan as a significant example of international co-operation for the protection of a semi-enclosed sea. Launched in 1975 under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the Action Plan co-ordinates the efforts of eighteen coastal states and the EEC. The paper describes the four components of the Action Plan: socio-economic, scientific, legal and institutional, and the specific quality criteria, emission standards and other measures already adopted by the Mediterranean States. The recent refocusing of the Plan's activities towards coastal area management, the participation of the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and the European Community in financing needed measures and the growing involvement of non-governmental organisations, are described in the concluding part of the paper.

PLANTATION FORESTRY IN THE TROPICS – TRENDS AND PROSPECTS

SUMMARY Greater changes have taken place in plantation forestry since the late 1970s than at any other time. The area of new planting is probably more than 1 million ha per annum: more than double the figure of 15 years ago but still only one tenth of the current rate of tropical deforestation. The bulk of new projects and initiatives now aim to meet social and environmental forestry objectives rather than industrial ones. Integration of forestry and farming (agroforestry) is now being widely evaluated. Arid zone planting, especially to meet fodder, firewood and fencing requirements, has greatly increased. Funding for plantation development has encouraged social forestry programmes as these are now accorded high priority by development banks and bilateral aid projects etc, and has been aided in the social forestry sector by greatly increased involvement of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The rate of new planting must continue to increase and the priority of meeting social objectives maintained if i...