Transcript Slide 1

The road to achieve Millennium
Development Goals through
NGOs: the paradigm required.
Authors:
Dr. Geeta Nema, [email protected] , Reader, IIPS,
D.A.V.V., Indore,
Ms. Shazia Khan, [email protected] ,
Asstt. Professor, Altius Institute of University Studies, Indore
The world and its issues in 2000
• Population of 6 billion, Ozone layer depletion, Rapid
climate change, Malnutrition, AIDS, Fast paced
globalization, Peace, security and disarmament, Human
rights, Development and poverty eradication……
• the richest 20% of people possess 86% of gross national
product, in which one country accounts for 23% of
worldwide energy consumption and the USA and Europe
alone account for 65% of annual wealth creation.
• The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - laid down
in 2000 by the UN and set the year 2015 as the deadline
for achieving them.
• UN generated a report in the year 2007, ‘Progress at
the MDG mid-point’ to assess the quantum and
direction of progress to date
How to achieve the MDGs ?
• To achieve the MDGs
1. all the respective national development strategies and
budgets must be aligned with them.
2. requires inclusive governance,
3. robust infrastructure and enhanced productive capacity,
4. heightened accountability on the part of policy-makers and
5. reduced corruption and indifference.
• Growth  greater demand for natural resources  the quest
for lower cost of production.
• Ultimately a long lasting impact on economy, environment and
society by large.
MDGs ~Corporate~CSR
• On one hand they carry the responsibility of
1. creating wealth,
2. generating employment and
3. attract investment;
while on the other they are vulnerable to charges such as
a) environmental pollution,
b) consumer rights,
c) child labor,
d) corruption, etc.
• The U.N’s definition of CSR “The integration of social and
environmental concerns into business policies and
operations”
• CSR - the guiding principle for organizations to operate in the
society , taking onus for their impact on customers,
employees, shareholders, society and the environment.
)
Figure explaining CSR
Discretionary
Desirable but discretionary ( e.g.
philanthropy)
Ethical
Responsibility
Legal Responsibility
Ethical expectations of a company
(e.g. license to operate
Obligations to fulfill economic
mission within the confines of the
law
Economic Responsibility
Source: Adapted from Carroll (1991)
Responsibility to produce
goods/service that society
wants at a profit
Role of international agencies in CSR
• the Global Fund for Women -a publicly supported foundation ,
making grant to women-led organizations supporting
women’s health, education, leadership, economic security,
violence against women, etc.
• MISEREOR -managed by the Catholic Church in Germany,
supports the causes of hunger, disease, poverty and other
forms of human suffering in countries of Asia, Africa and Latin
America.
• The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues - an advisory
body to the Economic and Social Council, granting aid to
project proposals of NGOs the world over.
• Department of Public Enterprises of India has laid down the
guidelines on CSR for Central Public Sector Enterprises
(CPSEs) in March 2010. Under these guidelines the CPSEs
need to implement CSR in their operations through Specialized
Agencies, NGOs being one of them.
Role of NGOs in CSR
• Beginnings of CSR in Europe and North America were
driven by NGOs exposing companies for irresponsible
behavior.
• Kenya has more than 600 NGOs, many working in
grass-roots community development.
• In the Philippines, 500,000 registered NGOs working on
AIDS education and environmental preservation.
• In Russia, NGOs deliver business services, assist
battered women, and work on environment education.
• Thus NGOs become the grass root level agencies
instrumental in achieving the MDGs laid down by the
United Nations.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:
The researchers attempted to explain the scope of NGOs
and the linkage between their objectives and the MDGs
laid down by the UN.
• To analyze the modus operandi of the NGOs operating
at local level.
• To investigate the bottlenecks they face in realizing their
objectives.
• To explore the future roadmaps for them in the light of
MDGs.
METHODOLOGY:
• An exploratory research, case study approach was
used, through an unstructured interview and
observation.
• The sample- comprised of the local NGOs
operational in Central India, particularly in the city of
Indore,
• The respondents - the office bearers of these
NGOs and their beneficiaries.
• The sampling technique -Random sampling was
used for selecting the NGOs.
• The sample size- was 24 due to paucity of time.
Activities of NGOs vis-à-vis MDGs of the UN
• Capacity building through training in small trades,
physically and mentally challenged, collecting donations
from corporate houses and general public, free
distribution of food packets, organizing collective meals
for weaker communities
 Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Educating slum children, counseling their parents,
arranging for meals at small private schools operating in
backward regions of the city to encourage higher
attendance, ensuring implementation of Government
schemes for children of weaker sections such
distribution of books, uniforms, bicycles to children
 Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
• Assisting women of slums and weaker communities
through SHGs, Adult education drives, Anganwadis,
guidance for loan, trainings for entrepreneurial activities
 Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
• Free medical check-up camps, mobile dispensary on
vans, educating poor mothers to combat malnutrition in
children through cheaper protein substitute, vaccination
drives, promoting gaps in children, smaller families
 Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
• Free checkups by medical practitioners, educating for
healthy diet, free-of-cost distribution of folic acid and
calcium tablets, stress on regular checkups during
pregnancy, camps on family planning, educating for
marriage of girls after 18 years, free distribution of
sanitary napkins
 Goal 5: Improve maternal health
• AIDS awareness camps, free distribution of condoms,
educating about causes of AIDS, distribution of chlorine drops,
educating for hygiene and sanitation, clean drinking water,
educating girls of puberty age for their special needs
 Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• Trekking camps of school children, seminars and workshops
on waste recycling, water recharging , plantation drives,
awareness for cleaning of small canals and local rivers,
pollution checkup camps
 Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
• Industry visits for school and college students, trainings on
animal husbandry, vermicomposting, youth exchange and adult
education programs, working in collaboration with Universities
and industry for future needs, blood donation camps, drives to
assist refugees, widows, orphans, rehabilitation of displaced
due to building of dams, bridges etc., victims of natural
calamities, Art and culture exhibitions, trade fairs
 Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Achieving Millennium Development Goals
through NGOs
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Grass root approach
Adaptation and Innovation
Cost efficient and effective
Integrity and Sincerity of Purpose
Expert management
Findings and conclusion:
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Lacking institutional capacity
Financial lameness
Victims of corruption
Scattered and isolated work-pattern
Limited understanding and scope
Lack of prolonged and dedicated staff
Corpo
rate
house
s
Suggestions: the paradigm required
Government
agencies
International
agencies
NGOs
•The common area in yellow color shared by all the
three triangles indicates the corners overlooked by
the trio.
•The inverted triangle indicates the ‘trickle-down’
approach by the corporate houses- that they should
possess towards the trio
For Government agencies
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Keep them in the loop while furnishing dynamic data.
The government agencies should be open for their ideas
and efforts can be there to implement them in the future
policies.
Their suggestions be taken in improving the existing
project designs
They can be included in disseminating information and
build awareness about the impact of economic and social
reform.
Should be spared to some extent from bureaucratic red
tapism to enable them to reduce the response time.
Efforts should be made to implement single-window
method to reduce time spent in formalities to facilitate the
NGOs.
A transparent system that rewards consistent, effective
and innovative work on field by NGOs should be
developed.
For international agencies
High-level conferences on specific themes,
policy, and strategies could be convened in the
language of the region.
The agencies should attach the advisor with the
NGOs throughout a single project.
Make the individual NGOs operating in
collaboration with the agencies for a bigger
region to interact with one another.
Should be observant for the genuineness of the
cause and keep aside a part of their funds for
assisting novice NGOs.
For NGOs
• Generate a sense of ownership/commitment amongst
their staff.
• Should strive to involve and participate in the formulation
of development strategies of their governments and
demonstrate readiness to partner.
• Develop a feeling of comradeship amongst other NGOs
operating in their region and working for the same cause.
• Conduct training sessions from time-to-time for their new
members to familiarize them with their objectives and
also participate in the workshops and seminars
organized by the corporate houses.
• Upgrade themselves and their classical modus-operandi
to enable themselves to be visible to the funding
agencies.
For Corporate houses
• Increased awakening amongst the corporate
houses that they owe to the society, owing to the
pace of problems engulfing the humanity. Adopt
public-private partnership model.
• Increase their in-house CSR activities and also
be ethical in their operations while extracting
profits from the society.
• Assisting novice NGOs which do not qualify for
government or foreign aid.
………‘the road to achieve Millennium
Development Goals through NGOs’
THANK YOU….
QUESTIONS ARE WELCOME!
[email protected]
[email protected]