Govt, EU sign NGO deal

NON-GOVERNMENTAL organisations have received a N$15 million boost from the European Union to enhance their co-operation with Government over the next three years and set up a grant trust fund.

The activities will be channelled through the recently established Nangof Trust of the Namibia Non-Governmental Organisations Forum (Nangof), the umbrella body for NGOs in the country. The EU donated the money for the implementation of the commitments stated in the Civic Organisations Partnership Policy of the Namibian Government, which was approved in December 2005.”The funding will strengthen the Nangof secretariat to put into place mechanisms to ensure accountability to its member organisations, like sound financial systems,” said Helmut Angula, Director General of the National Planning Commission (NPC) on Friday at the signing ceremony.”Nangof will widely publicise its governance arrangements and code of ethics to reaffirm its compliance with accepted standards.”To prepare Nangof for its tasks, it would soon commission a baseline survey of civic organisations which would be updated annually, Angula added.”The funding will enhance capacity building, skills and knowledge transfer and streamlining of structures and the development of new ones.”EU Ambassador Dr Elisabeth Pape said the EU money would enable NGOs to engage “in more and better dialogue on key development issues with Government, resulting in the implementation of concrete development opportunities at grassroots level”.”Hand in hand with the capacity-building interventions, the programme will support the development of good governance of NGOs through Nangof and help civil society to advocate on issues of common concern and to represent the views of interest groups.”Soon a Civil Society Grant Trust Fund would be established, Pape added.”It will offer an independent, transparent and professional vehicle for more co-ordinated funding of local grassroots initiatives by development partners and social responsibility programmes of corporate entities.”Another N$50 million will be made available under the new EU development framework for Namibia to be concluded soon, the Ambassador pledged.The new Nangof President, Ronny Dempers, said NGOs and civil society made an important contribution to development, despite some shortcomings.”They are closer to the grassroots, reaching out to the marginalised,” Dempers said.”The onus now lies on us through Nangof to perform.There is room for improvement the relationship between Government and the NGO sector.”Dempers said the newly established Nangof Trust had 16 trustees and that a new executive director, Anna Beukes, had been appointed.The EU donated the money for the implementation of the commitments stated in the Civic Organisations Partnership Policy of the Namibian Government, which was approved in December 2005.”The funding will strengthen the Nangof secretariat to put into place mechanisms to ensure accountability to its member organisations, like sound financial systems,” said Helmut Angula, Director General of the National Planning Commission (NPC) on Friday at the signing ceremony.”Nangof will widely publicise its governance arrangements and code of ethics to reaffirm its compliance with accepted standards.”To prepare Nangof for its tasks, it would soon commission a baseline survey of civic organisations which would be updated annually, Angula added.”The funding will enhance capacity building, skills and knowledge transfer and streamlining of structures and the development of new ones.”EU Ambassador Dr Elisabeth Pape said the EU money would enable NGOs to engage “in more and better dialogue on key development issues with Government, resulting in the implementation of concrete development opportunities at grassroots level”.”Hand in hand with the capacity-building interventions, the programme will support the development of good governance of NGOs through Nangof and help civil society to advocate on issues of common concern and to represent the views of interest groups.”Soon a Civil Society Grant Trust Fund would be established, Pape added.”It will offer an independent, transparent and professional vehicle for more co-ordinated funding of local grassroots initiatives by development partners and social responsibility programmes of corporate entities.”Another N$50 million will be made available under the new EU development framework for Namibia to be concluded soon, the Ambassador pledged.The new Nangof President, Ronny Dempers, said NGOs and civil society made an important contribution to development, despite some shortcomings.”They are closer to the grassroots, reaching out to the marginalised,” Dempers said.”The onus now lies on us through Nangof to perform.There is room for improvement the relationship between Government and the NGO sector.”Dempers said the newly established Nangof Trust had 16 trustees and that a new executive director, Anna Beukes, had been appointed.