Community Participation:

Until the middle of the nineteenth century, self-help and mutual cooperation were the only ways to endure life in the NWFP, in an area with an extreme climate, scant rainfall, and little means of communication. When the British occupied the subcontinent, the Government began to assume a paternalistic role, resulting in increased dependency on the state that continued to increase after the creation of Pakistan in 1947. Bureaucratic control over public funds for development made the Government vulnerable to abuse, and caused an inequitable distribution of benefits. Consequently, there has been a renewed interest in self-help work in the province in the last few decades.

NGOs active in the province have managed some significant success over the past few years. But to playa more meaningful part in the sustainable development of the NWFP, two specific objectives will have to be attained: to identify and develop effective mechanisms and institutions that will strengthen NGO participation in sustain- able development in the province; and to create an enabling environment for NGOs and communities to play an active role in sustainable development.

Strategies for Greater NGO Participation

Networking and communication are key to the development of the NGO sector, Besides acting as a strong unified body to represent the sector, networking can provide a forum for the exchange of experiences, ideas, knowledge and information between the various NGOs, and also for extended co- operation and collaboration among them. At the same time,' the network could serve as a liaison and voice to articulate the perspectives and concerns of communities of the NWFP at various national development fora.

Capacity-building both in technical and management aspects is another key area. Additionally, NGOs need to be supported in proposal development, fundraising strategies, organizational growth, and financial and personnel management.

Social organization techniques need to be extended, to encourage the formation of new community based organizations or to strengthen and reactivate older ones.

Taking care of the local environment is a key element of any strategy for sustainable development. NGOs working closely with communities can playa significant role in strengthening the primary environmental care abilities of communities as well as their capacity to deal with external forces of change, so that they reap the benefits without sacrificing their environment and production systems.

NGOs will need to use advocacy-public consultations, lobbying, issue papers, media presentations, audio-visual materials, round tables and seminars - to solve the key problems that face the province. Most significant changes that affect the province can only be solved by policy changes and proper implementation of laws by Government.

Finally, NGOs in the NWFP need to become financially sustainable by: developing projects that will be funded and implemented by the beneficiaries; setting up separate income-generating activities such as consultancies, training, or producing products based on appropriate technology for local and export markets; seeking donors' endowment and core funds; and competing for a greater share of the Government development budget.

Creating an Enabling Environment

Government policy towards the NGOs plays a significant role in creating an enabling environment for their work. The NWFP Government will adopt and implement an NGO policy whose main elements are described here.

NGOs would not be subject to Government regulations that would depress their initiative or take away from them the freedom or flexibility to operate. To prevent recourse to regulations, NGOs will be encouraged to be more transparent and accountable in their operations. Better Government-NGO coordination would be encouraged with the setting up of an NGO Cell in the Planning, Environment and Development Department to do this work. There is also a need for the formation of NGO-Government Coordination Councils at both the provincial and district levels to enable the two sides to benefit from each other's experiences as well as resources.

Financial sustainability of NGOs and CBOs will be encouraged through a provincial Fund for Sustainable Development (FSD). NGOs, research institutions, professional associations, business organizations and community organizations can apply for grants from the FSD.

Two of the main difficulties that NGOs face are problems in recruiting experienced or trained staff in NGO work; and a lack of awareness of NGO work among Government staff and policy-makers. This will be remedied by introducing courses on the current concepts of community participation and NGO work in the relevant departments of universities in the province. In addition, a number of short-term courses (two to three weeks) on the role of NGOs in development will be developed and conducted in the Pakistan Academy for Rural Development in Peshawar.

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