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II. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF UNSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
[ II | II-A
| II-B | II-C | II-D
| II-E | II-F | II-G
| II-H | II-I | II-J
]
F. Non-governmental organizations
In Pakistan, NGOs are a relatively new phenomenon. The term is usually
applied to organizations engaged in social uplift activities of some sort,
and especially the provision of services traditionally considered to be
a part of the government's preserve. NGOs have asserted themselves as a
third party in the traditional relationship between the State and civilian
society, where the latter is represented by political parties. The growing
recognition of the effectiveness of NGOs in micro-level development has
enabled them over the years to advocate an alternative development strategy.
Korten (1989) distinguishes between four generations of NGOs which have
been involved in:
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Relief and welfare;
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Small-scale, self-reliant local development;
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Sustainable systems development;
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Information and networking for people's empowerment.
The success of NGOs depended in the existence of what Rumansara (1990)
called "the political space", i.e., the social space in which people are
given more opportunity to take part in the decision-making process and
are no more longer dominated by bureaucrats, the State or the ruling regime.
In areas where such possibilities exist, NGOs can acquire the ability to
influence policy formulation and reform. There are two main paths through
which that can be done: either in a participatory role by replicating more
widely the experience of successful programmes at the micro-level, or in
an advocacy role by influencing those in authority to make macro decisions.
NGOs can provide an important supplement to the public sector at low
cost, extend the outreach of government services and amplify the coverage
of, for example, agricultural extension services. SRSC and the Aga
Khan Rural Support Programme are good examples in that regard. NGOs have
collaborated with the government in preparing the NCS, collected and provided
micro-level information to the government and multilateral agencies, and
entered into negotiations with the government and with NGOs of the developed
countries over the issues that divide North and South. Therefore NGOs are
becoming an important force which the government must take into full account.
NWFP is characterized by tribal and feudal norms and traditions. Before
British rule and independence, self-help and mutual cooperation were the
only ways to endure life in an area with tough physical environmental conditions
and little means of communication. Land and other natural resources were
the only means of subsistence, complemented with modest internal and external
trade. The people had to cooperate in digging irrigation channels and logging
the forests. Social life was also centred around the community rather then
the individual. Weddings, funerals and other festivals were occasions when
the entire community pooled its resources in participation. Agricultural
and forestry were also community activities, irrespective of ownership
status. The management of common resources was also undertaken by the community
itself. Even dealing with cases where rules were violated was a community
effort; for example, in Chitral a man caught felling a tree without prior
permission would have been punished by having to sacrifice a goat or other
animal which would be eaten by the rest of the village. It was only with
the occupation of the subcontinent by the British in the eighteenth century
that led to the government assuming a paternalistic role, resulting in
increased dependency on the State.
That situation continued after the creation of Pakistan in 1947. Bureaucratic
control over public funds for development made them vulnerable to abuse
and caused an inequitable distribution of benefits. Together with political
instability and fragmented policies, the situation resulted in the erosion
of public trust in State mechanisms and increasing corruption. The quality
of life and the provision of basic services to the general public remained
questionable. Consequently, there was a renewed interest in self-help initiatives
in sustainable development with the help of NGOs, community-based
organizations (CBOs), village organizations
(VOs) and other private sector organizations.
Joint communal work is now taking on new shapes as a result of the influence
of external factors. The motivation of receiving funds from the donors
and aid-giving agencies is an important factor for in the formation of
NGOs/CBOs for community work. Those NGOs and societies have to register
under a variety of laws such as: the Companies
Ordinance, 1984, section 42; the Society
Registration Act, 1860; the Voluntary
Social Welfare Agencies Act, 1961; the Trust
Act, 1882; and the Charitable
Endowment Act, 1890; the Provincial
Water Users Association Ordinance and Cooperative
Societies Act, 1925 (Provincial National
Conservation Strategy, 1991). The registration of NGOs, CBOs and VOs under
any of the above laws is done at the provincial level.
Community participation in NWFP began in the 1980s when forestry and
integrated development projects helped to organize village groups that
would play a role in meeting project development goals. At present, in
NWFP several such programmes and projects exist which are operating through
community organizations, either by helping to create new projects or reactivate
existing ones. The CBOs and VOs are playing a significant role in the successful
implementation of those programmes and projects. NGOs formed in 1990s also
work with CBOs and VOs, and play an important role in their respective
fields. They are catalysts for change and are a source of empowerment for
the local communities. They are very effective in advocacy, awareness raising
and the highlighting of human rights issues. In addition, they sometimes
act as a check on ill-conceived government policies. The most important
international, national and local NGOs working in NWFP include:.
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IUCN, which is working for advocacy, environmental conservation and development;
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The World Wildlife Fund, which is working in the field of wildlife, national
parks and protected areas;
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The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, which working in Chitral and northern
areas of Pakistan in the field of agriculture, education, environment,
income generation, institution building and women in development;
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The Sarhad Rural Support
Corporation (SRSC) working in Charsadda, Kohat, Karak, Mansehra Abbottabad
and Haripur districts in the field of agriculture, health, institution
building, welfare and women in development;
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Khwendo Kor, working in Nowshera, Peshawar, and Swat in the fields of education,
family planning, health, income generation, nursery raising and women in
development;
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The Pak-German
Integrated Rural Development Project, which is working in Mardan and Swabi
on integrated development;
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The Sungi Development Foundation,
which is working in Abbottabad, Haripur, Manshera and Battagram on integrated
development;
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Ghazi-Barotha Traqeiyati Idara,
which is working in the Ghazi, Swabi and Attock areas on advocacy, resettlement
and development for the Ghazi-Barotha Project;
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The Pakistan
Environmental Protection Foundation, which is working on awareness raising,
sanitation and afforestation;
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Action Aid, which is working in Kalinger/Haripur
in the field of rural development;
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The Aurat Foundation, which is working
throughout the whole province in the fields of women in development and
related issues;
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The Human
Resource Management and Development Centre, which is operating in Peshawar
in the field of environment;
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The Shewa Educated
Social Welfare Association, which is working in Swabi on integrated development;
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The Da Lass Gul Welfare Programme,
which is working in Peshawar, Nowshera, Swabi and the Khyber Agency in
the field of education;
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The Gunyar youth welfare
organization, which is working for the improvement of the local environment
in the villages of Swat District.
Weaknesses and problems of non-governmental organizations
NGOs are not yet fully mature and suffer from a lack of clarity in their
mission and objectives, which leads to them working in too many different
fields. Some also experience difficulties in getting donor support. In
NWFP the NGOs are predominantly donor-dependent, and most of them lack
experienced and skilled managers mainly because of a lack of funds. Therefore,
a strategy is needed to outline the ways and means through which the NGOs
and CBOs/VOs can play their part in the sustainable development of the
province. The strategy will become an integral part of SPCS and hence will
provide a platform for the NGOs, CBOs and VOs to become a part of the overall
development process in NWFP. To date, the Social Welfare Department is
the only government department providing support to NGOs, mostly in the
form of small grants. The limited funds, bureaucratic procedures and lack
of institutional capacity at the field level has rendered the service by
the Department virtually ineffective. Even if it worked, it would naturally
focus on social welfare problems with little or no attention being paid
to environmental and development issues. SPCS has co-facilitated the development
of an alliance among NGOs in NWFP, called the Sarhad NGOs Ittehad, which
is an important step toward NGO networking. SPCS envisages support for
its replication at the local level. That will increase their role in networking
and public decision-making.
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