Namibia’s civil society actors joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Non-Governmental Organisations Day.
The day is set aside to recognise, celebrate, and honour the contributions and impact civil society organisations have in societies.
Non-governmental organisations work independently of governments and are usually nonprofit entities.
They play a crucial role in addressing social issues, promoting sustainable development, and providing aid to those in need.
On the occasion, the convenor of World NGO Day, Ronny Dempers, highlighted the significance of the day and the importance of celebrating human endeavours towards social change.
“We are reflecting on the contribution NGOs play in achieving the SDGs and also the day set aside to recognise, honour, and celebrate the great work Namibian NGOs are doing, and in general, the civil society is doing as we contribute towards the process of peace, stability, building jobs, and income generation in different sectors. Civil societies are making great contributions.”
This year, the day is being celebrated under the theme, Building a Sustainable Future: The Role of NGOs in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This is because NGOs monitor progress and collect data on how countries are doing in achieving the SDGs at the grassroots level.
“Most of the time, you are the people who are on the ground; you are the ones who work with communities, the actual beneficiaries of the service. Therefore, your role is critical in ensuring that the fruits of development actually reach the grassroots, so you also have a critical role in monitoring and tracking the progress of the SDGs because you are the watchdogs underlining the successes and failures in implementing SDG strategies,” explained Alka Bhatia, Resident Representative of the UNDP.
She added that there is a need for the private sector to step in and assist NGOs, or civil society organisations, so that they can fulfil their work.
“As UNDP, we will continue to support several NGOs and SCOs in Namibia in the promotion of sustainable development, social inclusion, conserving biodiversity, and ensuring equitable use of natural resources.”
The Executive Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Graham Hopwood, says Namibia’s classification as an upper-middle-income country makes it ineligible for funding from many donors.
This resulted in Namibian CSOs having limited options and capacities to generate income from their activities, as many serve poor communities and have limited opportunities to raise funds.
“The problem really is that it’s very hard to sustain long-term funding because there are institutions that assess you to enable you to have an office, a basic administration staff, and some accounting capacity in terms of reporting on donor funds. Generally, it is very hard for civil society workers to get the benefits that they need, such as medical aid, pensions, and so on.”
The day is celebrated on February 27 in more than 89 countries. Globally, it is estimated that there are 10 million NGOs with about 50 million workers.
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