A code of conduct for Pakistani NGOs has made a lot of noise recently!
On 6 February of this year, Pakistani associations, meeting at the SPO [1] office, decided to take their future into their own hands.  The Minister of Social Protection and Special Education had decided to give them a code of conduct.  Of course, these rules would drastically change the work these organizations do and the ideas they embody.  Furthermore, such regulations would be difficult to implement because of the number and diversity of the organizations’ objectives.  Over the course of several meetings, Pakistani NGOs hope to force the government to accept a code of conduct that they have written themselves.

Why the code of conduct is unacceptable 

The code of conduct that the Pakistani government now wants to impose on civil society is not the first attempt to do so.  Efforts to regulate NGOs were almost successful under the successive governments of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharaf.  Under Pervez Musharaf’s presidency, this new seven-page document runs the risk of becoming the new bible for these organizations.  Solely available online, the document deals with such things as regulation and authorization for the organizations, financial transparency, oversight for the associations, and donations.
In addition to the fact that this code is not made available to small, local associations that often have no access to electricity, it is also written in English which is a problem since the national language is Urdu, which exists alongside some 80 other dialects.  What the organization leaders deplore most is that this code was written by British advisors to the Commission on Charity.  Associations like PILER and the Aurat Foundation [2], which are already overseen by the government and which have their own internal codes of conduct, have judged this new code useless and unacceptable.

A joint report signed by such NGOs as SPO, Pakistan NGOs Forum, Aurat Foundation, Sungi, Pattan, and Razan, and published on 8 February for the purpose of pressuring the government, is a sign of their determination to make their voices heard.  These associations describe the new law as governmental interference in the ability of NGOs to manage themselves.  For Pakistani civil society, if the code of conduct is passed, it will mark the beginning of a series of laws that risk restricting the work done by these organizations.

What Pakistani NGOs want 

At a conference held in Islamabad on 14 February, on the subject of a new governmental representation for civil society actors, NGOs had the opportunity to make their demands known.  According to Shahnaz Wazir Ali of the PCP, the government is obligated to consult the NGOs before making this kind of decision, along with recognizing their contributions within the country over the last few decades.  The NGOs thus reject unanimously the government directives and will continue to follow their own code.  Following the conference held after the government’s publication of the code of conduct, other meetings have taken place.  The first was on 23 February, which started a process of consultation with all NGOs in the country, regardless of their size.

Another meeting took place on 13 March, where the more than twenty organizations in attendance decided to put increased pressure on the government.  Over the course of these conferences and meetings, the NGOs have shown a strong desire to speak out.  After all, all they want is to be able to work in an environment conducive to taking effective action against poverty, and in favor of human rights.

Notes :

[1]  Strengthening Participatory Organization

[2]  Association for Women’s Rights, based in Islamabad