The proposed National Integrity Policy, one of whose aims is to rein in non-government organisations and international NGOs working in Nepal, has drawn flak from various stakeholders.

The NGO Federation of Nepal said it would protest the proposed policy. With several restrictive provisions, the federation believes that the government wants to control the activities of NGOs and the civil society.

The proposal to formulate the policy was one of the first decisions then-prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba took after he assumed office on June 8, 2017. 

The federation on Friday held discussion with stakeholders including the Association of International NGOs in Nepal. They decided to take up the matter with the KP Sharma Oli government.

“As all the stakeholders expressed serious reservations over the proposed National Integrity Policy-2074, we’re preparing to draft a letter to the government objecting to at least half a dozen provisions,” said Gopal Lamsal, president of the NGO Federation.

The document under consideration has 13-point policies for NGOs and 25 matters concerning INGOs. Lamsal said they would meet Chief Secretary Lokdarshan Regmi and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to register their objections within a week.

The policy drafted last year stresses strong vigilance over non-government and private sectors. Former secretaries Mohan Banjade and Sharada Prasad Trital drafted the 23-page paper suggesting policies for political parties, NGOs, INGOs, the diplomatic community, constitutional bodies, professors and teachers, the private sector and cooperatives. 

Stakeholders are wary of the contents of the policy which envisions legal and structural bodies to regulate and monitor INGOs. As per the proposed policy, INGOs should get approval for their annual programmes and budget from the Finance Ministry and should fix the number of foreigners working for an organisation. INGOs should not send their reports to the country they are headquartered in without permission of the Nepal government, reads the policy.

The NGO sector has objected to the provision of organisation registration cancellation if they fail to renew within three months. “This provision contradicts the constitutional rights of organisations,” said Lamsal. Officials at the Prime Minister’s Office, however, said the draft would be taken to the stakeholders before it takes final shape.

 

 

4Annual programme and budget to be okayed by Finance Ministry

Should not influence and create pressure on drafting laws and policies of Nepal

Should not implement projects directly on their own

Should not send reports to the country where the organisation is based without the government’s permission

Number of foreign officials should be fixed

Should not implement the religious, social and other agenda of a foreign country

Foreigners working at INGOs should not remain in the same position after three years

INGOs failing to renew registration within three months would be scrapped

Registration of the INGOs to be scrapped if found to have engaged in proselytising

 

Should be classified on the basis of sources of funds

Should take permission from Finance Ministry for receiving donations

NGOs should inform the Finance Ministry and the local administration within seven days of receiving donations

Administrative cost must not exceed a specified percentage of the total budget

NGOs failing to renew registration for three months would be scrapped

More than two persons from a family should not remain in executive positions of an organisation

n A person should not remain in the same executive position for more than two terms

n A person holding a public post should not be in an NGO

n NGOs should not lobby for INGOs that spread hatred against Nepal