MODERN TECHNOLOGIES AND THE DEMOCRACY PROCESSES
Chapter 4
4.5. ICTs and Strengthening the Role of NGOs
NGOs and CBOs play an important role in developing democracy and building civil society. These non-governmental organizations promote democracy by giving people the opportunity to express their points of view as well as by smoothing the social consequences of the process of economic transition with the help of alternative mechanisms to solve important social tasks. Non-governmental organizations are an important tool for expansion of participation in decision-making. At this modern stage of Azerbaijan's development when mobilization of non-renewable natural resources, primarily hydrocarbons, is the driving factor of development, expansion of people's participation in decision making and realization of their right to take part in national and regional projects is of great importance. Participation in planning, management and control of revenues obtained from the use of non-renewable natural resources for the goals of sustainable development and formation of human gold, is one of the most important tasks of NGOs.
New IT considerably expand the capabilities of NGOs. For instance, the Internet opens broad opportunities for organizational networks of NGOs, which are capable of promptly mobilizing collective actions. Over the past years, there has been an intensive process of establishing NGOs in Azerbaijan. Their activities now cover most aspects of public life. Around 1,500 NGOs have been established. However, the lack of a general database on all the NGOs operating in the country prevents a complete understanding of all their activities. Nonetheless, data collected in the NGO Resource and Training Center provide an overview on the NGO involvement in various fields of public life.
A National Forum of NGOs has been established. As a form of realization of human public activity, NGOs promote involvement of significant human resources in the process of studying and forwarding initiatives on socially important matters. However, an insufficient development of democratic institutions limits the use of NGOs potential in decision-making. The process of growth of the number of NGOs, expansion of the fields of their activity, and dynamics of their contacts with government bodies indicate that the national government understands the necessity for cooperating with non-governmental organizations. The State is displaying interest in NGO activity in terms of training people for new professions. This contributes to professional re-orientation of people and solves some employment problems, to a certain extent.
Expansion of political and civil opportunities for public participation is of prior importance from the perspective of deepening democracy and building a democratic management system. Cooperation among NGOs can be seen in various projects such as the Azerbaijan Development Gateway.
Under the existing law, On Non Governmental Organizations, passed in 2000, local NGOs that receive more than 70 percent of their budgets from foreign financing (for example, grants) are prohibited from participating in monitoring elections. Taking into account that the activity of practically all NGOs in Azerbaijan is funded primarily by foreign agencies, the this effectively eliminates local non-government institutions from the process of monitoring the elections.
It should be noted that local NGOs had been able to avoid such provision of the law prior to the, referendum of August 24, 2002. For example, members of local NGOs were engaged in monitoring the elections as representatives of various media outlets. However, according to a decision of the Central Electoral Commission since July 2003, only members of the staff of mass media are permitted to participate in monitoring the elections.
Controversy over the situation and application of this Law is also related to the fact that the very foreign organizations which fund local NGOs have the right themselves to participate freely in the process of monitoring elections in Azerbaijan.
Of special concern to Non Governmental Organizations is the Law on Grants under which any legal or physical entity, which has received a grant, is obliged to register a relevant agreement with “an appropriate state body”. Although this change in Law does not impose any restrictions for receipt of grants and is directed solely at the provision of transparency in this field; it is, however, not denied that in the conditions of undeveloped democratic institutes, this provision may cause additional mechanisms of control in this field and limitation of funding, according to representatives of some NGOs.
Despite the complexity of interrelations between the government and NGOs in Azerbaijan, the tendency for constructive cooperation is progressing. To develop and deepen such relationships, the government needs to establish enough space for NGO activity and involve them in the solution of socially important problems. The respective legal base has already been established in the country for the development of NGOs. The national Parliament has adopted a special Law that regulates the activity of NGOs. Also an NGO working group has been established to work on the State Program for NGOs development. This draft identifies some of the problems of non-government organizations, in terms of the complicated process of official registration. The State Program assumes the responsibility of establishing an NGO Institute, which will aim at strengthening the capabilities of public organizations.
There is significant potential for the development of such form of NGOs, and CBOs in the country. This form of participation in decision-making is traditional for the national culture and has the perspective to optimally mobilize resources for sustainable development and the formation of human gold.
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