Transparency & Accountability Deficit of INGO in Nepal!

INGO’s And Its Role: 

Mission wise there is less difference between INGO and NGO, but INGO has its international scope and has its presence around the world to deal with specific issues in many countries.
INGO's could play a critical role in facilitating a dialogue between civil society and government, making a lot of difference in the rural parts of Nepal, providing the poor and marginalized people with basic services like health, drinking water, sanitation, energy, disaster training, agriculture, environment, education, and livelihood programs. Health, education and others are the sectors  where INGO's are doing a good job.

Let’s not focus which INGO’s and NGO is good and which is bad. Certainly there are good INGO’s which doing quite well in their respective sector and there are some INGO’s who doesn’t seems to be honest in their activity. There is significant accountability deficit in those INGO’s. Here the question may arise that how can INGO’s be more accountable and more transparent? The resources of the INGOs/NGO should meet the target group and each and every beneficiary needed to be aware about the service and how much is spend on them.

Government Intervention: 

The decision of SWC that, Financial transaction of all INGO’s would be brought under government banking system will certainly control the financial embezzlement., It is understandable that few INGO’s won’t be happy enough with the decision of SWC to bring their financial activity under the supervision of  Nepal Rastra Bank, but I don’t think the INGO who is practicing their services in a transparent way and accountable towards their duty will have any issue against current decision of SWC. Many people call it government intervention, yes it is intervention by government, but i don’t think that INGO’s with clean background will have any issue about the SWC’s decision. There are INGO’s who is performing quite well in different sector like women empowerment, child development, poverty elevation etc., and there are INGO’s who have lost the faith of people, SWC and government on the ground of their transparency and accountability. The SWC move is not the about discouraging the all the INGO’s but certainly a warning to the INGO who’s performance is not according to their objective.

Grading System(If Possible): 

Can we expect the grading system with in INGO’s as per their role and service provided to the public. NGO and INGO needed to be classify in different category on the basis of their work and activity. Let’s say these are A,B,C and D grade INGO’s/NGO on the basis of their activity and services provide to the community, and that’s will really encourage the good INGOs to do more in their respective sector.

Concluding Remarks: 

Law shouldn’t be assumed as restriction. INGOs generally focus their accountability relationships with donors, and their board of governors. INGO accountability is principally about how money is spent and how the fund is being raised. It should be understood that government intervention is only to ensure whether it’s spent properly to the community for whom the fund is being raised. Hence, I am off the opinion that SWC decision regarding INGO’s financial transparency and accountability will certainly bring a discipline in the INGO’s who have done wrong and still on the same path.