NGOs IN THE GMS. Involvement Related to Poverty Alleviation and Watershed Management. Thailand

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 14 Regional Environmental Technical Assistance 5771 Poverty Reduction & Environmental Management in Remote Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Watersheds Project (Phase I) NGOs IN THE GMS Involvement Related to Poverty Alleviation and Watershed Management Thailand By Gunilla Riska CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 2 2 GENERAL 2 3 LEGAL FRAMEWORK 3 4 COORDINATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT 4 5 ROLE OF NGOs International NGOs Local NGOs Networking among NGOs 7 6 NGOs IN NORTHEASTERN AND NORTHERN THAILAND Development of NGOs in Northeastern Thailand NGOs in northern Thailand 10

2 Page 2 of 14 7 CONCLUSIONS General conclusions Co-operation with RETA REFERENCES 15 ANNEX I: SUMMARY of REVIEW made IN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND 1. INTRODUCTION The aim of this country report is to get an understanding of the development of NGOs in Thailand today and with main focus on local organisations of interest for the project in its second planning phase and during implementation. The report is partly based on a review prepared as one of the special NGO tasks in connection with the first planning phase of RETA This review, which will be separately published, deals with NGOs working with poverty alleviation and watershed management in some selected watershed areas in North Eastern Thailand and also gives a thorough picture of the development of NGOs in Thailand. 2. GENERAL NGOs have participated in development activities in Thailand for more than thirty years. The first NGOs concentrated on health, literacy and economic activities as a means of promoting overall human development. Their activities targeted mainly rural areas. In the late 80 s the growing concern for the degradation of natural resources involved the NGOs in matters relating to sustainable uses of resources. The close association of livelihood issues with environmental degradation has added environmental aspects to community development. While many NGOs are concentrating on agriculture, others are emphasising natural resources and environmental management. Advocacy NGOs play an important role in protecting the natural resources and the environment. Some of them deal with policy matters (e.g. Foundation for Ecological Recovery), or they form expertise groups (e.g. Wildlife Fund Thailand) others are more research-oriented (e.g. Thailand Environment Institute) or work with raising the environmental awareness (e.g. Thailand Environment and Community Development Association, TECDA). The number of NGOs working in Thailand is not clear, but there are approximately 30 international organisations and approximately local NGOs. Since Thai non-profit organisations encompass formal and informal groups, both temporary and permanent in nature, it is difficult to estimate accurately the number of development-oriented organisations at any given time. New organisations emerge and old ones disappear constantly. However, the number of foreign NGOs has decreased during the last few years as a result of the fast economic development of Thailand. Today s radically changed economic situation has not brought back the international NGOs. Most NGOs work in the northern and Northeastern part of Thailand. Their activities go back to the 60 s. The majority of the environmental NGOs, expected to be more than 200, are small organisations and exist in various forms: associations, foundations, research institutes, fora, groups, projects and committees. External funding is estimated to account for % of the budget of most NGOs. This percentage is declining. Thailand has in recent years strongly supported NGOs in their assistance to the national development and has integrated the participation of the private sector in the national development process. Local communities and non-governmental organisations take active part in the discussion on impacts on the natural resources and the environment and also participate in public hearings. Hence the NGOs also have a key role in monitoring the government s performance. Despite the official respect for NGOs the relation between the non-profit sector and the state has been quite strained. The government has not developed strategies to monitor activities of nonprofit organisations and look at the NGOs, and especially the grassroots and advocacy NGOs, with suspicion. Since 1992 the government has been allowing advocacy groups to operate.

3 Page 3 of 14 The number of foreign NGOs has declined during the last few years as result of the fast economic development of Thailand. Today s radically changed economic situation has not brought back the international NGOs. 3. LEGAL FRAMEWORK Non-profit organisations are governed by the Civil and Commercial Code, which specifies the legal purposes and method of governance for non-profit organisations. Legally recognised and registered by Thai government are two entities: associations and foundations. Unregistered organisations, including development and religious groups, may or may not be recognised by the government, but do relate to Thailand s non-profit sector, either as component or borderline entities. Traditionally, foundations are established in honour of distinguished Thai citizens to provide welfare and relief assistance to the indigenous populations, as well as promote education, culture and preservation of the cultural heritage. More recently, foundations are being established for environmental protection and economic development as well. Foundations derive their revenues primarily from donations and/or fund raising drives. They are prohibited from engaging in profit-making activities. In addition to the two types of organisations mentioned above, unregistered non-profit groups can be organised for specific purposes but do not retain legal standing. Such organisations are known as project or working groups, units, and forums. They tend to be small, and are dedicated in public welfare, community development, and campaign advocacy issues such as human rights, the environment and cultural promotion. They may, on occasion, combine under umbrella councils or co-ordinating communities. Many developmental groups prefer not to register in order to avoid reporting requirements. Although all nonprofit organisations are required to register, the National Cultural Commission, who registers associations and foundations, has neither the authority nor the manpower to monitor unregistered group. Thus, it cannot initiate any actions against those who do not register. At the moment there are not sufficient incentives to encourage groups to register. In the future when government funds for non-profit sector are made available in large enough amounts, and if the government requires that recipients must be registered organisations, many of the groups will register to qualify for funds. The Enhancement and Conservation of National Environment Quality Act, B.E.2535 (ECNEQA-1992), provides a legal basis and gives policy guidelines to enhance interaction between government agencies and particularly the Environment Quality Promotion Department (EQPD) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE) and environmental NGOs on issues related to environment. It recognises the role of NGOs in the conservation of the environment, and spells out their rights and duties in the enhancement of national environmental quality. The Act gives: the potential right of the public in getting access to information; the establishment of volunteers in assisting government agencies in environmental matters; public participation with the local authorities in pollution control; the opportunity for NGOs to register as NGOs in natural resource conservation and environmental protection with Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE) The Department of Environmental Quality Promotion is the registrar for the NGOs working in natural resources and environmental conservation. The registration is not compulsory, however those registered with the department can apply for financial support for development activities. 4. COORDINATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT The International NGOs receive permission for a period of two years to undertake their activities, and there is

4 Page 4 of 14 no requirement to be linked to a Thai organisation. The NGO must follow the application agreement, the procedures specified by the NGO Co-ordinating Committee, and within the laws of Thailand. The International NGO must also evaluate the project and programme and submit a report detailing their progress every sixmonth period. If the International NGO does not follow the agreement, the committee can request their revision within a specified period. If the international NGO does not revise their activity in line with the committees recommendations the committee can cancel specified activities or terminate the entire programme. Co-ordination and interaction between NGOs and the Royal Thai government has been established through both official and unofficial channels. The National Council of Social Welfare was set up as early as 1960 to coordinate development efforts of NGOs and the government sector. The National Council of Buddhist Youth Association and the Office of the National Committee on the Promotion and Co-ordination of Youth Affairs were formed to facilitate the dialogue between the government and NGOs in youth development efforts. A national level NGO-Co-ordinating Committee on Rural Development and NGOs networks in different regions was formed during the 1980 s, mainly to improve communications and co-ordination among NGOs. These networks also provide an important link between the NGOs and government agencies. (Thailand s Action Plan for Sustainable Development, 1997). 5. ROLE OF NGOs 5.1 International NGOs Thailand has received foreign volunteers since The first overseas volunteer agency in Thailand was the British Voluntary Service Overseas, which sent its first volunteers in 1961, followed by the United States Peace Corps, the New Zealand Volunteer Service Abroad, the German Volunteer Service, the Canadian University Service Overseas, and the Japan Overseas Co-operation Volunteers. (Pitsamai Khanobdi, 1984). Assistance during the first decade was mainly in the field of education. In addition, they assisted in public health projects such as malaria eradication and medical technology. In the area of community and rural development, the overseas volunteers worked on projects under the Community Development Department and the Public Welfare Department. Assistance from the 1970s up to now has been more project-oriented. Overseas voluntary service assistance (in terms of number of volunteers) has diminished during the past two decades in the field of education but has increased in the field of rural development. During the same period, there has also been financial assistance to support various rural development projects UNICEF, UNESCO, UNIFEM, WHO, and UNFPA are some of the international organisations supporting the activities of NGOs. Some are sectoral while others focus on specific target groups. These organisations have especially supported activities related to children and women. UNICEF was instrumental in implementing many of the activities for women and children at the grassroots level. UNESCO supports workshops and seminars more than action projects. UNIFEM has become more active in the Asian Region and set up and office at ESCAP a few years ago. Support for action research related to women is increasing. WHO and UNFPA support health-related and family planning projects more than other activities. UNDP and UNEP are very active in the environmental issues. Projects supported include reforestation, information dissemination, pollution control, etc. In Thailand, bilateral funds have to go through the Department of Technical and Economic Co-operation (DTEC). Because of this requirement, non-profit organisations usually do not seek funds which are bilateral because it will require extra efforts to have the projects approved in terms of activities and amount of financial support for each category of activities. There are several international non-government organisations who provide support to the non-profit sector in Thailand. E.g. several NGOs from Germany have offices in Thailand, including The Frederic Nauman Foundation, the Frederic Ebert Foundation, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and Terre des Hommes. Others are The Ford Foundation, the Asia Foundation, CARE International, Save the Children Fund, OXFAM, CCF, PLAN in addition to church-based NGOs. In the late 1970s and early 1980s some tension between government and non-government organisations was caused by suspicious feelings from Government side. Many government agencies were concerned that liberal non-profit organisations were being penetrated by foreign funders. Labour movements and advocacy activities were viewed as being initiated and financially supported from outside Thailand. This led to tightened rules and

5 Page 5 of 14 regulations Today there are 27 international NGOs working in Thailand. These international NGOs can apply to become a foundation or association if they so wish, but they must specify a Thai citizen or organisation to be their representative to support this application. The number of international NGOs working in Thailand mainly reports organisations who have established an office in Thailand. The majority of international NGOs that organise seminars or training courses tend to organise these in the name of a Thai counterpart agency as the procedure is relatively simple. In reality this should be undertaken via the above mentioned procedure but in practice this rarely happens as reported in the records held for international NGO activities in Thailand. 5.2 Local NGOs The first Thai NGO, Thailand Rural Reconstruction Movement, was established in Today there are approximately local NGOs with a wide diversity of interests. How many who actually are working with development matters is not clear. The Directory produced by Thai Development Support Committee in 1997 lists 465 NGOs. One of the most legitimate roles of the NGOs is to challenge the mainstream development trend and offer alternative appropriate methods of development. Besides traditional NGO fields such as health and education, many NGOs support community development projects including the promotion of agro-forestry and environmental issues. The latter is included in the objectives of many NGOs. The majority of the NGOs are small organisations with less than 10 members and few are registered. They exist as associations, foundations, research institutes, forums, groups, projects or committees, working with a holistic approach with the aim of reaching sustainable development. External funding is estimated to account for % of the budget of most NGOs. This percentage is however declining and the NGOs have to find new means for funding their activities. The constraints facing the NGOs are usually connected to: 1. shortage of funds 2. lack of capacity with regards to number of staff and their competence and professionalism 3. poor exchange of information and co-ordination with other NGOs 4. lack of evaluation measures 5. lack of recognition of NGO work Thai NGOs adhere to the local development strategy model and have expressed their view that development must be people centred. In summary, today there are five strategies for development: 1. People Participation in development at the village level by organising a learning process between people and people, between community and community 2. Search for lessons and alternatives for social development together. 3. Participation in the process to inform the public and propose policies to the government 4. Decentralisation of power to communities. Creation of international allies 5. Networks Several ministries are involving themselves in NGO matters. Within the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives there is a NGO Liaison Office for agriculture and environment, and the Environmental Division of the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment has prepared a Directory of Environmental NGOs registered in accordance with the environmental law passed in Co-operation with local government is done on voluntary basis as the local government organisations have no

6 Page 6 of 14 legislative requirements to work in co-operation with locally based NGOs and there is no formal structure which organises such co-operation, although the policy for local organisations promotes any co-operation that may occur. The fairly recently established Tambon Administrative Organisation at subdistrict level offers possibilities for co-operation (Tambons being responsible for natural resources management) as does Village Committees were NGOs can provide a mechanism for introducing new ideas, developing local groups, to provide funding, for facilitating activities especially assisting villagers to propose activities to responsible government bodies. 5.3 Networking among NGOs The voice of the NGOs has been heard at many occasions and their views taken ad notam by the government. A nation-wide NGO umbrella organisation, however, does not exist. Networking among the NGOs themselves seems loose and more ad hoc. NGOs come together for a special issue, work on that for some time and float apart after finishing their tasks. This is especially true when it comes to advocacy, where lobbying and campaigning plays a big role. Some of the NGOs with stronger ties have, however, formed groups, such as e.g. NGO-Cord, Thai Volunteer Service Foundation, The Local Development Institute (LDI)/ Local Development Foundation (LDF) and Its Networks, and various informal networks NGO-Co-ordination Committee on Rural Development (NGO-CORD) NGO-CORD has approximately 220 member organisations, which may or may not be registered, NGO-CORD itself is not registered. The National Economic and Social Development Board encouraged and supported its formation, and NGO-Cord is now recognised by several government organisations and funding agencies as a major representative of the Thai NGO community. The government has asked it to actively participate in the formulation of the national 5-year plans as well as to serve as member of several working groups and subcommittees on various development issues. Because of its large membership and regional diversity, regional NGO-CORDs have been established for better co-ordination and flexibility. Member organisations of NGO-CORD range from community research and development projects (e.g. the Community Research Project, attached to the Social Research Institute of Chiang Mai University, and the Kilns for Palm Sugar Project promoted by the Prince of Songkhla University) to large national consortia such as the National Council of Women of Thailand. Networks are established to co-ordinate work and to develop the strength of the participating organisations The Thai Volunteer Service Foundation (TVS) There are approximately 40 member organisations that request volunteers and join in activities organised by TVS on a regular basis. They are thought of as TVS network members. The original objective of the project was to establish an organisation to provide support to non-government organisations working on development activities. Since 1985, after establishing its reputation for volunteer training and institution building, TVS has shifted its activities more toward the co-ordination of non-profit organisations through the advocacy of development issues. TVS works with other organisations to carry out research activities aimed at collecting baseline data to improve the planning of advocacy activities. TVS s research and advocacy activities are often seen in the issues publicised by seminars and meetings organised jointly with academic institutions or other groups. Through seminars and workshops, TVS and its partners try to influence certain government policies, such as policies on resource management, infrastructure construction, and the government s decentralisation schemes. Finally TVS works closely with both the Local Development Institute and the NGO Co-ordinating Committee The Local Development Institute (LDI)/ Local Development Foundation (LDF) and its Networks This umbrella organisation is an NGO co-ordination and management model that evolved from other trial models. In Thailand, bilateral funds have to go through the Department of Technical and Economic Cooperation (DTEC). Because of this requirement, NGOs usually do not seek funds which are bilateral because this will require extra effort to have the projects approved in terms of activities and amount of financial support for each category of activity. If the donor countries are determined to provide support for non-profit organisations bilaterally, they have to negotiate to set up a special mechanism to manage the funds.

7 Page 7 of 14 The Local Development Institute (LDI) and the Local Development Foundation (LDF), LDI, were originally established as a project by the Canadian CIDA, to function as a Thai non-government organisation operating under Thai law, with a flexible and responsive mechanisms that allows it to co-ordinate various organisations and networks. LDI invites proposals for grassroots development activities annually. LDI has established networks of non-profit organisations working on grassroots development activities in the country s different regions. In addition, LDI also works with regional universities on research projects identified as essential to the development of the region and the country Informal Networks In some areas networks are established on an informal basis. These networks rely upon organisations with similar ideology and a firm belief in the strengths and benefits of networking or working together Several are found within the environmental sector. Environmental Protection and Conservation networks. The rapidly increasing interest in environmental issues during the past decade has led to the formation of many environmental organisations. Some are based in the countryside while others are based in Bangkok. Most of the non-profit organisations working in environmental issues are newly established. They include, for example, the Thai Environment and Community Development Association, better known as " Magic Eyes"; the Sueb Nakasethien Foundation suicide for the cause of forestry conservation; the Project on Ecological Recovery, a vocal group that advocates environmental issues very actively; and many other groups who work for the conservation of specific areas. There is no single organisation functioning as a co-ordinating body among NGOs working on environmental issues. When co-ordination is needed, they work via NGO-CORD or directly. Therefore, Thailand s environmental groups have formed a coalition and several networks. The Environment NGO Coalition, founded in 1990, initiates action on certain issues. The number of members of the NGO Coalition group has reached more than 40, an increase from its initial membership of 32. In 1995, a network of environmental NGOs was formed out of the Forum for Annual Reporting on Environment at the national level. The network is called Thailand Environment and Development Network (TEDNET). Terra, which is a Bangkok-based environmental NGO works across the region with NGOs and peoples organisations in Burma, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. Mekong development is one focus of its work. Forum of the People is a broad coalition of peoples organisations, women s groups and rural development associations. In 1997, the organisation e.g. submitted recommendations to IMF on the economic crisis in Thailand. 6. NGOs IN NORTHEASTERN AND NORTHERN THAILAND 6.1 Development of NGOs in Northeastern Thailand The development of NGOs in the northeastern region had paralleled development in other regions up to the period of the Khmer rouge ascendancy in Cambodia, when international relief agencies stated operating in the border zone area. This led to the establishment of local NGOs in the region and resulted in a proliferation of organisations in the region. Gradually four development focus areas arose; 1. Political and economic development idea, some groups believed that for rural development to occur the community must develop economic and political awareness. 2. Traditional community idea, others believed that traditional practices could be utilised as tools for the development process. 3. Alternative development idea, for community development to occur economic, political and social factors must be integrated.

8 Page 8 of Public health idea, this group believed that development must focus upon primary health care provision and once established communities will development themselves. In 1984 the Local development Assistance Program (LDAP) was established to promote the formation of small locally based development organisations by providing funds. One year later in 1985 the NGO Co-ordinating Committee on Rural Development (NGO-CORD), Northeastern region was established. This network initially included 35 NGOs with a focus upon the provinces of Surin and Khon Kaen. Almost all of the members of this network relied upon funding from foreign donors; notably, CIDA, NOIB, CEBEMO, TERRE DES HOMME, MISEROR. This resulted in a second proliferation of local NGOs with NGO-CORD acting as advisor to introduce local groups to the LDAP funding process. The NGO-CORD organises a co-ordinating meeting each year for NGOs in the region. In the northeast today there are approximately 10 small scale and numerous medium and large scale NGOs concerned with local communities and environmental problems. For example there are now 42 organisations working with communities for the promotion and development of community forestry in the region. 6.2 NGOs in northern Thailand NGO movements in the North began with community development activities and with an emphasise on economic development. Later on environmental issues were included in the agenda and the promotion of community forests has become one of the major activities of environmental NGOs. The most outstanding role is to strengthen peoples organisations and their networks with the aim making it possible for them to carry on a sustainable agricultural process and increasing the self-reliance capacity of the communities. (TEI, 1996). Main fields of activities for the NGOs in northern Thailand are; agriculture, health and especially AIDS related issues and primary health care, children, youth and gender issues and natural resources management. More than 100 NGOs are active in northern Thailand, most of them in Chiang Mai province. NGOs working in Chiang Rai province, which is of primarily interest for RETA 5771, are far less and some are listed in hereunder. Networking especially concerning environmental matters is vivid and several smaller umbrella organisations exist. NGO-CORD s Northern region office is situated in Chiang Mai. Association for Community and Ecology Development (AECD) is running the Northern Region Training Centre for community development and ecology; a recovery and development project in the Kok and Ing River Basin; and research on and conservation of biodiversity in Mae Khong River basin. They receive support from e.g. Terre des Hommes, AusAID and the Department of Environmental Quality promotion. The Community Ecological Development Project is working with promotion of villagers organisation in the Mae Chan and Wiang Chai districts, and are campaigning on environmental problems. Support is provided by Terre des Hommes. Development of Agriculture and Education Project for Akha (DAPA) is involved in capacity building of community organisations, and in accommodations issues for youth. Supported by Diakonia Sida and other international NGOs. Highland People s Education and Development Foundation works with women s issues and is supported by e.g. RSS Japan. Hill Area Development Foundation works with capacity strengthening at community level, promotion of conservation and sustainable agriculture and is acting as information centre on communities in the hill areas. Supported by e.g. Terre des Hommes, Bread for the World, UNDCP and UNICEF. Lao River Basin Development Project is promoting the recovery and conservation of natural resources in Lao River Basin, integrated agriculture and campaigning for AIDS prevention. Support is provided by TACAP, Canada Fund, UNICEF and AIDS Division of Ministry of Health. Northern Women Development Foundation provides legal assistance, and training on family problems to women. Supported by e.g. ICCO. Population and Community Development Association (PDA) Chiang Rai provides family planning

9 Page 9 of 14 information and services to lowland people and hill tribes. Supported by e.g. NCA Norway, AusAID, GTZ, KONRAD of Germany and the Soroptimists. Y.M.C.A Chiang Rai has rural development projects and promotes and support for environmental conservation activities. Is supported by Y.M.C.A/Sweden and Y.M.C.A/Thailand Source: Directory of Non-Governmental organisations CONCLUSIONS 7.1 General conclusions Thailand has a strong civil society movement with more than non governmental organisations with a very diversified field of activities. NGOs play an important role in the developing process in Thailand by analysing the problems and needs, voicing alternative strategies and acting as watchdogs especially in connection with environmental and cultural issues. Their experience has been taken ad notam by the Government in connection with the preparatory work of new Bills such as the Community Forestry Bill, and in connection with The NGOs initiative cover a wide range of local development activities of which rural community development still remains the core, aiming at satisfying the basic needs and emphasising social, cultural and ecological conditions. A growing number of them are peoples organisations, groups formed by rural people themselves, with the fundamental idea that local people should manage their own resources. A number of advocacy groups are campaigning and protesting against mainstream development policies and are especially protesting policies considered as damaging the environment. Despite the number of umbrella organisations and networking in special sectors, most of the grassroots level NGOs are working in isolation. Their limited financial and human resources, and their local-based interests prevents them participating in a collective development and also outside the NGO-Government co-operation. Although the Government today approves of and respects the impact of the NGOs and has made provisions for NGO involvement in its planning process the co-operation with government officials and agencies is not always smooth. 7.2 Co-operation with RETA 5771 A concerted effort must be made to understand the socio-economic and environmental situation in the selected watershed areas. That means recognising the importance of co-operation with organisations reaching the vulnerable populations in the watershed areas. The number of international NGOs working in the country is low, and in the northern Thailand there are only some few present. Some INGOs are, however, supporting partner-organisations in the north and thus have a good understanding of the development situation there. As the composition of partners and their involvement in the project must be seen in casu depending on the selection of watersheds for feasibility studies and the final selection of areas for project intervention, there is a need for an initial assessment of their involvement in the second planning phase and the final implementation stage before programme document preparation, in order to include them in a participatory and collective planning process. The local umbrella organisations should be invited to a dialogue on the development strategies of RETA 5771 and can be included in the selection of suitable rural-based local NGOs in the watershed area. The project will benefit from their experience and understanding of local policies and practices in addition to a larger understanding of the context of development in the region. The project has during the first planning phase tried to start a dialogue with some of the umbrella organisations but received negative responses. The reason given has been that they do not like to co-operate with an ADB-project. The bigger local NGOs have collaborated with several international organisations and often have

10 Page 10 of 14 partner organisation arrangements with the international NGOs. They have experience from e.g. PRAs, base-line studies, needs assessments, and various feasibility studies in specific sectors needed for the second planning phase of RETA The contribution to the implementation of the project can include capacity strengthening, technical research, market research, implementation of special components or activities, monitoring of project activities, and participation in the evaluation of the project. The NGO input to the monitoring of the project will give the organisations a possibility to influence the further development of the project and should be seen as an important component. Monitoring can e.g. be done individually following certain activities or the NGO can be a member of a monitoring team (national or international) doing regular bi/annual follow-up of project progress. The umbrella organisations and the network groups should be considered important participants in monitoring. The project has during the first phase successfully used local partners for specific studies in north eastern Thailand in connection with the studies on NGOs in Thailand, and the study on Tambons as well as in connection with Rural Rapid Appraisals in Chiang Rai. The use of NGOs in project work will benefit the NGOs as well as the Project also in other respects: the operational collaboration in specific components and activities will enlarge and strengthen the network with other development actors; and a policy dialogue on poverty alleviation and environmental issues based on experiences from fieldwork can be carried out within the project and be brought further to local and national authorities. The local NGOs possibilities to view their opinions will be enhanced and their long terms involvement in development issues will be strengthened. In a long term involvement of an NGO, the possibilities to include the organisation as a partner or a subconsultant in a consortium should be considered. This would have an impact on the overall understanding of the development context and enhance the policy dialogue on poverty alleviation and environmental issues. If the project will include a local NGO on a long-term contract, the capacity of the NGO should be assessed not only from technical point of view but also from managerial. Several local NGOs face difficulties in project management, project design, planning and monitoring. A component of capacitybuilding in order to strengthen the NGOs management capacity should be considered. Usually the NGOs, however, are engaged for specific tasks on sub-consultancy contracts on terms of references determined by the funding agencies. In addition to operational collaboration, the RETA 5571 project should consider the possibility of having consultative groups consisting of NGOs and other organisations for further discussions on models and policies. REFERENCES The country report is based on interviews and the following literature: 1. Sunil Subhanrao Pednekar. NGOs and Natural Resource Management Mainland Southeast Asia. TDRI Quarterly Newsletter vol.10, No.3, September 1995 (a quarterly newsletter of the Thailand Development research institute Foundation, Bangkok). 2. The department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP).1994 "Directory of Environmental NGOs". The Environment Promotion Division, DEQP: the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Thailand. 3. Hirsch, P "Where are the roots of Thai environmentalism? TEI Quarterly Environmental Journal Development of Environmental Non-Governmental organisations in Thailand. Executive Summary. Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) Thailand s action for Sustainable Development. Thailand s Country Report to UN Commission on Sustainable Development. Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. Thailand. March 1997.

11 Page 11 of Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act B.E Published by Department of Environmental Quality Promotion. Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. Thailand. 7. List of Non-Government Organisations in Thailand registered with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. Department of Environmental Quality promotion 8. Asian Development Bank. Women in Thailand. Country Briefing Paper. December Colin McQuistan et al. Non Government Organisations in Thailand. Current status and potential for development co-operation in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Asian Development Bank. RETA ANNEX I: SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW MADE IN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND A study on NGOs in North Eastern Thailand was carried out in end of 1998 by a local team. The aim was to get an understanding of the working climate of the NGOs and their capacity and interest to co-operate with the RETA The study is published as a separate report and this annex includes the summary result from the study. The total number of environmental and development NGOs in the study area (Northern and Northeastern Region of Thailand) was 74 NGOs. 21 NGOs responded, the data presented is summarised from the respondents only. Objectives of NGOs No. Objectives % Promote and develop social and quality of life 14 Develop human and PO to be strength 12 Promote Integrated agriculture 12 Promote other vocations which help farmers increase their incomes 12 Develop farmers and rural social to be self-reliance 10 Link the co-operation in form of CO in setting their goals, solving the problems and protecting their own and their communities benefits 10 Promote villagers in sustainable natural resources management 8 Provide farmers the opportunities to know the appropriated agricultural technology 6 Promote CO to strengthen forest management 4 Co-operation between Public and private sections in resources management 4 Promote and develop leaders 2 Promote and develop farmer group working 2 Develop local environment and culture 6 Total 100 Type and number of NGOs for each decade Registered Year Association Foundation Non registered Total

12 Page 12 of now 9 Total Number of NGO staff in respondent organisations. Organisation s size No. of NGOs staff No. of NGOs Mean Range Small 1-10 persons Medium persons Large 20+ persons Total Willing to work with RETA 5771 Answer No. of NGOs Note Yes with condition 5 RETA must has the same objectives as the partner organisation. Yes without condition 13 No 2 No answer 1 Total 21 The partnership project with RETA must be in field in which the organisation has previous experience and the budget should be provided by RETA. Most organisations do not have adequate budget to support such counterpart projects Form of co-operation Form of co-operation % 1. Consultant Training Other Partnership promote local NGOs in field activities Forum for exchange of experience Did not provide any detail Assist with project development and Implementation Foreign fund representative in Thailand Join in activities with experienced NGOs learn techniques, academic and supporting budget Networking No answer 2.6 Total 100 Expectation in Working with RETA

13 Page 13 of 14 Expectation % 1. Any way ( Training, seminar, project co-operation, exchanging experiences, technical and technology support, etc.) Information/ Counterpart Budget R & D Co-ordinator 8.3 Total 100 Budget range of organisations responding per year. year Budget range (min.-max.) Baht ,000-50,000, ,000-40,000,000 NGOs Budget No. NGOs' size 1998 Budget 1999 Budget Source of Budget Note 1 small 1,300,000 1,000,000 Foreign 2 small 2,200,000 2,200,000 Foreign 3 small 450,000 0 Thailand, Foreign 4 small 0 5,600,000 Thailand, Foreign 5 medium 9,000,000 9,000,000 Foreign 6 small 800,000 0 Thailand 7 medium 2,000,000 2,000,000 Foreign 8 large 50,000,000 40,000,000 Thailand, Foreign 9 small 2,000,000 2,500,000 Thailand, Foreign 10 large 4,000,000 4,000,000 Foreign 11 medium 28,000,000 22,000,000 Thailand, Foreign 12 medium 5,000,000 5,000,000 Foreign 13* large 0 0 Thailand, Foreign 14 large 70,000 0 Thailand 15 small 1,200,000 0 Foreign 16 large 15,000,000 15,000,000 Thailand, Foreign 17 small 1,500,000 1,500,000 Foreign 18 small 350,000 0 Thailand 19 medium 8,800,000 9,200,000 Foreign 20 medium 11,000,000 12,000,000 Foreign

14 Page 14 of medium 10,000,000 5,000,000 Thailand, Foreign Total 152,670, ,000,000 Average budget per year of each size of NGOs NGOs' Size Sources Small Medium Large Thailand '98 575, ,000 Thailand' Thai+Foreign'98 816,667 19,000,000 21,666,667 Thai+Foreign'99 2,700,000 13,500,000 18,333,333 Foreign'98 1,550,000 6,750,000 6,400,000 Foreign'99 1,175,000 7,000,000 6,600,000