Leaders of local and international non-government organisations (NGOs) at a seminar here on Saturday stressed building partnership based on mutual accountability in relations, reports UNB. ICVA (International Council for Voluntary Associations), local NGOs Bangladesh NGOs For World Humanitarian Summit (BNFWHS) and COAST jointly organised the seminar, titled ‘Principles of Partnership: Learning and Way Forward’, at Brac Centre in the capital’s Mohakhali area. The seminar was jointly moderated by Dr Jamie Munn and Jessica Darby of ICVA and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of COAST. Nurun Nahar Lovely of DSK (Dustha Shastho Kendro) made presentations on the key findings of BNFWHS field-level consultations, which came up with recommendations for equality and dignity based partnership, particularly with international NGOs (INGOs), donor organisations, and UN organisations.
In her presentation, Dr Jamie Munn of ICVA also noted that principles such as equality, transparency, result oriented approach, responsibility and complementarities, have been adopted by almost all the INGOs, donor organisations and UN organisations since 2007.
In her address, Rokeya Kabir, chairperson of Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh (ADAB), said INGOs should have more development education in their own country to have more positive attitude towards development aid. Snehal Soneji of Oxfam also stressed that INGOs should not compete with local NGOs to raise fund at the national level. “Local NGOs should raise fund targeting local middle class in the country.” In his conclusion, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of COAST said all the discourses will have to be spread over the grassroot level, as there is a need of better coordination and understanding of all development stakeholders, particularly among INGOs, local NGOs and UN agencies, as NGOs or development organisations are the main vehicles to promote human rights, secularism and democracy.