Govt set to bring INGOs under MoF purview
KATHMANDU, JUL 25 -
In a bid to regulate international non-government organisations ( INGOs ), the government, for the first time, will be bringing their financial transactions under the purview of the Ministry of Finance.
The MoF has asked them to start data entry to aid management platform—an online information system created by the ministry to keep track of foreign aid—about the amount they received, how the fund is being used, what are the projects they are spending the fund, what are their donors irrespective of donor agencies based in Nepal and outside the country.
The foreign aid division of the MoF held training for 13 big INGOs last week on the technicalities of the information system and data entry. “The 13 INGOs will enter key information on the amount of resources they bring in Nepal into the information system in coming weeks,” Association of International Non-government Organisations in Nepal (AIN) has announced on its website.
As well as the AIN, the ministry held the training for INGOs Mercy Corps, The ISIS Foundation, Equal Access, Practical Action, Action Aid Nepal, International Alert, German Nepalese Help, Association, Karuna Foundation, CARE Nepal, Plan Nepal, World Vision International, ADRA Nepal and Water Aid Nepal.
Following the training, the government asked them to start data entry immediately. “We have given them password and workstation for data entry,” said Bhuwan Karki, under-secretary at the MoF. “We will follow up on whether they started entering data soon.”
At present, only official donors have been entering their data in the aid management platform. From now on, the INGOs will also be entering their data in the prescribed format, which will enable the ministry to keep track on incoming aid through INGOs . “The database will help us monitor the INGOs properly,” said Karki. According to government officials, the move was taken after consultion with the INGOs .
Achyut Luitel, ex-president of AIN and head of Practical Action, said that the INGOs were provided training for data entry after a long consultation between the MoF and AIN, which he believes will help make INGOs more transparent.
According to him, although the INGOs have been submitting details of their activities to the Social Welfare Council, a body assigned to monitor the INGOs and NGOs, the work of council has not been effective due to political intervention.
“Despite proper reporting by INGOs , the council has been failing to coordinate with other government agencies properly,” noted Luitel. “The entering data at the aid management system of MoF will help clear suspicions over INGOs .”
Source: The Kathmandu Post
