No foreign fund for MPs, civic body heads

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Monday, 20 February 2012

Author / Source : ALPHA ARZU

DHAKA, FEB 19: The government plans to change relevant laws to bar parliament members (MPs), mayors, councillors, chairmen of local governments and political parties from receiving foreign funds and donations for voluntary activities. The government has brought some changes in the Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Ordinance 1978 and Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Ordinance, 1982, which will be known as Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Ordinance - 2011.

According to the draft amendment, Supreme Court judges or anyone holding a post in constitutional institutions, and employees of government, private, autonomous and authorised agencies will not be allowed to receive foreign funds to run voluntary activities in the country.
“Without proper approval from the NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB), no Bangladeshi citizen or organisation can receive foreign funds or donations or allocations, cash or any other contribution,” the draft states.
NGOAB director general Nurunnabi Talukder told The Independent on Sunday: “We have now posted the draft on our website for public and expert opinion about the ordinance. Anyone can post or send their opinion by the end of February.”
The government initiative is meant to keep track of and regulate foreign donations and contributions, which mostly remain unused, another NGOAB high official said.
“It is widely alleged that NGOs, INGOs and other organisations and individuals have been receiving and spending foreign donations and contributions in the name of development, which is not visible and lacks transparency,” he said.
Sources at the bureau also said there were allegations of corruption against some NGOs whose project implementation and expenditure lacked transparency.
According to the draft of the amendment, voluntary activities would comprise those in the social, religious, cultural and educational spheres; health services and rights; relief and rehabilitation; agricultural and structural development; awareness creation; poverty alleviation; women empowerment; democracy and good governance; human rights; and empowerment of and ensuring rights for the underprivileged and marginal sections of population, including children, aged and the disabled.
The draft amendment also states that the issues of equal participation; protection and preservation of forests, environment and natural resources; climate change and any other social welfare and development will come under voluntary activities.
NGOs willing to receive foreign funds or donations for their work must take a licence from the NGOAB. The licence will be issued for five years and should be renewed six months before its expiration.
NGOs must have mother accounts from where they would release the money, received as foreign donations or contributions, with proper NGOAB approval.
The bureau will also ask banks not to release funds of any NGO that does not procure a release letter from NGOAB.
The draft amendment makes it mandatory for NGOs to submit their annual reports, covering the period from January1 to December 31, to NGOAB. The NGOs also need to submit the report of each project they undertake. The NGOAB can cancel the licence of an NGO found misusing funds. Also, use of foreign donations for own purposes without approval from the bureau, utilization of funds under any heads other than those included in the project proposal and procuring foreign funds using fake documents shall be punishable under the amended law.
Under the law, if any NGO is found to have violated this ordinance, the government can seize all moveable and immovable properties of the organisation and the case will run under the country’s existing rules and regulations.
According to the statistics of NGOAB, as many as 2,094 NGOs and INGOs took licences from the bureau and those of 525 NGOs have been cancelled till February 16 this year.
In the 2011-12 fiscal year, a total of 479 projects are being implementing with foreign donations worth Tk 16,907,085,325.75.
In the fiscal year 2010-11, altogether 1,120 projects were implemented at a total cost of Tk 46,125,631,311.50.