NGO Forum

Fox News Latino

Representatives of roughly a score of non-governmental organizations met here Wednesday and formed an alliance aimed at tackling a severe water crisis in the southeastern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, proposing, among other solutions, stiffer fines for excessive consumption.

The “Alliance for Water” launched in the capital of Brazil’s most affluent state, battered by a severe drought that has reduced reservoir levels, drew on a series of short-, medium- and long-term solutions presented by 280 experts from 60 municipalities affected by the crisis.

The Times of India

For a change, the two states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will have to put their differences aside and work together to erase a dubious distinction they have together earned. This is because in the list of 9,948 Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) across the country, which were sent notices last week by the Union home ministry for not filing details of foreign contributions in the last five years, united Andhra Pradesh topped by accounting for 1,441 defaulters.

By Daya Gamage

The Asian Tribune

In a well-researched article in a September edition of the New York Times it was outlined how foreign countries, through moneys provided by their governments, have funded the so called nonpartisan nonprofit think tanks in the U.S.

In doing so, these foreign nations are purchasing the respectability of nonprofit think tanks to pursue and promote policies in their national interests.

This issue has been widely debated in the post-terrorist Sri Lankan state of South Asia within that nation’s administration, mainly in the defense establishment, how ‘unregulated’ foreign funds to some well-known non-governmental organizations could interfere in the nation’s national security and, possibly, draw the contours of the Rajapaksa presidency.

Pro Bono Australia

A coalition of the world’s biggest companies and Not for Profits has launched a global digital platform to drive conversation and action on sustainability, whether social, economic or environmental.

The Not for Profit platform, called Collectively, brings together global companies, including major business rivals such as Coca Cola and Pepsi, together to scale up sustainable innovation and inspire action.

The platform is the brainchild of global sustainability Not for Profit Forum of the Future with some of the biggest companies in the world. Unilever, BT Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Marks & Spencer and Carlsberg came together to isponsor Collectively in response to discussions at the World Economic Forum.

While EU and US negotiators are meeting this week in Washington, business groups and civil society organisations have released contradictory statements about regulatory cooperation in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

EurActive

Businesses on both sides of the Atlantic want coordination between regulators to be hardwired into the deal to remove barriers to trade.

But 33 NGOs signed a joint declaration of their “deep concern and firm opposition” to such cooperation on rules, arguing it will drive down standards in areas such as chemicals, food standards and financial services.