Mar
29

NOAA, NGOs debate effects of ocean farms on wildlife

JAVMAnews recently posted the following article:

“Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico have been open to fish farming for two years, but no farms yet exist.

In January 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service issued a rule that would let companies apply for 10-year permits to farm fish in federal waters of the Gulf, with five-year renewals thereafter. Up to 20 entities could operate beyond state waters in the U.S. ‘Exclusive Economic Zone,’ mostly between 3 and 200 miles offshore, although no company had filed a permit application as of mid-February 2018.”

Mar
22

NGOs and the Imperative of Accountability

The Punch recently posted an article that begins:

“The legislative blitz that rocked the civil society community in 2017 created a host of opportunities and lessons for government, civil society and the public. Non-state actors in the country are pushing regulators and the National Assembly to fix existing laws guiding the work of nonprofits in the country.

While regulators have stepped up their game, working hard to improve compliance with existing regulatory frameworks by nonprofits, positive results and intended outcomes can only be achieved if both the regulator and the sector work together to review all regulations with a view to testing its continuing relevance. Every policy option must be carefully assessed, likely impact, costed and a range of viable alternatives considered in a transparent and accountable way against the default position of ‘noneregulation’, being clamoured for by the sector.”

Mar
14

Global Policy Forum NGO Website

The Global Policy Forum has a website that provides an extensive background discussion of NGOs, including but not limited to UN-related NGOs.  Click here for this website.

 

 

Mar
05

“Donors Shouldn’t Punish NGOs that Disclose Misconduct – Here’s How to Help Stamp Out Abuse”

The Conversation published an article containing the following excerpt:

“DFID and other donors shouldn’t stop pressurising[sic] NGOs to do better, but they also need to do more to promote the way organisations learn from when things go wrong. That includes adopting a positive and constructive attitude towards disclosures of wrongdoing.

It’s no secret that aid projects frequently fail and aid workers can commit appalling crimes. The first step towards stopping this is for NGOs to be transparent about transgression. And donors should understand that this is a hallmark of an accountable organisation. They should encourage NGOs to be candid about why failure occurs – which may include listening to explanations that reflect poorly on the donor’s preferred way of giving aid.