[{"bbox": [86, 152, 1145, 367], "category": "Text", "text": "institutions at provincial and federal levels. While some laws govern the registration, internal governance, and accountability of CSOs, other laws govern how CSOs are to be financed and managed. Still other rules govern the reporting relationship between the state and CSOs with respect to their operations or the legal obligations towards their employees. This multiplicity of laws and governmental interlocutors, coupled with ample room for interpretation they leave in their enforcement, testify to the complicated and burdensome regulatory environment that CSOs face in their registration and operations in Pakistan. Main difficulties reported by CSOs include the lack of a consistent definition, increasing scrutiny from government and law enforcement agencies, a shrinking space for activism, complex verification processes, and a lack of trust and understanding between CSOs and the government."}, {"bbox": [86, 377, 1145, 538], "category": "Text", "text": "While discussing the 2022 NGO Policy during the consultations organised for the preparation of this action, CSOs put forward a number of recommendations to promote an enabling environment for CSOs in Pakistan. They included the need for sustained engagement between different stakeholders, including CSOs, government, and development partners, to alleviate the mistrust between the government and civil society. Organisations also called for the establishment of a one-window system for CSOs, digitalisation and integration of different registration regimes, and better coordination among the CSOs."}, {"bbox": [86, 548, 1145, 710], "category": "Text", "text": "The Ministry of Economic Affairs which is responsible for the registration, scrutiny, and issuance of Non-Objection Certificate for CSOs seeking foreign funds, faces significant challenges in the implementation of the 2022 NGO Policy. With the whole process being digitised, the Ministry received a high volume of online applications since late 2022. Many CSOs lack the technical knowledge and capacity to upload required documents online, leading to delays in the process. A backlog of applications exists, and the Ministry team is struggling to meet the 60-day timeline promised in the new policy."}, {"bbox": [86, 720, 1145, 855], "category": "Text", "text": "Also, the time taken by verification agencies to meet the 45 days deadline has shown to be a serious challenge. In most cases the field staff of verification agencies are unable to submit their recommendations in the stipulated time frame due to their traditional ways of investigation, capacity, and policing attitude. This delays the whole process of issuing Non-Objection Certificates as envisaged in the new NGO Policy 2022 and puts pressure on the Ministry's performance."}, {"bbox": [86, 869, 1145, 1004], "category": "Text", "text": "While the new 2022 Policy aims to streamline the process and reduce the time required for approval, there have been some issues with the capacity of the online platform, particularly ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the uploaded documents. Due to the lack of clarity on what constitutes a complete set of documents, CSOs sometimes submit incomplete or inaccurate information. This has led to delays in processing and approval of applications, which is contrary to the intended objective of the new policy."}, {"bbox": [86, 1014, 1145, 1097], "category": "Text", "text": "The proposed action seeks to address these issues by providing technical assistance to relevant government ministries, supporting CSO networks and platforms, and building their capacity in better self-governance, evidence-based research, and advocacy."}, {"bbox": [86, 1107, 1131, 1163], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Identification of main stakeholders and corresponding institutional and/or organisational issues (mandates, potential roles, and capacities) to be covered by the action:"}, {"bbox": [86, 1173, 504, 1202], "category": "Text", "text": "Main stakeholders of the proposed action are:"}, {"bbox": [86, 1212, 589, 1240], "category": "Section-header", "text": "#### 1. Formal Civil Society Organisations (CSOs):"}, {"bbox": [86, 1240, 1145, 1524], "category": "Text", "text": "Civil society in Pakistan includes a wide range of actors, from charitable and worship organisations, associations, and endowments to professional associations, labour unions as well as informal movements and more recently (overlapping into the private sector) social enterprises. Civil society in Pakistan is characterised by multiple legacies, with CSOs being registered under various laws. A large proportion of the sector (i.e., 38% of the organisations) remains, however, informal or not registered under any law. CSOs in Pakistan are active in a wide variety of sectors and themes, ranging from the provision of food, shelter, health, education, sanitation, or financial services to the underprivileged, to conflict resolution, peacebuilding and the promotion of intra-community and inter-faith dialogue and, more recently (yet still limited) to lobbying for legal and fiscal reforms and taking a proactive approach in defining issues for the national agenda. Approximately nine out of ten CSOs in Pakistan are involved in service delivery/welfare activities, and they are often at the front line of responding to critical development needs as well as"}, {"bbox": [1037, 1681, 1145, 1707], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 26"}]