Portuguese NGDO Platform

1. Portuguese NGDO Platform Central Training – NGDO Platforms Tallin, 26 and 27 March 2007

2. 20 yearsReinforcing the Civil Society  Informal constitution: . March 1985 . 13 NGDO  Public Act of constitution: . 1999  2005: . 51 NGDO associated members . 112 NGDO registered in IPAD

3. STRUCTURE Representation at CONCORD and its Working groups: Board, FDR, ED, Aid Watch, Policy Group 51 Working groups: DE, Volunteering, AidWatch, Humanitarian Aid, Presidency (Ad-Hoc)

4. VISION • The Platform is a central actor of the Portuguese Civil Society in the field of cooperation for development, humanitarian aid and development education MISSION • Represent and defend Portuguese NGDO interests at national and international level; • Empower, build capacities and foster partnerships among Northern and Southern NGDOs on development cooperation, humanitarian aid and development education related issues; • Promote Human Rights, Solidarity and Social Justice principles; • Promote the adoption of sustainable, coherent and integrated development and cooperation policies.

5. PUBLIC STAKEHOLDERS AND COOPERATION POLICIES Portugal Some key dates: 1985 : Creation of the Portuguese NGDO Platform 1985: SENEC 1987: 1st Government plan that considers cooperation with PLOP 1994: National NGDO Law 1994: ICP / now IPAD 2001: Protocol Platform/MNE 2004: Cooperation Agent Statute  NGDO Projects – 1% to 2% of the Portuguese ODA • % ODA on GNI of 2003 - 0,22 % (back to the 1996 level)

6. SWOT Analysis Strengths Only national structure that represents the Non-governmental development cooperation sector; • Light structure and a non bureaucratic decision making process; Capacity builder of the NGDO; • Representation and linkage between NGDO members; • Acknowledgment by the stakeholders  New membership requests;  Follow up of Platform’s mission by some pro active members; • New technologies: information; • Task group methodology Weaknesses  Lack of financial independence. Strong dependence of public funding and subventions;  Deficit of visibility and media impact;  Difficulties on taking advantage of the Know-how of the NGDO Human Resources; • Low involvement of the NGDO members in the Platform activities, due namely to the shortage of NGDO human resources; • Weak political maturity of the NGDO sector in Portugal; • Heterogeneity of members (differing needs); • Difficulty to follow on all operational, technical and policy issues due to insufficient resources (financial, human); • No shared vision of the Platform (Platform as a resource centre? Training facility? Service provider? Lobbying actor? Etc.); • No correlation between priorities and capacities;

7. SWOT analysis Opportunities • Openness from stakeholders for proposals on NGDO legal framework • Potential use of NGDO Human Resources know-how; • Availability of the current ministry: SENEC;  Weak knowledge but interest of Public opinion on cooperation and development issues;  Public opinion interested on the relation with the Portuguese Speaking Countries;  Member of CONCORD: representation vis-avis the EU decision centres; • Potential link with NGO Platforms of the Portuguese Speaking Countries; • Growing access to the new ICT; • Potential for policy analysis; Threats • Non-appropriate NGDO legislation; • Tendency for the NGDO to defend their interests, leaving the collective interests for a second plan;  Reactive Portuguese Civil Society to humanitarian and emergency causes;  Portuguese Civil Society not very pro active to development issues; • Cooperation and development policies linked to external policies • Unfavourable national economical situation;  Insufficient skills and academic degrees in the development area;  Week skills of the technicians of the public institutions in what regards development projects  Very low and unclear distribution of ODA; very small ODA percentage for the NGDO (less than 2%) • Lack of coordination and coherence in public policies • Recently: restructuration of IPAD (desp. Of civil society department)

8. Successful and difficult situations during 2006 Success • Stronger participation of members in working groups (Total: aprox. 20 NGOs) • Project on Humanitarian Aid approved (end of 2006)/ WG - GAHE • Collaboration with MoE on DE • Training Course on ECHO procedures • Bilateral visit to members • Launch of a book on Cooperation for Development and the Public Opinion • Increase nº visits to website and registration to newsletters Difficulties • No project approved during 2006  Csq on Cash Flow • Transitional year for internal structures (Board + Exec. Director) • Lack of follow-up on agreed commitments by IPAD • Vague working groups status (decision-making process) • Low involvement in policy issues

9. Challenges 2007 • Structural issues: • Ensure sustainability of Working groups • Financial sustainabiliy • improved accountability • New communications & information systems through improved ICT • Projects: GAHE + Presidency • (re)new(ed) identity of Platform // Building a new sense of “ownership” (adequate to new environment, challenges and expecation of members) • New relationship with recently restructured IPAD (ensure that main commitments of the past are maintained in new structured)

10. Thank you For more information: www.plataformaongd.pt