HABITAT II
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS FORUM,
ISTANBUL, 30 & 31 May 1996
sponsored by
the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISoCaRP)
Yldis University - Istanbul

SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE HABITAT AGENDA

Rapporteur's Report for Workshop IV

Hari Srinivas
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan

New Roles for Professional NGOs

Define new roles for professional NGOs: Develop a more participatory
role, with greater solidarity towards urban communities and a new sense
of professionalism. Develop the basis and the criteria for a global network.

Walking along a slum or squatter settlement - one is frequently confronted by the image of a fine two-storied brick house with paneled doors contrasting right across the street with a low tin-and-asbestos structure. There are many reasons for this apparent contrast, but one aspect that repeatedly comes up as a sort of common denominator is access to resources, both material and non-material. The power to be able to shape one's own future (and habitat) is a critical feature that underpins much of interventions and actions in habitat development today.

This background paper for Workshop IV: New Roles for Professional NGOs lays out a framework within which such empowerment' of the citizenry can take place by discussing the roles of Professional NGOs (P-NGOs). The concretization of internal and external processes of their role development is illustrated by an example of the proposed Virtual Planning Lab in Japan. Much of the material presented here is derived from stated goals and objectives of P-NGOs, community organizations/networks and other secondary sources.

P-NGOs and Associations can be broadly defined as groupings of individuals and institutions who come together around a specific theme, subject, philosophy or profession. Such NGOs can be regional, national or global. ISoCaRP is an example of a global P-NGO that revolves around the planning profession. The key resource that P-NGOs bring with them is the collective knowledge and wisdom of its members, who are nodes in vast, in many cases global, networks.

What are the characteristics of P-NGOs in general that have made them ideal and popular agents of change'? It is their ability to experiment freely with innovative approaches and, if necessary, to take risks. It is their flexibility in adapting to local situations and responding to local needs and therefore able to develop integrated, as well as sectoral projects. It is their good rapport with people, rendering micro-assistance to very poor people as those who are most in need and tailor assistance to their needs. It is their ability to communicate at all levels, from the neighbourhood to the top levels of government. It is their ability to facilitate active participation and to recruit both experts and highly motivated staff with fewer restrictions than the government.

Such advantages enable P-NGOs to reach people and communities far more effectively than government departments or programmes. But their activities and actions are few and far in between. There is a pressing need to understand the forces and processes that shape the organization and operations of P-NGOs in order to scale-up and replicate their people-centered' actions.

There are two parallel processes that act on and influence the roles of a P-NGO - an internal processes of self-reflection, debate and discussion, and an external processes of exchange, interaction, support and solidarity. If we concretize these two processes in order to amplify them further, it leads us to the development of a DATABANK from the internal processes, and DIALOGUE from the external processes.

The DATABANK encompasses the roles, functions and benefits of information collation and dissemination. The vast theoretical and practical knowledge that members of P-NGOs possess should be utilized. The creation of such a databank should work on clearly stated goals of positive social change, assisting communities to focus attention on key issues for debate, deliberation and resolution on a timely basis. It should strengthen the bedrock of local culture, relevance, pride and a strong sense of ownership.

Such DATABANKs have to help people understand the relevance, and harness the power of information and become more adaptive. It has to help improve access to, and the quality of, community resources and foster awareness and reflection in its use. It is important to collect appropriate information at the appropriate level, and use it for decisions to be taken at that level. Equally important is the information dissemination and feedback cycles that help in refining the process, making it more relevant to end-users.

It is the development of this community face' of the P-NGO that has been the focus of considerable debate recently. Some of the issues, practices and approaches that P-NGOs can address in the DATABANK activities include:

A. COMMUNITY ORGANIZING:
Group dynamics, community integration, problem identification, community investigation, facilitation, mobilization, communication, role playing, objectivity, monitoring and evaluation
B. PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH:
Identification of research problem, identification of different research tools, data gathering, analysis of data, consultation with the community and validation of data, drawing of conclusions, making of recommendations
C. BUSINESS SKILLS:
Planning, participatory (circular) management, accounting and bookkeeping, marketing and purchasing, negotiation, monitoring and record keeping, technical skill in micro-computers, organizing cooperatives/credit unions, handling labour problems, understanding legal aspects.
D. DOCUMENTATION, DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION:
small group formation, clarification of values and vision, group dynamics, different kinds of media production, communication skills and visual aids, conscientization/sensitizing skills, advocacy, networking and linkages
E. TRAINING METHODS:
Use of cultural forms, use of media, on-the-job training - participant observation, workshop organization, group dynamics, practice-theory/action-reflection, exposure programme, group discussion and synthesis, brain-storming, self-learning kits and modules
F. TECHNOLOGY TRAINING - APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGIES:
Agriculture, fishing, post-harvest technology, energy, housing, health, sanitation, handicrafts, food technology.
These would essentially constitute a compendium of best practices or inspiring ideas' that would be the target for replication and diffusion, and has to be built into the working of an NGO. Of particular significance are the best practices and ideas that emerge from the community itself. An enabling environment that fosters such local innovations and solutions to local problems would incorporate some of the following features:

. .
Figure 1 - The Three Dimensions of Professional NGOs's Roles and Activities
Click on tumbnail above to get full figure [11 kb]

In terms of concrete actions and projects, this would entail three broad approaches: publicize, interact, and support:

It is in the process of a P-NGO's DIALOGUE with communities that offers the greatest scope of increasing empowerment of communities geared towards sustainable living. Traditional approaches and roles towards habitat has been that of charity and relief. There is a clear need to move away from this reactive role to one that is interactive and proactive. This is explained in Figure 1. There has been a gradual shift/move of P-NGOs away from reactive' roles defined by relief and charity to that of interactive' roles which have emphasized communication as a tool for mediation. A further extension has been to proactive' roles of consultation, with information being a key resource in the process of support, documentation and dissemination of initiatives taken up by an enlightened' community. All three roles of social welfare, mediation, and consultation, in fact, go together as three facets of the same approach towards community development and empowerment.

Organizational independence and operational self-sustainability of a P-NGO can be achieved by an emphasis on their mediation and consultation roles, but without disregarding the social welfare role.

  • The Social Welfare Role
    - where relief and charity are key actions. P-NGOs in this role can be seen as initiating internal programmes and projects. Major secondary actors who would support the P-NGO in this role include international donor agencies and other charity institutions.

  • The Mediatory Role
    - where communication as a skill is important for development and social action. NGOs in this role can be seen as participating or taking up external programmes and projects. Major secondary actors include government agencies and other formal institutions.

  • The Consultative Role
    - where support, documentation and dissemination of information and expertise is critical. P-NGOs in this role can be seen as working in collaborative programmes. Local experts/professionals/resource persons play major secondary roles here.

    • The true creativity of a P-NGO, particularly those like ISoCaRP lies in creating networks of information, innovation and interaction which enables people to communicate, to share and to receive, effecting positive social change in the long run. Such networks would -

    Such networks are highly consistent with the importance that is placed on grass-roots innovations which solve problems and satisfy needs of the local community, and instil/strengthen a sense of ownership and belonging to its members. Networks are therefore vibrant forces capable of building on the knowledge they have accumulated, and adapt to a rapidly changing world and community needs.

    How can a successful global network be built, which will serve the needs of a diverse and constantly changing environment of/for communities? Global networks need to aim high, by working towards real and positive social change. It has to serve the pressing, local needs of a community. It has to engage the broader community - the community outside the community' and redefine the quality and quantity of support that can be provided. The networks have to be self-sustaining and independent of external funding. The modalities of operation within the network need to be strong and open - incorporating the parameters of growth and scale in it. Information provided on these networks should add value to raw data widely available by filtering and structuring it and ensuring broad access to all potential users in a user-friendly environment.

    The significance of this can be understood by the fact that a strong and effective network is the bedrock of strong and effective participation. It is through such networks that communities and P-NGOs alike can voice their concern, learn from others and share their knowledge. More importantly, it allows for collective decision-making by inviting and incorporating comments and suggestions, as well as communicating decisions and policies to all users in a two-way flow.

    In spite of the hype and negative publicity, one of the most effective means by which such networks can be set up is through the internet - which uses cable, satellite, telephone and other means to link computers globally, allowing for text, images, sound and video to be exchanged in a very cost-effective manner. Networks based on the internet can be adopted for local, national and global levels, thus increasing the scope and range of lessons that can be learnt. It allows for both one-to-one communications, as well as one-to-many, many-to-one and many-to-many messaging. Thus not only can queries comments and messages be exchanged, but access to databases and information can also be facilitated directly to the homes of the end-users/community members.

    Many of the issues discussed above with respect to DATABANK and DIALOGUE have been incorporated in an example from Japan - the Virtual Planning Lab.

    The Virtual Planning Lab

    The Virtual Planning Lab (VPL) is an initiative that aims to bring together four groups of stakeholders in the field of planning:

    1. Local governments and citizens from various cities, towns and villages
    2. The private sector which is responsible for different aspects of implementation of urban plans.
    3. The Central government ministries, departments and other agencies, including those involved in research.
    4. Academicians and planners.

    Administrative functioning: The VPL will be "anchored" at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and will bring together four of its academic departments, each providing a specific expertise to the lab: The Departments of Social Engineering, Human Behaviour and Sciences, Value and Decision Science, and Management Science. It will also utilize the extensive network of academic and practicing members of the Japan Association for Planning Administration (JAPA) for interaction.

    Networking and participation: The VPL will attempt to bring together wider institutions/organizations as active participants in the Lab:

    Means of Communication/interaction: The VPL, as the name itself suggests, will primarily use the internet as a means of communication. This includes both email for exchange of messages and ideas between various participants, and the world wide web as a means of storing and accessing information.

    Range of Activities: With the intention of developing a "knowledge database of ideas" the VPL's activities will essentially -

    collect plans, ideas, approaches, best practices/success stories from various local governments, research analyses and results/recommendations from universities, research labs, and new technologies for a prudent living environment for the future.
    process and analyze these collections to enhance their universal useability and applicability.
    disseminate the information through the internet as well as face-to-face interactions. This will include publishing on the world wide web and the print media, etc.
    These activities are intended to sustain interaction continuously on a variety of spheres and would culminate in frequently organized national or regional intensive workshops which will be a "life-long" learning process for local governments - information on plans and programmes can be submitted by local governments which will then be evaluated and analyzed in these workshops and suggestions for improvement will be made. Such workshops will facilitate face-to-face interaction that would reinforce communication channels already established by telephone, fax and email.

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    Comments and suggestions:
    Hari Srinivas - [email protected]