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

20 years Reinforcing the Civil Society  Informal constitution:. March NGDO  Public Act of constitution:  2005:. 51 NGDO associated members. 112 NGDO registered in IPAD

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

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.

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 ,22 % (back to the 1996 level)

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;

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)

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

Challenges Structural issues: –Ensure sustainability of Working groups –Financial sustainabiliy –improved accountability –New communications & information systems through improved ICT Project s: 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)

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