NGO'S IN KUWAIT: NEARLY GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 005202

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA, NEA/PPD, DRL/PHD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2013
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM KU
SUBJECT: NGO'S IN KUWAIT: NEARLY GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

Classified By: AMBASSADOR RICHARD H. JONES, REASON 1.4(b)

1.(C) SUMMARY: Licensed NGOs in Kuwait are essentially
quasi-governmental institutions funded, supported, and
controlled in large part by the government rather than
independent, autonomous organizations able to challenge the
status quo or advocate for real social or political change.
While some NGOs in Kuwait are innovative, professionally run,
and provide invaluable assistance to target groups, others
are over-funded and ineffective. GOK officials concede that
many non-performing NGOs should be shut down and that they
constitute a real drain on the government budget. Despite
this, there does not appear to be any concerted effort or
incentive on the part of the GOK to "privatize8 the NGO
sector by pulling the plug on the lavish subsidies and other
support NGOs receive. The close government-NGO relationship
is consistent with Kuwait,s paternalistic, welfare state
model of governance. Onerous licensing policies and
restrictions on NGO activities are hindering the development
of a more flourishing civil society in Kuwait. END SUMMARY.


No More Licenses
--------------

2.(C) All NGOs in Kuwait must obtain a license from the
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in order to operate
officially and receive GOK funding. Poloff met with Ministry
of Social Affairs and Labor Assistant Undersecretary Mohammed
Ali Al-Kandari and other Ministry officials recently to
discuss these licensing procedures. According to the
Ministry, there are 52 official, licensed NGOs in Kuwait
(whose total population is about 2.4 million). Ministry
officials told Poloff privately that the Council of Ministers
(Cabinet) specifically instructed the Ministry in a 1985
directive to &stop licensing NGOs8 as they constituted a
substantial drain on GOK resources. Also, Ministry officials
added, many NGOs were engaged in &redundant activities8 and
were performing poorly. The Ministry has largely heeded the
Council of Minister,s request. Since 1985, the Ministry has
issued only 6 new licenses to NGO,s in Kuwait. The Ministry
licensed only one NGO in 2003, the Kuwait Society for the
Care of Children in Hospital. There are 92 NGOs currently
pending licensing by the Ministry. Many have been waiting
years for approval and Ministry officials admitted that,
given the Council of Ministers, directive (which is still in
force),it was unlikely that pending applicants would be
granted licenses in the near future. Ministry officials told
Poloff that, while the Ministry wants to be &liberal8 in
its approach to NGO formation, the Ministry must be convinced
that there is a real &need8 for a new NGO in order for it
to qualify for an operating license.

3.(C) It appears that the GOK uses its power to license as a
means of political and social control: groups interested in
pursuing activities deemed contrary to GOK interests are
simply not licensed. The Kuwait Human Rights Society (KHRS),
the only human rights NGO in Kuwait, has been waiting for a
government license since 1992. The Ministry claims the
&normal8 waiting period for issuance of an operating
license is one month. (Note: When asked why it has taken
more than 10 years for this NGO to receive a license,
Ministry officials had no clear answer other than there are
&budgetary8 reasons for the delay. Ministry officials told
Poloff that the KHRS probably would not/not be licensed in
the near future. Various members of the KHRS informed us
recently that Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed has
promised that the NGO will receive a license soon. End Note).
Without a license, the NGO cannot have its own official
facility, obtain government funding, operate any official
accounts, or dialogue directly and officially with the GOK on
human rights issues. Potential donors are reluctant to
provide funding to an unofficial entity that has no license.
KHRS officials have told us they would not/not seek or accept
government funding if they were licensed. Despite its
unofficial status and largely due to the social and political
prominence of a number of its Board members, the KHRS
produces an annual report on human rights in Kuwait,
publishes a quarterly magazine, and meets with some senior
GOK officials. However, the NGO will remain limited in its
ability to mobilize broad public awareness of human rights
issues in Kuwait, such as the treatment of domestic servants,
without official legal recognition.

Keep the Money Coming
--------------

4.(C) Official, licensed NGOs in Kuwait are heavily
subsidized by the GOK, including subsidies for day-to-day
operating expenses, special programs, and travel and per diem
expenses for participation in international conferences. The
GOK also allocates plots of land on which licensed NGOs can
build their premises. For example, the Social Reform Society
and its counterpart organization for women, both prominent
and well-established Islamic NGOs, have spacious facilities
and grounds in prime suburban areas. Ministry officials told
Poloff that GOK benefits are so generous that they create
dependency on the part of some NGOs and a real disincentive
to improve operational performance. The Ministry added that
it is &difficult8 (i.e., politically) to stop the subsidies
once provided and that this, in part, is why only 6 licenses
have been granted since 1985. Ministry officials admitted to
Poloff that 25% of existing, official NGOs are &redundant8
in their activities and should be merged with other NGOs,
while another 25% should have their licenses revoked due to
poor performance and/or mismanagement.

Government Knows Best
--------------

5.(C) As with licensing, the GOK uses its power over NGO
purse-strings to control NGO activities. Members of licensed
NGO,s require GOK permission to attend international
conferences. Licensed NGOs are prohibited from raising money
through private channels (such as through fund-raising)
although some may accept limited donations and collect
minimal user fees to support certain activities. Only one
well-known NGO for the disabled (according to the Ministry
because of its high-profile work and widespread public
recognition) was permitted to raise private funds to support
its humanitarian activities. The vast majority cannot
without express authorization from the Ministry. Licensed
NGOs are prohibited from publishing articles or other written
products without a separate license from the Ministry of
Information. NGOs are also prohibited from deviating from
the (often narrow) range of pre-determined, GOK-approved
activities outlined in their charter. Deviation from these
set activities can result in the revocation of an NGO's
license.

6.(C) As a result of the onerous licensing situation, there
are hundreds of unlicensed, unofficial civic groups, clubs
and NGOs in Kuwait. These groups do not receive government
subsidies and have no legal status. They are thus limited in
their ability to raise broad public awareness on key issues
or mount any significant challenge to government policy. One
unlicensed civic group, the Kuwait Friendship Society, told
Poloff recently that so long as the group,s activities are
not &controversial8 and remain focused on social and
cultural events for the benefit of members only, the group
may operate without government interference.

7.(C) COMMENT: As independent, critical members of civil
society able and willing to challenge the government and
serve as advocates for positive change, NGOs in Kuwait are in
their infancy. The GOK,s unofficial yet prevailing policy to
curb licensing as well as its powerful control over NGO
activities hinder the development of a more vibrant,
independent NGO sector. For MEPI project planning in
particular, it will be important to keep in mind the
realities and limitations facing the NGO sector in Kuwait.
Most licensed NGOs appear to be involved in social
welfare-type activities, such as providing educational
assistance to women and bidoon, funding daycare for children
from lower-income families, and supporting the ill or
elderly. Many are successful and contribute significantly to
Kuwait,s social welfare objectives. However, very few
actively seek or have the capability to serve as voices for
changes to Kuwait,s democracy or human rights situation. If
the Kuwait Human Rights Society does obtain an operating
license soon as some of its members expect and if the GOK
allows it to operate without any government funding, that
will mark a significant opening for civil society. END
COMMENT.

JONES