Sustainable NGO Development in Fujian: A Lesson from Green

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 GUANGZHOU 000162 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM, OES/PCI, DRL, AND EAP/PD STATE ALSO PASS USTR FOR CHINA OFFICE EPA FOR OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN EAGR PGOV SOCI ECON CH SUBJECT: Sustainable NGO Development in Fujian: A Lesson from Green Cross REF: A) Guangzhou 0418, B) Guangzhou 1297 ¶1. (U) Registered non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Fujian province are few and far between, but at least one, Xiamen Green Cross, is finding room to operate successfully and form a cooperative relationship with government authorities. After 10 years of gradually expanding environmental and energy-efficiency campaigns, Green Cross obtained the official support of both the Xiamen and Fujian authorities, in large part because its mission and activities complemented government priorities. Green Cross has expanded public buy-in through education campaigns targeting specific audiences. Its founder believes that one of the major challenges facing NGOs in Fujian today is lack of opportunities to share information and assist each other in capacity building. End Summary. -------------- It's All About the Mission -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Official tolerance of NGOs appears to be growing in Fujian Province, at least in the case of environmental groups whose mission and activities complement government efforts. Green Cross is one environmental NGO that has succeeded in gaining government approval and even support. Its mission of environmental protection and energy-efficiency falls in line with municipal and provincial development goals like reduced energy consumption as well as the promotion of ecotourism and ecological preservation. Green Cross's campaigns such as "Island Care Day," citizens picking up trash along the beach, help to promote these goals. In addition, these activities offer a public service that the government is otherwise unable to provide due to a lack of capacity. ¶3. (U) The Fujian government has even taken proactive steps to encourage the growth of environmental NGOs. In November 2008, it hosted a large-scale environmental NGO training program, coordinated by the China Environmental Awareness Program (a three-year program launched by UNDP and China's Ministry of Environmental Protection), the Fujian Provincial NGO Administration, the Volunteer Center of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League, and the Fujian Center for Environmental Education and Communication. The event included Fujian's first Outstanding Environmental Volunteers Ceremony, suggesting greater tolerance of civil society participation in environmental affairs. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Fujian, however, is not supporting the work of all environmental NGOs. The experience of Pingnan Green Home, which was established to respond to the environmental damage caused by a government-backed gunpowder factory, has been quite different. Because Pingnan Green Home brings attention to a lack of governmental oversight rather than complement the local government's development agenda, the NGO and local officials are at odds, including ongoing legal cases. Ma emphasizes that while Green Cross does not want to be a 'government puppet,' it does understand the importance of close cooperation with the local government to ensuring the organization's sustainability. End comment. -------------- Obtaining Government Support and Legal Status -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Government support is not a simple matter even with a complementary mission. According to Azure Ma, founder of Green Cross, obtaining government-backing is a long, complex road, one that has taken her organization almost 10 years to achieve. The ways to get government support vary, but Ma tells us that Xiamen began to support Green Cross after in conducted multiple, successful environmental campaigns and proved both the organization's value-added to the local community, and the non-threatening nature of its work. Such campaigns have included launching Xiamen's first city-wide 'Car Free Day' and promoting an annual energy-efficiency 'Black-out' night in downtown Xiamen. ¶6. (SBU) Lack of government support makes legal registration impossible, says one local organizer, leaving many of Fujian's NGOs to operate under the radar. Ma emphasized that the lack of legal status makes it harder for NGOs to achieve long-term sustainability. However, she noted that many local NGO's lack strategic long-term GUANGZHOU 00000162 002 OF 003 development plans, making the desire for legal recognition less important. ¶7. (SBU) Official NGO registration requires sponsorship from at least two 'parent' organizations, the local Civil Administration, and a relevant, local governmental department. NGOs that are able to register are then monitored by Fujian's Provincial NGO Administration. Green Cross is sponsored by the Economic and Development Bureau, Construction Bureau, Transportation Bureau, and Environmental Protection Bureau. Prior to receiving official NGO status, Green Cross was registered as an enterprise with the local Administration for Industry and Commerce. Ma commented that Green Cross's motive for registration as an official NGO was to alleviate its tax burden, rather than a matter of principle. -------------- Public Buy-in and Participation -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Government support is not the only challenge for Fujian's NGOs; they must also get public buy-in. For many local residents, efforts to encourage community participation in environmental affairs are stifled by either a lack of awareness or fear of government reprisal. For Green Cross, public education has been key. According to Ma, the organization has raised awareness by crafting programs that emphasize public responsibility and the role of the individual as a stakeholder in his/her community. To heighten public participation, Green Cross uses a strategy of targeting education programs to specific audiences: 1) school-aged children and youth ages 20-30 and 2) enterprises and the public at large. ¶9. (SBU) For youth, the focus is teaching through visually stimulating activities. Green Cross has held art workshops promoting environmental protection, workshops on building solar cars and joint teacher-student activities. The 20-30 year-old demographic is the backbone of the organization, spearheading internal brainstorming and leading public education campaigns. Previous campaigns lead by youth include 'No Plastic Bag Day,' in which volunteers staffed local shopping malls to deter the use of plastic bags. ¶10. (SBU) To raise awareness within the public at large and among potential donor enterprises, Green Cross authored and distributed the "Xiamen Citizen Guide on Environmental Disclosure and Public Participation." Also, in April 2008, Green Cross held a conference on public participation, during which NGOs, local environmental officials, donor enterprises and the general public were invited to exchange ideas on issues as varied as NGO financing and government-NGO coordination. Green Cross was one of the vocal environmental organizations raising public awareness during the PX Plant incident of 2007 (ref B). -------------- -------------- Challenges: Local NGO Capacity Building and Networking -------------- -------------- ¶11. (SBU) The lack of opportunities for information sharing between NGOs is one of the major challenges facing Fujian's non-profit sector. According to Ma, it is imperative that NGOs do not solely focus on individual development, but also on capacity building among likeminded organizations. Many organizations, especially unregistered ones, are unaware of legal regulations and remedies that apply to their specific missions, and are unknowledgeable about available resources or how to pursue long-term organizational development. ¶12. (SBU) Green Cross proactively seeks to broaden its impact by increasing its network both locally and nationally, a route that Ma encourages all environmental NGOs to take. Nationally, Green Cross is a member organization of Beijing-headquartered Friends of Nature, which describes itself as China's oldest environmental NGO, as well as the National Green Community Network. Locally, Green Cross, along with several local organizers, are working to strengthen the capacity of Fujian's environmental NGOs through the development of Fujian's Grassroots Network. GUANGZHOU 00000162 003.2 OF 003 GOLDBERG