Government-NGO Cooperation Expanding in Guangxi

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 000081

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP/CM, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KTIP CH
SUBJECT: Government-NGO Cooperation Expanding in Guangxi

This cable is sensitive but unclassified. Please handle
accordingly.


1. (SBU) Summary: International nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
willing to register and observe a limited set of rules and limited
supervision have generally found willing government partners in the
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The financial benefits of
cooperating with NGOs are not lost on Guangxi's cash-strapped local
and regional governments. Government officials focusing on poverty
alleviation and other social problems look to NGOs to help manage
programs currently handled by the government. While NGO
representatives and government officials alike tout the current
favorable environment for cooperation, they certainly don't downplay
problems, including tight government control of donated monies and
the political sensitivity of certain issues like trafficking in
persons. End summary.

Register, Register, Register
--------------


2. (SBU) Once officially registered, NGOs in Guangxi find themselves
relatively free to operate. A representative from Habitat for
Humanity's Nanning office said that government was "generally hands
off" in its dealings with the NGO, noting that the government does
not obstruct or intervene in Habitat's projects and sometimes offers
support. The representative speculated that the reality of
Guangxi's poverty made government-NGO cooperation less an
ideological wrestling match and more a straightforward imperative, a
sentiment we heard repeatedly from NGOs and government officials
alike during our meetings.

Cost Sharing and a Change of Perspective
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3. (SBU) The financial benefits of cooperating with NGOs are
especially attractive to Guangxi's cash-strapped governments,
according to Yang Guoyi, deputy section chief of the Guangxi
Government's Poverty Reduction Program Center. A colleague of
Yang's who also attended the meeting said that NGOs generally
provide 30 percent of a project's funding, with the government
making up the remaining 70 percent. World Vision began a project in
2008 where costs were shared evenly with the government. Yang's
colleague characterized this arrangement as a positive development
and went on to say that Guangxi's Poverty Reduction Program Center
hoped that government could pass the lead role for most social
programs to NGOs or community organizations and become primarily a
provider of services.


4. (SBU) Working with NGOs to address social issues has helped to
broaden the government's perspective on what roles NGOs can play in
society. In the past, local government mandated what communities
would do to solve problems or improve conditions. Government now
increasingly consults with communities to determine needs, according
to Yang, and NGOs have been valuable in encouraging local
communities to actively promote customized, grassroots ideas for
addressing community problems.


5. (SBU) Cooperation with Guangxi government entities on health
issues such as HIV/AIDS involves both formal and informal
interaction, Family Health International (FHI) Director Wu Xiaokun
told us in a separate meeting. In an effort to design effective
anti-AIDS programs, FHI -- which is a registered NGO -- consults
with the Guangxi Center for Disease Control (CDC),which provides
basic treatment and free checkups for HIV/AIDS infected patients.
FHI's cooperation extends to annually providing the government with
the money, supplies and expertise needed to treat 1,600 drug users
and 1,200 female sex workers, according to Wu. Informally, the
local Public Security Bureau (PSB, or police) "keeps an eye out" for
opportunities for FHI to provide its services, said Wu, who added
that the PSB sometimes released detained sex workers to FHI for
treatment. The released sex workers are not necessarily fined by
the police, said Wu.


6. (SBU) World Vision also cooperates with the Guangxi CDC on
anti-AIDS awareness campaigns and treatment programs, said Pang.
It arranges for volunteer students from the medical and pharmacology
schools at Baise Medical University to provide additional expertise
and manpower as well.

Still, Not Everything is Easy
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7. (SBU) Though NGO-government relations in Guangxi are generally
positive, NGOs cite financial control as one area for improvement.
Officially registered NGOs are permitted only limited use of a local
bank account, which may only hold funds used to pay for the
organization's overhead, according to one NGO representative. All
other funding must move directly through the government's coffers
before it gets doled out to pay for projects, the rep said. Because
of these rules, NGOs' local offices are unable to accept donations
directly. Moreover, NGOs pay one percent of their total funds to
the government as a "service fee."


8. (SBU) The sensitivity of certain issues, too, remains an obstacle
-- but not necessarily an insurmountable one -- said Pang. Pang
quickly deferred to Yang, the government's representative, when
asked about World Vision's anticipated program to battle trafficking
in persons (TIP). Pang called TIP a "sensitive issue" and said that
the government would take the lead in such a program. Nonetheless,
Pang said that staff at World Vision's Hong Kong office was
"researching" the issue, suggesting that, if approached with
appropriate consultation with the government, a TIP program could
become viable.


9. (U) This cable is a cooperative effort between Consulate General
Guangzhou and Embassy Beijing.

GOLDBERG