09 Jun 2024

United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Zia Choudhury said Non-Government Organisations were critical in countries especially democratic ones such as Botswana. 

Addressing the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organizations (BOCONGO) annual general meeting in Gaborone on Thursday, Mr Choudhury said democracies allowed NGOs to operate freely. 

He said NGOs raised awareness amongst the public, the government and corporations through research and campaigns. Mr Choudhury also said they had mobilised people, communities and companies to act differently for the betterment of societies. 

NGOs, Mr Choudhury noted, had delivered assistance to government and held companies and authorities to account where commitments had not been met and where the public interests had not been fulfilled. 

He said NGOs were not a homogeneous group although they may be under BOCONGO, which could be a common vehicle to express themselves on common issues. 

He encouraged all NGOs to use the Sustainable Development Goals  and National Development Plans to frame their work. 

He said they were not to be seen as opposing or separate from the country’s development. Mr Choudhury said their input made through BOCONGO could raise awareness, promote innovation and provide accountability that all countries required to remain democratic. 

For mindset change, Mr Choudhury said it was important to be critical and get feedback as well. 

He said they were halfway through the decade of action and needed each other to achieve the SDGs. 

He further said they needed to work together for the achievement of the national aspirations through NDP. 

He said BOCONGO could do better to advertise and market the role of NGOs in democracy because it was easy for authorities to change the narrative of the NGOs. 

He noted that partnerships did not mean they had to appease each other. 

BOCONGO chairperson, Mr Olebile Machete said the resources government gave them were a lifeline to many of their members. 

He said they were committed to working with government. Mr Machete said they supported government on the crusade against the hunting ban adding that they had made it their business to sensitise the public on the matter. 

He said they were part of the entourage to the House of Commons. 

He said they were compelled and had an obligation to express their views without fear as a fulfilment to the people they served. 

Mr Machete said it would be a great disservice if they failed to raise their voice and object to an injustice in the republic. 

“We can’t deny the government the benefit of its conscience,” he said. 

He said they were of the view that the undertaking of the constitutional review, did not serve the purpose for which they understood to serve. 

He also said they engaged subject experts across the world and made submissions to Ministers to address them. 

Mr Machete said they did not walk away from the process but they participated and mobilised the people to engage in the process. 

He said they made official submissions in their different facets. Ends