China will revise laws and policies to encourage the development of foreign and domestic non-governmental organizations (NG0s), a senior official has said.
New Delhi, May 25 : China will revise laws and policies to encourage the development of foreign and domestic non-governmental organizations (NG0s), a senior official has said.
According to the China Daily, the key changes under consideration are a simplified registration procedure for all NGOs and better communication with governments.
The paper quoted Sun Weilin, the director of the bureau for NGO Administration, which is affiliated to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, as saying that a foundation will be set up to recognize and reward NGOs with good performance.
Speaking at a recent ceremony where the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme signed an agreement to support a large-scale initiative aimed at strengthening the rule of law and enhancing civil society participation in China, Li Jianghua, the deputy representative of the China branch of Handicap International, said: "If the registration procedure is simplified for domestic NGOs and foreign NGOs can register as NGOs, it will make it easier for them to operate and raise funds for their programs."
Experts said the changes will create a better legal framework for foreign NGOs to have a wider presence in China and provide a platform for better coordination with government agencies.
According to figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the country had about 354,000 NGOs by the end of 2006, but the actual number is said to be over a million.
ANI