Look within

Transparency in INGOs

Many foreign organizations did a lot to help Nepal in the immediate aftermath of the Great Earthquake. They came with their own logistics—medicine, rescue equipments, and even food. They pledged huge money as an aid support to the government (their kind gestures have been featured in infographic section of this daily on different dates). Now that the relief operations are over, the challenging task of reconstructing and rebuilding will cost us billions, and it won't be possible without continued support of international community. Some of the international organizations questioned the transparency of the PM Relief Fund. They hesitated to make their funds available to the PM's Fund, fearing that most of it will end up in the pockets of corrupt bureaucrats. Admittedly it was our government's failure to take donors into confidence and ensure transparency of the Fund's mobilization. But recent reports from various sources have made it clear that the donors themselves need to work a lot on accountability and transparency. They need to look within.

Last week, a New York based newsroom ProPublica revealed American Red Cross' gross mismanagement of half a billion dollars in the aftermath of 2009 earthquake in Haiti. They built just six houses out of 3.5 billion dollars of the earthquake fund. They did not trust the local wisdom and expertise in rebuilding efforts. Of 96 percent of the fund, it reported, most was spent in consultation, transportation and other expert opinion. Something equally alarming has come to the fore in Nepal as well. The UN received US$ 124.7 million from UN Flash Appeal and US$ 182.9 million from outside the Appeal. Various UN agencies, according to the sources, have brought in hundreds of additional staff members in Nepal. This excessive spending on administrative and overhead costs, we are afraid, will hinder their own effort to help in reconstructing and rebuilding Nepal. The hypocrisy in the face of earlier reluctance to contribute towards the Prime Minister's Disaster Relief Fund reinforces the speculation that INGOs are looking to prolong their stay, to make themselves relevant in our "development efforts." We would be extremely happy to be proven wrong.

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Let there be no confusion. We refrain from sweeping generalizations and we have lauded good works of various international partners here in Nepal. Nepalis appreciate genuine support from our neighbors and international community in times of crisis. But they also want to know how much each INGO has pledged, how much they have really contributed and how much of their contribution really trickles down to the ground. There are speculations that INGOs' rather opaque spending could take Nepal to the Haitian path—where billions of dollars are seen to be spent on expert opinion and knowledge. Nepalis demand that international community abide by the same standards of transparency and accountability they expect from our government. We have the right to know in details where the money coming in the name of earthquake victims is going and how it is being spent in Nepal. That's not asking for too much.