In AA, they say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, and once the problem recognized, one can move forward.

But, in a classic case of  “out of sight, out of mind”, what I have seen in my time in China and Japan is that those who are handicapped, infected, or others infirmed have historically been kept out of sight.  Parents would keep children inside, educational instituions would teach trade rather than subject, firms would find reasons not to employ those see as “different”, and so on.

For those with HIV/ AIDS this is particularly true, and through this discrimination comes ignorance, and through this ignorance comes a number of bigger problems - fear of testing, increased risk of spread, and so on.

To see articles like China Pledges to Fight AIDS Discrimination, I am somewhat encouraged as there has been clear progress made on the underlying issues.

• Government reports on condom usage are being made public - along with government programs meant to improve the current situation,
• Firms are working with groups like the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS - which is improving the level of knowledge and awareness in a much needed area where,
• NGOs like Chiheng and UNAIDS are working on building policy and programs that will have larger educational impacts in China.

In what appears to be the latest effort by agencies to regulate responsibility, the Yiwu has developed a CSR grading system - lead by trade unions - that will push CSR to the forefront of corporate executives.

Perhaps.

Yiwu, deputy director of the NPC Standing Committee, President of the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions Chen Youde said: “The corporate social responsibility standards Yiwu” is not strictly legally binding soft law document, not by government or other functional departments to enforce

Centered around 13 labor, social and environment constraints, a grading system of a,b,c,d,e,f will be then be assigned to each area of those graded.

Perhaps this is a genuine effort by a member or the Yiwu government to drive more socially minded firms, but given the non-legal binding nature of this, and the fact that the third party entrusted to execute the grading is a labor union, I am not sure what the effectiveness of this program will be in the short or long term.

Maybe a better option would be to enlist a credible 3rd party to provide training and awareness campaigns among the interested firms as a first step. Develop a credible (and useful grading system), and then highlight the efforts of firms who have made real progress.

The Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims (CLAPV) is an organization that is doing pioneering work for China’s environmental law sector; especially on behalf of the poor. A couple of weeks ago, the Center completed the draft of the “Practical Citizen Guide on Environmental Information Disclosure Measures” and will distribute it to the public soon.

This guide uses plain language to help citizens understand the legal system and how they can use it. Please see: http://www.clapv.org/new/shownews.php?id=238.

Below is a three-part interview China Crossroads did with CLAPV. Part I

gives an overview of the organization’s work;

Part II addresses how the organization is expanding, how they reach out to rural areas, the general situation for public interest law in China and international collaboration

Part III  talks more specifically about environmental law in China, the pollution penalty system, the Taihu Lake pollution case, the public’s voice when it comes to environmental impact assessments and the best way to support the Center.

the the time I have been working with NGOs in China, I have learned fewer lessons more important that credibility is key to success. good programs that are consistent, that grow, and that people can trust will lead to many areas where an NGO can stabilize.

Miss one step, and immediately a question of credibility can arise.

In China, we have seen this over and over. Firms who want to invest in a partner, individuals who want to give to a cause, are constantly second guessing themselves, the partner, and their decisions.

Rumors are rife of NGO directors miss allocating funds, buying cars, hording, and what ends up occurring is that a few NGOs and government agencies believed to be “safe” will receive the lion share of donations and programming.

Currently sitting in a Starbucks in Zhongshan park, I am witness to a scene that highlights this issue at a ground level, and in watching this seen I cannot help but understand where some of the questions are rooted.

… a teenage boy who has carted a relative out onto the street corner and begun a process of violently shaking his head while in the prostrate position. This has garnered the attention of many who pass by, and a lot of those passers by are digging into their pocket.

3 weeks ago I saw the same situation with the same boy with the same relative in People’s Square, and the week after that they were in another area of town… and in discussing this with someone, the question of the credibility gap in China has become the topic.

… and there is the rub. 20 feet away there was a team of 4 kids who were sitting off to the side smoking, laughing, and having a good time.

It was a sham.. and everyone who gave this kind money, who witnessed the switch, have come to understand that they have been scammed… again(?)

It is something I have seen on several occasions, with several rubs… students who cannot pay for school… laborer who cannot pay train fair home (every Friday)… and so on.

In a greater context, the money is a non-issue. We are talking about pocket change. However, as we saw during the 5.12 earthquake fundraising, is that the system by which money is reaised has a credibility gap. That donoros want to give money, that they want to help, but that in doing so they are not comfortable with a system where transperancy is severly lacking.. and where scams can occur in broad daylight on busy street corners.

Over the last 18 months, their are few powers becoming more self evident in China’s developing civil society than the that of technology.

The media, internet, SMS, blogs, etc are all beginning to have a very powerful effect in China for GOOD, and through these mediums we are beginning to see change for GOOD.

Why I stress the word GOOD, is that there are some in china who fear the role and power of these mediums.  that they may provide a catalyst for instability.  However, in reading the CNN ireport The Cost Of Lives in China Hospitals where the author wrote:

Last week a friend of mine died giving birth to a beautiful baby girl at Suzhou Children and Women Hospital. Her name is YanZi. Her death was due to botched operation that technically could have been reversed, but negligence went further. In most western worlds, malpractice leads to severe penalties, but in our case the doctor justifies himself by saying, “we spent 60K rmb in cost trying to save her life….”, and then disappears for two days.

and then clicking to the Sina blog post providing the details in Chinese, I thought it was a good oportunity to point out that it is through these very personal moments of tragedy that we are beginning to see change.  That through these moments, and the release of information into the public forum, a valve is being opened where citizens can unite behind an event/ an issue/ a person and drive forward in a manner that will effectively expose core issues/ actors.

It is a role that NGOs played for manyyears, and largely why they were constantly getting in trouble, but now that the media is taking on this pressure we are seeing a balancecome into focus…. it is a balance where the actors (NGO, citizen, media, indutry, and government) are beginning to gain a sense of comfort in their roles and are beginning to find out just how useful they can work together (think Xiamen).

Commissioned by the China Institute for Reform and Development, the UNDP has just released the Access for all: Basic public services for 1.3 billion people.

At 215 pages, this report is broken into several sections that will require a weekend to get through:

For me, chapters 2 and 3 look to be the most interesting - and the most applicable to the work I am doing, but I would suggest each of you look through this document and pick out topics that are in your area of focus. It covers a lot of topics, many of them are important for China on a long term basis, so it behooves each of us to understand the underlying issues.

PDF Download here

(h/t Danwei) for highlighting a new site that is tracking officials who have taken bribes, abused their power, or otherwise gone beyond the call of duty.

Like Ma Jun’s website that locates, documents, and pubilcy identifies air and water polluters, this is a resource that 5 years ago would not be viewable in China (assuming the information could have been gathered), and it is a sign in the right direction that these sites are now not only visible in China… but hosted here.

Shanggui

A recently released report shows that China’s grassroot non-governmental organizations (NGO) dedicated to environment protection have doubled their numbers in the past three years.

There are 508 grassroot-level environment NGOs in China as of October this year.This has increased by nearly 300 from 2005, the All-China Environment Federation said in an environment report here, which it took eight months to finish beginning January this year.

In total, there are 3,539 environment NGOs in the country, including government-sponsored ones, grassroot ones, branches of international organizations as well as school environment societies. The figure jumped by 771 from three years ago, the federation said.

According to the report, 55.2 percent of the NGOs now have their own offices, up 15.2 percent from 2005; while 26 percent have fixed source of investment, up 2.1 percent. However, most environment NGOs still face problems including difficulty in raising money, shortage in personnel and weak organization ability in their development process, the report said.

Interesting stuff. 58.6% were involved in energy saving and emissions reductions, and 11% participated in protecting people’s rights concerning environmental protection. No doubt this is a trend that will continue. Especially interesting that the survey categorised NGOs in this way as we have seen a tremendous growth in Environmental NGOs involved in legal cases, involved in utilising existing information to affect change, and in those trying to increase transparency as a way to overcome corruption and punish irresponsible companies.In all cases we have seen all levels of government work with, and against, such organisations in different circumstances!

The recent Harvard Business School article, Achieving Excellence in Nonprofits, is one of those pieces that should be translated and passed out to every NGO in China.

Building internal governance and structures is often the most difficult task there is.  Developing a consisent plan, learning how to work with a board of directors, developing accounting and financial controls, etc are all issues that many face here… myself included.

To be fair, when managing an NGO in a environment where the role of NGOs is still new, reglations are non-existent, funding is difficult, and getting progams of the ground is the first priortiy (when you are short staffed)… the last thing that many think about are all the things in the back office.

However, as this article highlights, these are the things that long term will set the best NGOs apart from each other.  having a board of directors that can help guide an organization develop plans and relationships, ensuring the organizational books are in order, and having a focus that is clear internally and externally, are all steps that need to be taken to become a mature organization that develops deep programing.

In high-performing SMDOs, the board and executive management team have worked out an agreed and clear set of goals to achieve, have formulated a coherent strategy for advancing those goals, and have organized and are executing an aligned set of actions consistent with that strategy. This takes hard work, discipline, and focus on the part of the board and executive team working together to develop and maintain a coherent and consistent set of visions: a vision of what they are trying to accomplish, a vision of their role in accomplishing it, a vision of the activities and operations they will need to make progress on it. It takes strong communication between the CEO and board, and strong communication with clients, workers, and supporters.

It doesn’t come easy, and it is not a process that is completed overnight.

Well known for pushing the barriers, PETA’s goal of standing up for the rights of our fury friends has no geographic boundaries. during the Olympics, they were able to pull off an ad hoc press conference with athlete Amanda Beard, and more recently they held an event with their Lettuce LAdies in Guangzhou.

For many whose issue is the treatment of animals, China is an obvious focal point. to push their platform forward, organizatoins like PETA (in Shanghai SCAA) must take a different approach, as PETA’s APAC Director discussed in the August interview China can take sexy protests

Q: So edgy campaigns can be effective, even in countries unaccustomed to your approach?

A: While PETA is often seen as pushing the envelope in China, we have found that sexy and progressive campaigns do have a place in the country. PETA’s ad against fur starring a nearly naked Pamela Anderson was rejected in Beijing, for example, but it was eventually approved in Shanghai and went up in train stations and bus stops around the city.

Q: But cultural differences remain?

A: It’s very important for PETA that our events and activities be covered in China. We still campaign like PETA but in ways that also work in the country. That’s why you don’t see some of the more shocking things we’ve done in the West being done in China. We don’t need it and it wouldn’t be accepted.