Background

The 1980’s witnessed a robust growth of Pakistani NGOs involved in service delivery that focused on the provision of social and other services to local communities in Pakistan. This development reflected and recognised the existing need for NGOs to supplement the public sector but also to advocate for the fundamental rights of all members of society alike. Although it is difficult to quantify the impact of the work of NGOs in the social sector across Pakistan, there is little doubt, however, that at the local level NGOs have had a major impact on health and education. The emergence of active development organisations on the NGO scene a few years ago has also created numerous promising agencies that aim at encouraging networking and helping other NGOs to rethink and modify their approaches while putting more emphasis on social development, particularly on service delivery rather than only on advocacy and capacity building initiatives.

If a healthy and effective NGO sector is one of the primary traits of a pluralist democratic society, a lot of effort has to be channelled into Pakistani NGOs so that they can emerge strengthened, empowered and capable of fulfilling their mission. The NGOs that are dedicated to protecting and promoting the human rights of two particularly vulnerable social groups, such as women and children, are undoubtedly important players in the country’s effort to step forward and if they are to bring about change in a consistent and lasting way they require serious attention and meaningful support.

European Union-Pakistan Cooperation

The European Commission Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights illustrates the European Union’s strong commitment to supporting the global effort to build and reinforce pluralist democratic societies, governed by the rule of law and respect for human rights.

The priorities of the European Union for Pakistan in the field of democracy and human rights are to support democratization and the electoral process, as well as to support the legal reform required in order to eliminate the conditions that permit human rights violations in the country. A further priority is strengthening the capacity of human rights movements within civil society. To achieve this, the European Commission assists local organizations to improve their ability to act as watchdogs, support victims of human rights violations and to establish a dialogue with national and local authorities on key human rights issues. Furthermore, gender issues and children’s rights are the key areas of concern for the EU in Pakistan and while being supported through specific EU funded projects they are also mainstreamed in all co-operation programs.

The project "NGO net for women and children rights"

Implemented by the Greek NGO Centre of Strategic Planning for Development DIMITRA and its Pakistani NGO partners and funded by the European Commission, project “NGO net for Women and Children rights” acknowledges the vital importance of the work undertaken by Pakistani organizations dedicated to the protection and promotion of women’s and children’s rights and through a series of activities aims to lay a solid foundation for the improvement of this area of concern.

Mission of the conference

The aim of the conference is to create a platform for the NGOs participating in the project NGO Net for Women and Children Rights through which they can establish further communication, create partnerships and coordinate their efforts.

Main objectives

• Stimulate a dialogue between local NGOs, international NGOs, local authorities and the government.
  
  
• Provide an opportunity for the local NGOs to present their significant work to both the wide public and the mass media.
  
  
• Present “success stories” from the field of human rights, from both Pakistan but also other countries to be imitated.
  
  
• Allow local, European and international donors to present opportunities for the funding of women’s and children’s human rights projects in Pakistan.
  
  
• Present awards to people who have excelled in the field so as to inspire others to follow in their steps.