NGO's ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION IN WASHINGTON DC

May 31st 2012, the embassy of Tanzania in Washington DC has organised the NGO's roundtable discussion. The meeting was attended by by over  70 -NGO's from around the US, with about 170 participants. Following is the speech of Tanzania Ambassador in the United State of America, Mwanaid Sinare Maajar (Source, Embassy of Tanzania in the US).

EMBASSY OF TANZANIA IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

NGO ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

Speech by Mwanaidi Sinare Maajar, Ambassador of Tanzania in the United States of America and Mexico

THE ROLE OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND THE EMBASSY OF TANZANIA IN WASHINGTON DC IN FACILITATING NGOS ACTIVITIES IN TANZANIA

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Introduction

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends of Tanzania.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to this very important Round Table discussion. KARIBUNI SANA.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation through its embassies abroad has the responsibility of delivering our foreign policy. Engaging host countries, multilateral institutions and other non-state actors is part of that responsibility. This is the essence of this meeting.

On behalf of the Government of Tanzania and on behalf of all my colleagues at Tanzania House, I would like to thank you very much for accepting our invitation and joining us today. And thank you for your interest in our country and in our people. We know you are all very busy people and most of you have travelled a long distance to be with us today. This is testimony to your commitment to what you do in Tanzania and elsewhere. We value your work. And we are grateful.

I would like to take the opportunity to recognize our speakers and the representatives of the US Government and its agencies present in this room. They are Ellen Peterson, Desk Officer for Tanzania, US Department of State; Kelly Daly, Peace Corps Desk Officer, US Department of State; Trina USAID Desk Office, US Department of State and Joanie Brooks-Lindsay, Consular Chief, US Department of State.

Speakers from Tanzania are Mr. Marcel Katemba, Director and Registrar of NGOs, Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Children; Mr. Tiagi Masamaki Kabisi, Deputy Commissioner –Trade Facilitation and Procedures, Tanzania Revenue Authority; Mr. Ikomba Mathew, Immigration Officer, Immigration Division, Ministry of Home Affairs; Dr. Edward Mung’ng’o, Ministry of Health and Social Services and Mr. Paul Mwafongo, the Trade Attaché who will be presenting on behalf of the Planning Commission, a synopsis of the Five Year Development Plan launched by His Excellency President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete in July, 2011;

I would also ask my colleagues in this room to introduce themselves so that participants would know us as your hosts and who to contact in the course of the day.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends of Tanzania,

We were elated when Ellen told us that she and her colleagues will be addressing participants. It is indeed evidence of the US Government’s recognition of the role of NGOs as a strong partner in building on the bilateral relations that so happily exist between our two countries.

In the changing landscape of global relations, foreign policy is no longer confined to state actors. Rather, NGOs and Civil Society Organizations continue to play a major role in our global relations in all spheres, including in the socio-political and even economic interactions on the international stage.

Only the other week, President Obama invited to the G8 summit international NGOs along with the private sector asking them to commit to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition Security for Africa. This is in recognition of the potent power of the NGO community in the development of mankind. Need I say more?

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends of Tanzania,

This meeting is about NGO participation in our Government’s efforts to better the lives of the people of Tanzania. It is about building relations between US based NGOs and our Government. It is about strengthening US Tanzania relations through non-state actors. It is about continuing to build bridges.

Recognizing the contribution of NGOs to our national development, our Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation wanted to engage you and interact with you. We wanted to work very closely with you and to help facilitate your work in Tanzania. We wanted to let you know that we are here for you and we look upon you as our partners. The work you do, working with our communities complements the work of the Government of President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete in delivering social services in education, health and general social needs. We are pleased of your positive response.

The Government of Tanzania regards international NGOs as important non-state actors in the delivery of its foreign policy. In the same way, American NGOs working in Tanzania are helping Tanzania to reach out to the people of America and to cultivate an interest in Tanzania and its people.

In essence the American NGOs are also complementing the work of our Mission in Washington DC by raising the profile of Tanzania in the United States through the stories they bring back to America. America is a vast area of representation and our embassy in DC cannot reach a large part of the people of America but NGOs can, as they come from the community. NGOs are socially and geographically far reaching and they have closer relations to the people, sometimes more than the state agencies. This is why I am very happy to see so many of you. I know we have in each one of you an ambassador for Tanzania in the United States.

The role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in facilitating the activities of NGOs in our development agenda is therefore critical and I am pleased to have the opportunity to explain that role to you today. The Ministry and the Embassy would like to assure you that we will facilitate your work in Tanzania as part of our annualstrategic plan.

1. The facilitation starts with the issuance of Visa in our embassy. We are ensuring that visa requirements continue to be clearly set out in the embassy website. We will ensure that visa processing is done swiftly and without undue delays and we will continue to improve our visa payment systems to make it more users friendly.

2. We are working with Government Departments to address some of the issues raised by NGOs and this is the main reason we convened this meeting. We noticed that we were not talking to each other. Each of us worked on our corner. Some NGOs raised issues with us concerning import duties on donated imports, visa and work permits, visa fees, volunteer health workers license fees, import duties of items donated by NGOs, dispute resolution between US and local partners, etc. Although the Treasury will normally try to streamline fees for visa, residence permit, health workers’ license fees, etc, we did not previously look into how much in total would for example, a health volunteer end up paying from his or her visa, license and if need be residence permit. These issues will now be addressed and recommendations submitted to Government.

3. We will engage the NGOs constantly. We will organize meetings and events that will offer the opportunity for networking and we will create a page on our website for NGOs to allow them to network and where possible to form alliances. NGOs are encouraged to visit our website and to follow on the important links so that they learn more about Tanzania and the areas they are working. If the information on the website is not adequate NGOs are encouraged to contact us for further details.

4. Our Embassy Strategic Plan each year, and we have already started this year, will have NGO related activity and NGOs will be considered an important ally in the delivery of our foreign policy in the United Sates. As I already said, we will consider US NGOs working in Tanzania as our Honorary Consuls in their respective areas in the United States.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends of Tanzania,

As we continue this engagement, we encourage NGOs working in Tanzania and if they have not yet done so, to do the following:-

1. Please contact the embassy by email or telephone or even visiting before you travel to Tanzania and raise any issues that you need clarified. If you need a reference letter, we will be pleased to issue one.

2. Work with relevant government authorities in districts, the office of the District Commissioner, in the Regions the office of the Regional Commissioner as well as the relevant Ministries. When you make contacts, with authorities, a reference letter is always useful.

3. Please report at a local government office near your place of operation. This creates good working relationship and at least you would know where to go should you need government intervention for whatever reason.

4. You are advised to engage a reputable law firm and an accounting firm. This helps you to overcome legal pitfalls and taxation issues. Do not enter into land acquisition agreement without the benefit of legal advice. Your partnership agreements in particular should be drawn by a lawyer, local or international. You should be able to get discounted rates from law firms and accounting firms. I know some do not charge commercial rates for charities.

5. Before entering into binding partnerships with local partners, NGO are encouraged to undertake a vetting process of the partners through the embassy and verification with local authorities as to the character and authenticity of activities claimed to be undertaken by local NGOs or individuals. Such vetting should include references from local authorities where the local partner claims to be operating. Such vetting process is crucial to minimize incidences of individual acting in bad faith or who pretending to be doing charitable work but in the event they set out to enrich themselves. I am saying this because we have seen such cases increase in the last year, where local partners are in dispute with foreign partners to the detriment of those intended to benefit from the activities of the NGO.

6. Any successful Partnership needs to have one person in charge. So, the decision of who is responsible for day-to-day activities of the NGO needs to be made early on, and everyone in the partnership needs to be 100 percent clear of their roles, duties, and responsibilities. We are for example, aware of local partners charged with the responsibility of securing work permits for volunteers but abdicating the responsibility and blaming it on the US partner.

7. A partnership, like marriage, requires a pre-nup. NGOS entering into partnership with local NGOs or individuals seem to have very loose arrangement. Sometimes there is only a gentlemen’s agreement. Sometimes there is a very insufficient document not detailing the responsibilities of each party or what happens in the event of a dispute or if they decide to part company and to go their separate ways. Having legal counsel will address such issues and minimize disputes.

8. And finally, I would propose that you may consult among yourselves and look into possibility of establishing some form of a networking vehicle here, in the US, which will have the mandate to speak for you as a group, on issues that you would like the Government to attend to. Speaking in one voice should offer you good leverage on issues that affect you and the way you deliver your services in Tanzania.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends of Tanzania,

It is challenging to cover all important areas in one day. But as you can see from our program we have targeted NGO registration process, immigration, Tanzania Revenue Authority, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation and our Embassy. There is a presentation on the Five Year Development Plan to offer an insight where NGOs may choose to focus. You will hear from the presenter that the Government did anticipate NGO and private sector participation in executing the Development Plan. You will also hear from representatives of the US Department of State, the Peace Corps and the USAID.

After each presentation there will be an opportunity for questions and after the morning session and the afternoon session there is time allotted for general discussion.

And finally, I would like to invite all participants to a cocktail reception at Tanzania House after concluding the discussions. It is a small act of appreciation for your commitment to Tanzania. KARIBUNI SANA.

Once again I thank you for your attention. AHASNTENI SANA