Kathmandu: Nepal has improved and secured the fifth position among eight South and South-East countries in the Civil Society Organizations Sustainability Index, 2020, a report reveals.
According to the report, Nepal secured 4.3 out of a total 7 score and was categorized under the sustainability evolving (3.1-5 score) category. The Timor-Leste and the Philippines ranked first and second whereas Sri-Lanka and Thailand positioned 7th and 8th respectively.
The Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index (CSOSI) is a global independent initiative of the USAID in association with the FHI360/ICNL/USA to measure the strengths and overall viability of the CSO sectors in more than 72 countries of Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa.
The CSOSI reports are prepared through panel discussions among CSO practitioners and experts to assess and score in the sector on given scales in seven interrelated dimensions – legal environment; organizational capacity; financial viability; advocacy; service provision; infrastructure; and public image. In addition to this exercise, the host partner organization also conducts an in-depth context analysis of the civil society initiatives in the respective countries.
The South Asian version of the report encompassing the country findings of Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri-Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste will be produced and published.
GoGo Foundation has prepared a preliminary report on the basis of seven inter-disciplinary indicators with the involvement of CSOs and experts, shared GoGo Foundation’s Executive Director Kedar Khadka. He said the Foundation has been contributing as the ‘host partner organization’ from Nepal to publish Asia version of CSOSI annual report since 2014.
Based on in-depth study, the CSO sector of each country is grouped into three sustainability categories: Sustainability Enhanced; Sustainability Evolving; and Sustainability Impeded. The scores from 1-3 are given for the sustainable enhanced category, 3.1-5 for the sustainability evolving category and 5.1-7 for the sustainability impeded category, reads the press release issued by the Foundation.
Khadka said the report has highlighted that the ill-tendency of suppressing citizens and their organizations undermine the public image of civil society organizations.
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