Bruce Cohen
A MASSIVE European Union (EU) development package for South Africa — R500-million in 1995 — is currently being finalised in Brussels. It will bring much-needed relief to many NGOs which have been staggering through a funding crisis since the April election.
NGOs, however, will have to get used to sharing the EU funding with the government.
EU technical assistant Seamus Jeffreson told the Weekly Mail & Guardian this week that from now on the European programme would involve closer liaison and engagement with government in the development process. “They are the primary interlocutors.”
This new relationship has been driven home by the rechristening of the programme as the EU Programme for Reconstruction and Development.
The funds, said Jeffreson, would be used “broadly” to support the RDP. The R500-million budget for 1995 is a 20 percent increase over 1994.
Though finality has not been reached on which sectors will benefit from the programme, Jeffreson said it would be more tightly focused than in the past: “We can’t support everyone.”
One sector that will receive a major cash injection is human rights. A three-year R60-million EU Human Rights Programme is on the table. The EU has already entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice, which will take “overall responsibility” for the programme. NGOs in the sector are being invited to submit proposals aimed at reforming human rights institutions, and strengthening citizens’ knowledge of their rights.
The involvement of the government in the programme has raised the ire of some human rights groups, who believe it is a recipe for potential conflict. “What happens,” said a senior legal expert in the field, “if an NGO exposes irregularities in or criticises the Justice Department?”
Jeffreson countered that an independent foundation to evaluate projects and oversee their implementation would be set up in the new year.
“The fact that the EC remains committed to strengthening the human rights sector — which these days is a far less `sexy’ sector for funding — is proof we are not abandoning the NGO community,” said Jeffreson.
Other sectors in which NGOs stand to benefit are urban development and the promotion of micro-enterprises.
However, in the health and education sectors — which are seen primarily as the responsibility of government — most of the EU funding could be channeled through the various ministries. A large government Aids programme and the establishment of a district health infrastructure have been put forward.
EU ambassador to South Africa Erwin Fouere is expected to start negotiations with government early in the new year to reach formal agreement on the total package and to set down the mechanics for implementation.