New Report shows Chinese Environmental NGOs and Civil Society Expanding
At its annual forum on NGOs and sustainable development from October 30-31, 2008, the All-China Environmental Federation released the 2008 Environmental Blue Blook: “Report of Chinese Environmental NGO Development,” offering a detailed analysis and follow-up to their first environmental NGO survey conducted in 2005. While the report has not yet been released online, the news media and conference participants received hard copies that detail the growth of environmental NGOs in the last few years. Xinhua also provided coverage of the conference in this article.
The report provides a comprehensive survey and analysis of the state of environmental NGOs in China. As of October 2008, there are 3539 environmental NGOs in the country, an increase of 771 from 2005. The survey counted in total 1309 government-organized NGOs, 1382 school-based groups, 508 grassroots organizations, 90 international groups, and 250 additional organizations in Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. 55.2 percent of NGOs now have their own offices, an increase of 15.2 percent from two years prior. Among the people leading these NGOs, 77.8% have a science or technical background.
Noting the progress of environmental NGOs so far, the report also highlights the challenges they continue to face. 28.9 percent of NGOs lack full-time staff, while 46.5 percent only have 1-5 full time staff. Growth in staff size has been most visible among international environmental NGOs. The male-to-female ratio, while improved, is still around 3-to-1. While 26 percent now have a fixed source of investment, it represents a small increase of 2.1 percent from 2005. The report notes that weak organization ability, limited funds, insufficient cooperation, and shortage of staff will continue to be major barriers to NGO growth in the coming years.
A download link to the report (in Chinese) will be posted when the report goes public.
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