LAHORE: The Centre for Public Policy and Governance (CPPG) Forman Christian College Lahore organised a two-day workshop, "NGOs and the Government – Working Together towards a Common Goal," on July 19-20.
The training was part of a larger project, titled “Social Welfare Department: The Provincial Face of Regulation and Interaction with NGOs,” which was conducted by CPPG in collaboration with USAID Small Grants and Ambassador’s Fund Program (SGAFP).
The workshop covered aspects such as public private partnership, conflict management, team building, negotiation skills, among other topics. It was attended by officers from the Department of Industries, the Women Development Department, as well as NGO representatives from all over Punjab. Out of 23 participants, 10 were from prominent NGOs, while 13 were government officers.
In a brief feedback session on Day II, some of the participants appreciated the efforts of the CPPG team in organising this training and stressed the need for more focused and specialized events along the same lines. Speaking to participants Dr. Saeed Shafqat, Professor and Director, CPPG said that fostering trust between the government and the civil society is a critical need, and is an area that the CPPG is very actively working towards through research, advocacy and capacity building.
“We are conscious of the concerns and constraints on both sides and are continuously trying to address these concerns and bringing it to the attention of policy makers,” he said.
He went on to say that CPPG has extensively advocated for a better, more purposeful relationship between the government and the civil society and would continue to do so going forward.
At the conclusion of the event, certificates were distributed by Dr James Tebbe, Rector FC College and Dr Saeed Shafqat. Dr Tebbe appreciated the trainees for their participation and for travelling from all over Punjab to be part of this training.
“There are things that the government can do that the NGOs cannot do and there are things NGOs can do that can augment and help considerably the work that the government does,” he said.
He said that these groups often do not speak much to each other and it is heartening to see such events take place in such a good atmosphere and in such a productive way at the CPPG.
This training is the third in a series of trainings being arranged by CPPG as part of the capacity building component of their ongoing project. It aims to equip participants with the skills and tools required to work in collaboration with each other for effective service delivery.
The CPPG team including Dr Raja Ali Saleem, Dr Imdad Hussain, Raheem ul Haque, Maheen Saleem Khosa, Raffat Malik, Saba Shahid, Muhammad Hassan and Saleem Khokhar also participated in the event.