The Iranian Civil Society Institutions
There is not a single village or city in Iran that does not have an NGO that combats poverty, helps the poor, works for equality between men and women, or promotes human rights. The Civil Society institutions in Iran can be traced back to the end of the 19th century; yet they were not known [&hellip
The Iranian Civil Society Institutions
There is not a single village or city in Iran that does not have an NGO that combats poverty, helps the poor, works for equality between men and women, or promotes human rights. The Civil Society institutions in Iran can be traced back to the end of the 19th century; yet they were not known by this name until few years ago.
This article will illustrate how the Civil NGOs began in Iran on the basis of religion and nationalism and by the support of the religious endowments. This article will also investigate how the Civil Society organizations developed to meet the society’s cultural, social, and economic needs until 2500 NGOs and 15000 youth associations were established over recent years. I will also highlight how the reformist president, Mohamed Khatami, has supported these NGOs since 1997 in order to use them as a "wing" for the reformists, in their battle against the conservatives. Currently, the reformists take pride in the fact that they are able to create of an entire culture the Civil Society”s ideas; a culture called for even by the conservatives who are running for presidency today.
On the eve of the 20th century, religious and nationalist drives were largely behind the formation of many NGOs in Iran whether in the cities or villages. The religiously motivated charity organizations, religious associations, and the goodwill loans institutions were all working independently from the state to support citizens through minor crafts, artworks, or workshops. It was rare to find an Iranian city or village without an NGO; they were essentially founded in mosques so that they could be under the supervision of religious scholars who were seen as the non-governmental authority. The "Religious Endowments" institution is considered one of the oldest Civil Society institutions in Iran as it used to fund several public utility institutions such as factories, farms and laboratories. In other words, the religious endowments money funded the Civil Society NGOs that helped the laymen to deal with their economic hardships, even if they were labeled as "Civil Society NGOs."
Nonetheless these NGOs have taken on a new character over recent years to become modern Civil Society Institutions, especially in the post 1997 era, as President Kathami adopted the slogan "Civil Society Development" as one of his electoral slogans that strongly attracted women and youth.
Currently, Iranian NGOs work in the areas of environment, women’s issues, public utilities, combating pandemic illnesses, combating drugs, youth development, religious tolerance, peace and human rights. Furthermore, they practice a degree of supervision even over governmental authorities. It is noteworthy that the concern of
Iranians with the Civil Society institutions coincided with a parallel governmental concern. The third five-year plan that was launched in 2004, differed from the first one launched in 1989 in the fact that it granted civil society organizations larger freedoms.
Fifteen years since the launch of the first five-year plan, and Iranian Civil Society has taken important steps towards total independence from the official authorities. According to official statistics, there are now 2500 NGOs in various fields. Meanwhile, "The National Association for Youth" is an umbrella organization that includes 15 000 youth organizations that direct the youth”s political and civil activities starting from university campuses to the streets to the political parties.
The Iranian Civil Society expert, sociologist Parves Wargavand, said that the development of Civil Society Institutions in the various fields is an important indication of democratic development. He added" the Iranian youths are qualified enough to establish NGOs that are supportive of democracy" Despite his praise of Civil Society NGOs he is critical of some NGOs especially with regards to some organizational issues and the way they deal with the society.
It seems that the Iranian political regime, has greatly impacted the progress of these institutions. However, the more clear impact came from the reformist movement that was led by Khatami which relied on the civil society to counterbalance the state institutions that were dominated by the conservatives.
In a bid to enact the presence and activism of civil society in Iran, the reformist dominated parliament of 2002 , approved the law to regulate NGOs. The law guarantees the right to regulate the civil institutions as the Ministry of
Interior is the designated authority to approve the license for the NGOs after consultation with the security , the judiciary, and the commercial records authority. As for the external funding, which is a very sensitive issue, the law required the consent of the Ministries of Security, and Foreign Affairs, before receiving any. The law obliged the NGOs to have a clear financial policy that is subject to supervision by the government, which was met by opposition from several lawyers and NGO activists. It is worth noting that the 2002 law obliged the state to pay funds according to the five-year plan to the NGOs. It also permitted those NGOs to receive funds from local parties albeit within particular conditions.
Despite Iranian disagreements with the United States and some European countries, the Iranian NGOs are not cut off from their international counterparts. Iranian laws have permitted NGOs to cooperate with UN affiliated organizations such as the UNDP, UNICEF, and the other 13 organizations that cooperated with several Iranian family NGOs and Women’s NGOs. In addition there is cooperation between Iranian NGOs and international NGOs such as Save the Children, GEF, Woodrow Wilson Peace Center, Frederich Ehberet German Foundation, and Socio- Informatique International Institute.
The different Iranian cities, including Tehran, witnessed important workshops and training sessions for NGOs that were mainly subsidized by the government through the Ministry of Interior and its branches all over Iran. The Iranian NGO Support Center largely contributes towards the benefit of Iranian NGOs by linking the government, the Iranian NGOs and International organizations.
Ferzanah Mustawfi Far, the Executive Director of the Iranian NGO Support Center, works to channel the support from the Ministry of Interior, and the Presidency–affiliated Feminist Activities Center to the Iranian NGOs. She identified that Iranian NGOs could greatly benefit from the financial, informational, and moral support presented by International Organizations.
But the major problem that prevents Civil Society progress in Iran is the law which delimits the framework of action for NGOs. Many civil society activists think that the law "restricts the NGOs and prohibits their progress as well as the achievement of their goals, especially with regards to the supervision of government work and funding". Others argue that “supervision and support by the government reactivates these NGOs that have not yet reached financial or operational independence”.