With the deepening of reform and opening up in China and the establishment and development of socialist market economy, the whole society is becoming more and more diversified. Especially in some areas where social problems are prominent and acute, the activities of non-governmental organizations are particularly active and concentrated. They often play a role that the government and enterprises do not have or are difficult to give full play to, and promote social progress.
(1) Activities of NGOs in the field of environmental protection
In the field of environmental protection in China, a large number of various non-governmental organizations are active. The famous ones are: Friends of Nature, Beijing Global Village, Green Home Volunteers, China Small Animal Protection Association, China Environmental Protection Foundation, Beijing Environmental Protection Foundation, china wildlife conservation association, Beijing Wildlife Protection Association, China Green Foundation, China Environmental Protection Industry Association, Beijing Environmental Protection Industry Association, botanical society of china, China Natural Resources Society, China Environmental Science Society, Green Camp for College Students and Green College Students Forum. Tsinghua University Green Association, Peking University Green Living Association, Beijing Forestry University Shannuo Association, Shanghai Youth Environmental Protection Enthusiast Association, and the Legal Aid Center for Pollution Victims.
The environmental protection activities carried out by these organizations have provided many public products that the government and enterprises have been unable to provide since the reform and opening up in China, which has promoted the development of the environmental protection movement in China. To sum up, it includes the following eight aspects:
1). Environmental awareness popularization, education and publicity activities. Many non-governmental organizations are actively carrying out activities in this field, including various forms of environmental protection initiatives and practical activities, various lectures, training, speeches and other environmental awareness education activities, including TV lectures, as well as various forms of seminars, experience exchanges and symposiums.
2) Promote and promote public participation in the field of environmental protection. In many cities in China, especially in Beijing, public participation in environmental protection is being actively cultivated as an important mechanism for cooperation between the government and non-governmental organizations. The mission center of Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau has played a pioneering role in this respect. As early as 1997, they began to study and actively promote the establishment of public participation mechanism in environmental protection field.
3) Funding environmental protection activities. It is mainly composed of a group of international or overseas NGOs and funding agencies that are enthusiastic about natural resources and environmental protection, as well as NGOs such as China Environmental Protection Foundation. Participate in this activity, including providing funds, equipment and technology for activities related to natural resources and environmental protection
4). Project activities related to natural resources and environmental protection. Many non-governmental organizations are carrying out various projects, including the protection of biodiversity such as wild animals, the maintenance and protection of natural ecology, tree planting and greening, water purification, air pollution control and governance, desertification control, soil erosion control in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, community environmental protection, garbage sorting, resource reuse and so on.
5) Research, development and popularization of science and technology related to environmental protection. It is mainly carried out by a group of non-governmental organizations related to environmental protection, such as societies and research institutes. They gathered a large number of domestic authorities and elites in related academic fields, and actively promoted the development of environmental protection technology in China through the research, development and application of related disciplines and technologies.
6). Activities and trade associations related to the production and promotion of environmental protection products. Mainly by a group of economic groups active in the field of environmental protection, such as chambers of commerce, trade organizations, etc., to carry out activities in this area, including promoting the development, production, circulation and consumption of environmental protection products.
7). Assistance activities for victims of environmental pollution. With the development of environmental pollution, pollution victims, as a special vulnerable group, have begun to receive social attention. Relevant NGOs provide various forms of assistance to pollution victims through legal consultation and other activities.
8). International exchange activities on environmental protection. Most environmental NGOs are carrying out international exchange activities in various forms. On the one hand, they actively strive for relevant information, funds, equipment, technology and other support from the international community. On the other hand, they strengthen international exchanges in environmental protection by convening or participating in relevant international conferences or seminars, sending personnel to participate in relevant training, receiving visits and exchanging visits.
(b) Activities of non-governmental organizations in the field of poverty alleviation and development
As in the field of environmental protection, some non-governmental organizations are also active in the field of poverty alleviation and development in China. Among them, the famous ones are: China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, China International NGO Cooperation Promotion Association, China Population Welfare Foundation, China Family Planning Association, China Youth Development Foundation, china charity federation, Practical Skills Training School for Farmers and Women, amity foundation, Oxfam Hong Kong, Save the Children and Sichuan Rural Development Organization.
The activities carried out by these non-governmental organizations have provided a special public good-poverty alleviation-for China society with rapid economic development since the reform and opening up. These include survival poverty alleviation, technical poverty alleviation, education poverty alleviation, helping poor mothers, cooperative poverty alleviation, cultural poverty alleviation and physical poverty alleviation. By providing this public product, China NGOs have carried out a series of fruitful activities in the vast inland areas, and made positive contributions to the fundamental eradication of poverty. These functions can be summarized into eight aspects:
1). By directly providing economic resources, including funds and materials, forced investment can break the inherent vicious circle of poverty and change the living conditions of poor people from both quantitative and qualitative aspects.
2) Through carrying out the project, especially various forms of training accompanying the project, a large number of useful information and technical skills will be imparted to the beneficiaries, so that they can master these technical skills through participation in learning and direct application, and change the living conditions of the poor people by means and methods.
3). By carrying out projects, especially poverty alleviation projects including micro-credit, while investing resources, we will start the responsibility and enthusiasm of beneficiaries, guide local governments to establish a credit chain with binding functions and its relationship system, and change the living conditions of the poor mainly from social capital and production system.
4). In the long-term project, the staff of non-governmental organizations have gradually accumulated experience, knowledge and skills, and become experts in various fields of poverty alleviation. They are more familiar with the business than the staff of governments at all levels, and at the same time, they are more in-depth at the grassroots level. They can directly and effectively carry out specific and targeted poverty alleviation activities for different problems in different regions, different groups of people and different poverty levels.
5). Assist and supervise governments at all levels to implement the principles and policies on poverty alleviation and development. On the one hand, as a concrete executor of government poverty alleviation projects, we should give full play to our professional and grassroots advantages and better implement poverty alleviation policies; On the other hand, as an intermediary between the central government and local governments at all levels, it coordinates relevant policies and supervises their implementation to ensure the implementation of poverty alleviation policies.
6). As an intermediary and professional organization for enterprises and developed areas to help and support poor areas, on the one hand, we should mobilize more social funds for poverty eradication activities, especially for enterprises to carry out social charity activities; On the other hand, through the actual operation of various projects, we will ensure that various charitable funds and charitable funds are implemented in various poverty alleviation activities and effectively play the role of poverty alleviation and development.
7). As an intermediary organization and local "grass-roots" organization that helps and supports poverty-stricken areas in China by various forces of the international community, on the one hand, it actively absorbs more international and overseas resources for poverty alleviation and development in China, on the other hand, it helps international NGOs and overseas NGOs to carry out various poverty alleviation and development projects in China, and at the same time, it plays a role as an intermediary organization that helps poverty-stricken areas in China by the international community and supervises or implements related projects.
8) Through activities in the field of poverty alleviation and development, on the one hand, we will continuously build our own capabilities and improve our adaptability and professional level to the market economy, on the other hand, we will gradually expand the influence and strength of non-governmental organizations and promote the formation and development of China's non-profit sector.
From an international perspective, the question to be answered is whether China should actively participate in the activities of non-governmental organizations in the international field. We have seen that non-governmental organizations have now become an increasingly important emerging role in the global governance system. In the activities of various agencies of the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations have formal legal status and can participate in and influence some important international decisions to varying degrees. Non-governmental organizations also take an active part in many other international activities. In addition to government and enterprises, non-governmental organizations are also important representatives of a country's comprehensive national strength. Generally speaking, non-governmental organizations in developed countries are well-organized, powerful, large-scale and capable of activities. At present, the decision-making process, power arrangement, the flow of funds and information and the opportunity to participate in international activities of non-governmental organizations in the global system are basically controlled by non-governmental organizations in developed countries. As a country with increasing comprehensive national strength and rising international status, China must consider the international participation of China NGOs. The international activities of non-governmental organizations may also provide a potentially important place for the Chinese nation to express its wishes and realize its interests.