From Lungos to Ceps… |31 October 2014

The work of a board of an Inter-organisational NGO (Part 1/2)

In its annual general meeting (AGM) on November 8, 2014, the Liaison Unit of Non-governmental Organisations (Lungos) will be considering a motion to dissolve itself and in doing so subsequently establish Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (Ceps).

All the assets of Lungos will be transferred to Ceps which will be an inter-organisational NGO, whose members are organisations and therefore as a platform would function in a slightly more complex environment than an NGO which has “individuals” as members.

Ceps board members will also be elected at the meeting to be held in the afternoon of November 8. The work of the board of Ceps requires dedicated and committed individuals that are willing to give time for fulfilling the mission and objectives of Ceps.

The policy engagement side of the work of Ceps requires that the general opinions, concepts and ideas of civil society be translated into policy engagement language, preferably backed by research and evidence which can contribute to policy and law-making processes. Therefore to effectively achieve its objectives, the work of an inter-organisational NGO also requires, alongside the board, a secretariat with full-time professionals that have expertise in various professionally trained areas such as public administration, policy engagement, communications, law, economics, environment, social work, political science, project management etc.

Usually, the roles of board members of a platform are not only restricted to policy and taking part in board meetings, but they are also required to perform some executive and implementation functions associated with the role on a needs basis.

“Board membership work requires devotion, attention and can sometimes require dedicated time, but it is really rewarding to contribute to the development of one’s country,” said the chairperson of Lungos, Marie-Nella Azemia at a meeting of the board of Lungos in October 2014.

Being part of a board can be enriching and rewarding, but it requires commitment. Through elections, the members of Ceps will be called to make a choice for their platform, and the choice they make will be crucial to the success of Ceps.

Contributed