Registration for charitable NGOs to become simplified
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Xinhua, July 6, 2011
Charitable non-government organizations (NGOs) will have an easier time registering with Chinese municipal governments with the arrival of new regulations, an official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Wednesday.
Charity and social welfare NGOs in Beijing, east China's Anhui Province and the southern city of Shenzhen will be able to directly register with civil affairs bureaus in those areas, the official said.
Current regulations concerning NGO registration stipulate that social groups, foundations and non-profit organizations must receive permission from relevant government departments or public institutions before applying for registration at civil affairs bureaus.
However, the official said it is sometimes difficult for charity NGOs to find appropriate supervisors, as some of their operations run across multiple sectors, the official said.
Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo said in March that the government should "carefully cultivate" outstanding philanthropic organizations in order to alleviate poverty and other social ills.
Chinese NGOs have developed rapidly in recent years, especially after the devastating 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. However, the difficulty of registering these organizations has long been an area of complaint.
The One Foundation, which was founded by Hong Kong movie star Jet Li, ended its cooperation with the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) and announced the establishment of an independent public fundraising foundation in Shenzhen in January.
This was the first case in which a non-governmental foundation affiliated with a government-run organization has been successfully been transformed into a public fundraising organization. Shenzhen city authorities directly approved the One Foundation's relocation without having to get a permit from its supervisor.
The One Foundation was originally supervised by the RCSC, which also supervises another 40 similar organizations. Jet Li has previously complained that the One Foundation has had little say in deciding how the money it has raised ends up being used.
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