In a diverse and dynamic region like Asia, active communication among different NGOs can be hard to achieve. Smaller or newly established NGOs find it hard to be visible online, while some who created their own website become static after only a few years. This makes collaboration, partnerships and coordination even more difficult. As a result, potentials for NGOs to grow and advance their cause are limited.
Thus .ngo|.ong.
The portal was introduced to Manila audience at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati last week, where representatives from different NGOs shared their concerns and gained a deeper understanding about the portal’s mission, goals and opportunities. Presentations and discussions were provided by Melinda de Jesus, Executive Director of Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility; Nick Thorne, International Advisor of Public Interest Registry (PIR); and Ingrid Srinath, PIR board member.
“The potential of change was in the hands of outside the government (NGOs),” de Jesus said, adding that civil society is integral to the democratisation process and thus, it is important to empower this sector. The portal was designed to maximise the capacity of NGOs to impact social change.
Thorne described the domain as “home for NGOs” as it is specifically designed for the NGO community worldwide, creating an environment to be visible as trusted international non-profit organisation, gain funds and partnerships ton further develop the local development sector. Being a domain holder of .ngo enables organisations to collect donations and showcase their causes and programmes.
Genuine NGOs can register; but a validation process is required for entry in the community. Validation process is critical to have a secure space for the community. NGOs need to answer the validation questionnaire that includes past programmes and how long the organisation has been established. They may also submit documentations of their past events. Newly recognised NGOs may be validated through references.
Srinath mentioned that re-validation will happen yearly after the organisation has been part of the domain to meet strong technical security standards. The .ngo | .ong domain is being launched by PIR, which already administered the.org top-level domain. PIR believes that .ngo|.ong domain will provide a secure and valuable support to the NGO community.
- See more at: http://asianngo.org/news/content/original/ngo-online-home-ngos#sthash.NDZuT6Ce.dpuf
