C O O P E R A T I O N
East-East cooperation - four or more to score
CHRISTY PRESENTS HER REPORT on East-East cooperation.
Christy Duijvelaar's research project on East-East cooperation demystified and glorified the cooperative process. But how and when, and even if NGOs are likely to cooperate depends on a number of factors. Here's what Christy identified as the key components for nurturing healthy transboundary cooperation. East-East cooperation will most likely be established when:
- NGOs are working on a common topic. Nobody is going to cooperate if they don't have the same goals and the same vision. And why should they? Two horses can always pull a wagon faster than oneŅas long as they're pulling in the same direction.
- Good personal contact already exists. Many NGOs find it easier to develop working relationships with friends and acquaintances on the other side of borders. These relationships usually develop because of common interests (see first point).
- Organizations have the capacity to cooperate. That means they must have the technical and organizational infrastructure in place to make the union work. It doesn't hurt if they can communicate with each other in a common language.
- NGOs operate in a nurturing environment where the governments are "NGO-friendly," the organizations' activists are self-confident, good national cooperation is present, and there are a number of successful examples to use as case studies.
Sadly, East-East cooperation still relies to some extent on contact with Western NGOs, funding organizations and/or networks. Better make use of it while it's still here.
Rarely do all these requirements exist in one place at one time. But, all of these factors are not necessary to establish East-East cooperation. When all four of them have been fulfilled cooperation is almost a sure thing.
THE BULLETIN * SPRING 1996
