• To challenge registration & supervision law in court unless necessary amendments made  

Amidst rising concerns surrounding the proposed non-governmental organisations (NGO) (Registration and Supervision) Act of 2024, NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) are seeking a meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss their concerns. 

This is in a context where the concerns raised by them with regard to the proposed law with the NGO Secretariat have not received satisfactory responses.

“We are trying to meet the President. We have made a request. But, we have not received an official confirmation yet,” CSO and NGO Collective Co-Convenor and Right to Life Executive Director Philip Dissanayake said, adding that the future course of action regarding their concerns would depend on the response that they receive. He told The Daily Morning that if a satisfactory response is not received from the political authority, especially regarding the amendments necessary to the proposed law, it would definitely be challenged legally once tabled in the Parliament. Dissanayake added that even though several rounds of discussions have been held with the Director General (DG) of the NGO Secretariat, they have not received a satisfactory response. Acknowledging that what the DG could do in this regard is limited, he explained that attention is being paid to holding talks with the political authority.

During the past few months, representatives of CSOs and NGOs expressed serious concerns about the Government's alleged attempts to limit the freedoms available for such entities' activities and legal recognition. Recently, activists and legal experts issued statements regarding the proposed law, which they noted seeks to repeal and replace the Voluntary Social Service Organisations Act of 1980. Claiming that certain provisions of the proposed law are questionable, they pointed out a lack of meaningful consultative process in the formation of the Bill.

Meanwhile, several non-profit organisations that spoke with The Daily Morning in this regard said that they are concerned about the enforcement of the proposed law, raising concerns that they might have to face issues in the future as they are charities and companies limited by guarantee. While they did not dispute the importance of monitoring their activities in a transparent manner, they feared that they would likely be subjected to unfair or impractical restrictions and surveillance by the authorities that would jeopardise their freedoms.