US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT5202

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 005202 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA, NEA/PPD, DRL/PHD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, KDEM, KU 
SUBJECT: NGO'S IN KUWAIT: NEARLY GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR RICHARD H. JONES, REASON 1.4(b) 
 
1.(C) SUMMARY: Licensed NGOs in Kuwait are essentially 
quasi-governmental institutions funded, supported, and 
controlled in large part by the government rather than 
independent, autonomous organizations able to challenge the 
status quo or advocate for real social or political change. 
While some NGOs in Kuwait are innovative, professionally run, 
and provide invaluable assistance to target groups, others 
are over-funded and ineffective.  GOK officials concede that 
many non-performing NGOs should be shut down and that they 
constitute a real drain on the government budget. Despite 
this, there does not appear to be any concerted effort or 
incentive on the part of the GOK to "privatize8 the NGO 
sector by pulling the plug on the lavish subsidies and other 
support NGOs receive.  The close government-NGO relationship 
is consistent with Kuwait,s paternalistic, welfare state 
model of governance.  Onerous licensing policies and 
restrictions on NGO activities are hindering the development 
of a more flourishing civil society in Kuwait.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
No More Licenses 
---------------- 
 
2.(C) All NGOs in Kuwait must obtain a license from the 
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in order to operate 
officially and receive GOK funding.  Poloff met with Ministry 
of Social Affairs and Labor Assistant Undersecretary Mohammed 
Ali Al-Kandari and other Ministry officials recently to 
discuss these licensing procedures.  According to the 
Ministry, there are 52 official, licensed NGOs in Kuwait 
(whose total population is about 2.4 million).  Ministry 
officials told Poloff privately that the Council of Ministers 
(Cabinet) specifically instructed the Ministry in a 1985 
directive to &stop licensing NGOs8 as they constituted a 
substantial drain on GOK resources.  Also, Ministry officials 
added, many NGOs were engaged in &redundant activities8 and 
were performing poorly.  The Ministry has largely heeded the 
Council of Minister,s request.  Since 1985, the Ministry has 
issued only 6 new licenses to NGO,s in Kuwait.  The Ministry 
licensed only one NGO in 2003, the Kuwait Society for the 
Care of Children in Hospital.  There are 92 NGOs currently 
pending licensing by the Ministry.  Many have been waiting 
years for approval and Ministry officials admitted that, 
given the Council of Ministers, directive (which is still in 
force), it was unlikely that pending applicants would be 
granted licenses in the near future.  Ministry officials told 
Poloff that, while the Ministry wants to be &liberal8 in 
its approach to NGO formation, the Ministry must be convinced 
that there is a real &need8 for a new NGO in order for it 
to qualify for an operating license. 
 
3.(C) It appears that the GOK uses its power to license as a 
means of political and social control: groups interested in 
pursuing activities deemed contrary to GOK interests are 
simply not licensed.  The Kuwait Human Rights Society (KHRS), 
the only human rights NGO in Kuwait, has been waiting for a 
government license since 1992.  The Ministry claims the 
&normal8 waiting period for issuance of an operating 
license is one month.  (Note: When asked why it has taken 
more than 10 years for this NGO to receive a license, 
Ministry officials had no clear answer other than there are 
&budgetary8 reasons for the delay.  Ministry officials told 
Poloff that the KHRS probably would not/not be licensed in 
the near future. Various members of the KHRS informed us 
recently that Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed has 
promised that the NGO will receive a license soon. End Note). 
 Without a license, the NGO cannot have its own official 
facility, obtain government funding, operate any official 
accounts, or dialogue directly and officially with the GOK on 
human rights issues.  Potential donors are reluctant to 
provide funding to an unofficial entity that has no license. 
KHRS officials have told us they would not/not seek or accept 
government funding if they were licensed.  Despite its 
unofficial status and largely due to the social and political 
prominence of a number of its Board members, the KHRS 
produces an annual report on human rights in Kuwait, 
publishes a quarterly magazine, and meets with some senior 
GOK officials.  However, the NGO will remain limited in its 
ability to mobilize broad public awareness of human rights 
issues in Kuwait, such as the treatment of domestic servants, 
without official legal recognition. 
 
Keep the Money Coming 
--------------------- 
 
4.(C) Official, licensed NGOs in Kuwait are heavily 
subsidized by the GOK, including subsidies for day-to-day 
operating expenses, special programs, and travel and per diem 
expenses for participation in international conferences.  The 
GOK also allocates plots of land on which licensed NGOs can 
build their premises.  For example, the Social Reform Society 
and its counterpart organization for women, both prominent 
and well-established Islamic NGOs, have spacious facilities 
and grounds in prime suburban areas.  Ministry officials told 
Poloff that GOK benefits are so generous that they create 
dependency on the part of some NGOs and a real disincentive 
to improve operational performance.  The Ministry added that 
it is &difficult8 (i.e., politically) to stop the subsidies 
once provided and that this, in part, is why only 6 licenses 
have been granted since 1985.  Ministry officials admitted to 
Poloff that 25% of existing, official NGOs are &redundant8 
in their activities and should be merged with other NGOs, 
while another 25% should have their licenses revoked due to 
poor performance and/or mismanagement. 
 
Government Knows Best 
--------------------- 
 
5.(C) As with licensing, the GOK uses its power over NGO 
purse-strings to control NGO activities.  Members of licensed 
NGO,s require GOK permission to attend international 
conferences.  Licensed NGOs are prohibited from raising money 
through private channels (such as through fund-raising) 
although some may accept limited donations and collect 
minimal user fees to support certain activities.  Only one 
well-known NGO for the disabled (according to the Ministry 
because of its high-profile work and widespread public 
recognition) was permitted to raise private funds to support 
its humanitarian activities.  The vast majority cannot 
without express authorization from the Ministry.  Licensed 
NGOs are prohibited from publishing articles or other written 
products without a separate license from the Ministry of 
Information.  NGOs are also prohibited from deviating from 
the (often narrow) range of pre-determined, GOK-approved 
activities outlined in their charter.  Deviation from these 
set activities can result in the revocation of an NGO's 
license. 
 
6.(C) As a result of the onerous licensing situation, there 
are hundreds of unlicensed, unofficial civic groups, clubs 
and NGOs in Kuwait.  These groups do not receive government 
subsidies and have no legal status.  They are thus limited in 
their ability to raise broad public awareness on key issues 
or mount any significant challenge to government policy.  One 
unlicensed civic group, the Kuwait Friendship Society, told 
Poloff recently that so long as the group,s activities are 
not &controversial8 and remain focused on social and 
cultural events for the benefit of members only, the group 
may operate without government interference. 
 
7.(C) COMMENT: As independent, critical members of civil 
society able and willing to challenge the government and 
serve as advocates for positive change, NGOs in Kuwait are in 
their infancy. The GOK,s unofficial yet prevailing policy to 
curb licensing as well as its powerful control over NGO 
activities hinder the development of a more vibrant, 
independent NGO sector.  For MEPI project planning in 
particular, it will be important to keep in mind the 
realities and limitations facing the NGO sector in Kuwait. 
Most licensed NGOs appear to be involved in social 
welfare-type activities, such as providing educational 
assistance to women and bidoon, funding daycare for children 
from lower-income families, and supporting the ill or 
elderly.  Many are successful and contribute significantly to 
Kuwait,s social welfare objectives.  However, very few 
actively seek or have the capability to serve as voices for 
changes to Kuwait,s democracy or human rights situation.  If 
the Kuwait Human Rights Society does obtain an operating 
license soon as some of its members expect and if the GOK 
allows it to operate without any government funding, that 
will mark a significant opening for civil society. END 
COMMENT. 
 
JONES