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PROMOTING AN ENABLING LEGAL ENVIRONMENT FOR CIVIL SOCIETY AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN COUNTRIES IN ASIA.
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Launched in 2005 by the International Center or Civil Society Law (ICCSL), the Asia-Pacific Centre for Civil Society Law (APCCSL) seeks to protect human freedoms, by improving the laws that affect the freedoms of belief, expression, association, assembly, information, and participation throughout Asia Pacific Region.
APCCSL pursues its mission through three separate but inter-related programs: Research and publications; technical assistance; and education and professional development.
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| Highlights: |
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| February 2012 |
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ICCSL staff visited Beijing and Shenzhen |
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ICCSL staff on a visit to Shenzhen local bureau of civil affairs and local CSOs in connection with a new project for UNDP. More photos can be found in our photo gallery. |
ICCSL staff visited Beijing and Shenzhen in connection with a new project for UNDP. They talked with national MoCA staff in Beijing and traveled with national MoCA and UNDP staff to Shenzhen. While there they met with Shenzhen officials as well as two local CSOs, one involved with migrant workers and the other with autism. |
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| December 2011 |
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Dr. Leon Irish and Prof. Karla Simon attended a major international conference on Outsourcing Government Financed Social Services to Civil Society Organizations on December 10-11.
The conference was held in Shanghai and was sponsored by the More Love Foundation, Shanghai Jiaoting University, and Tsinghua University. Prof. Simon was a featured speaker.
Additional photos are available in our photo gallery.
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| November 2011 |
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China - Guangdong Province Introduces Major Reforms in CSO Registration Process
In a move widely covered in the press and on civil affairs websites throughout China, Guangdong Province's Bureau of Civil Affairs (BCA)
has announced a major reform that will make it easier for eight classes of CSOs to register; they will go into effect on July 1, 2012
according to a story in the Legal Daily at http://opinion.people.com.cn/GB/16387115.html.
Leap-frogging the provincial development,
Guangzhou City BCA has announced that it will put new regulations of a similar type into effect on January 1, 2012. The document is
available at http://www.gzmz.gov.cn/zwgl/flwj/gfxwj/201111/11285.html. According to the Guangdong Province NPO website, the national
officials are encouraging these pilot projects to go forward and to inform that national effort for reforming the registration process.
See http://www.gdmjzz.gov.cn/. (All links in Mandarin) More information on these developments will be found in Karla Simon's next blog
on Latest from Alliance.
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| November 2010 |
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New listserv for people interested in civil society in China
Professor Karla Simon has begun a new listserv for people interested in civil society in China, hosted by CUA Law School.
It already has over 300 subscribers, even though it began a little over two weeks ago. The subscribers include legal academics,
academics in other disciplines, practitioners, and journalists. They live in many parts of the world, including China. Conversations
so far have been quite robust and have helped to contribute to the scholarship of many list members. The subscription information is as
follows:
- Compose an email to LISTSERV@LISTS.CUA.EDU
- Leave subject line blank
- In body type, "subscribe chinacivilsoc subscriber's first name and last name" (without the quotation marks)
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| September 2010 |
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Karla Simon quoted in  September 2010
Official outlook continues uncertain for Chinese NGOs
Recent moves in China seem designed to ease regulation for local civil society organizations. However, the attitude towards national-level NGOs that receive external funding remains lukewarm. Local experiments, says a paper by Karla Simon and Hang Gao, are being conducted to eliminate the dual management requirement for small community civic organizations (CCOs) in various ways. These include a modified dual management system, a documentation system and a system of registration and management by local Civil Affairs departments.
To read more click on http://www.alliancemagazine.org/node/3440.
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| May 2010 |
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Karla Simon Quoted in WSJ China Blog
Stanley Lubman, one of the pre-eminent legal scholars of China, recently quoted two of Prof. Karla Simon's papers in his blog for the Wall Street Journal. "The latest crackdowns reflect only one of various currents in Chinese government policy toward NGOs. A useful analysis by Karla Simon, an expert on China's NGOs, describes a complex regulatory structure and inconsistent administrative patterns. (Karla W. Simon, Regulation of Civil Society in China: Necessary Changes After the Olympic Games and the Sichuan Earthquake Fordham Int’l L. Journal, vol. 32, 2009, 943). Simon also notes that "Experiments have been conducted in outsourcing social services and reforming the registration system to move toward doing away with the "dual management" system. (Karla W. Simon and Hang Gao, Opening the Space: New Developments for China’s Community Organizations.)"
The latter article, which is posted as a "work in progress" to the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) has made several "top ten" download lists in recent weeks.
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| November 2009 |
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Visit of Chinese Delegation to ICCSL
 
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ICCSL hosted a Chinese delegation to the United States, comprised of government officials and CSO leaders.
The aim of the delegation was to discuss the role of civil society in environmental protection. Our discussions also ranged over a number
of civil society issues, including new developments with regard to the documentation system for a local entity to begin work for public benefit and the proposed charity law.
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| June 2009 |
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China Visit June 2009
 Prof. Lester Salamon of the Center on Civil Society of Johns Hopkins University joined Prof. Karla Simon of the Columbus School of Law of the Catholic University of America and Dr. Leon Irish, President of ICCSL, in a visit to China in early June. The principal purpose was to have a seminar at the World Bank's Beijing office to discuss the draft report "Outsourcing Social Services to CSOs: Lessons from Abroad," which was prepared for the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Click here for more details and photos from the 2009 China visit.
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| December 2007 |
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Prof. Karla Simon participated in the "International Symposium on Legal Issues for NPOs" held in Beijing, China.
The seminar was sponsored by GTZ, the German international development agency, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MoCA).
The report on the symposium, which details the discussions and conclusions, is currently being translated into Chinese for use
by the Ministry in the development of new legislation (the proposed Charity Law) and regulations. More photos from the symposium
are available in the Picture Gallery.
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| What our partners are saying: |
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From an NGO activist in Mongolia:
Thanks for care about the tax law; your comments were very helpful for us.
From a Japanese civil society researcher and activist:
Thanks again for helping to reform Japanese legal system for not-for-profit organizations. I am sure you and Lee played very important roles. In the quite near future, I would like to trace your roles for the Japanese reform.
From a Chinese law professor and researcher:
I have owned a copy of your long report (144 pages) on taxation of Chinese NPOs. This is the first authoritative research and detailed analysis; now all other Chinese research articles refer to your report. Interestingly, you two are the important drafters. Thanks for your hard work for my country.
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For more information on news items, click on APCCSL News.
May 2011
Vietnam
Government Releases New Regulations on Associations and on Social and Chritable Funds
The Vietnamese government released new regulations on social and charitable funds in early May. These replace rules from 2007.
New regulations on associations were also issued; these amend and supplement the framework regulations for associations issued in 2010.
China
Front page story on NPOs and philanthropy in China in China Daily for May 12
available at http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/weekly/2012-05/11/content_15269496.htm.
April 2012
China
New "Normative Rules" on Foundations
New "Normative Rules" on Foundations Issued by Ministry of Civil Affairs (for public comment) MCA issued new normative rules on April 25, which are meant to supplement existing donation disclosure rules issued in December 2011. They deal with issues of transparency and accountability and envision new reporting procedures for public fund-raising foundations.
March 2012
China
Developments Regarding Charity and Civil Society at the "Two Sessions" of the Ruling Bodies
Most importantly, Premier Wen Jiabao mentioned charity and civil society in his work report his "State of the Union-style" address for 2012 read out to the National People's Congress (NPC) on March 5, 2012. His remarks include mention of the need "to accelerate the development of social welfare and charitable / philanthropic pursuits / efforts."
India
Recommendations from Standing Committee on Finance Reported
The Direct Taxes Code Bill, 2010, introduced in Lok Sabha on 30 August 2010 was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance on 9 September 2010 for examination and report thereon. This Committee presented its Report on 9 March 2012.
February 2012
China
New Rules For Charitable Activities Of Religious Organization Released by SARA
The State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA) has released regulations on charitable activities for religious organizations.
They are available on SARA's website (www.sara.gov.cn) and will soon be available on the website in both Chinese and English.
January 2012
China
112 Charities to Join Online Disclosure Platform
To restore public trust in charities, 112 Chinese organizations are on track to participate in a government-sponsored information disclosure platform, according to Caixin Online. In the wake of immense public backlash against China’s charities over millions in misused funds, these organizations have pledged to promote information transparency through a new government disclosure platform.
China
Ministries of Civil Affairs and Finance Issue New Audit Guidelines for Foundations Effective January 2012
The new Audit Guidelines, available in Chinese at
http://www.mca.gov.cn/article/zwgk/fvfg/mjzzgl/201112/20111200248698.shtml,
for the first time require that financials of foundations be reviewed by certified public accountants. This guidance comes in response to a series of scandals in "public foundations"
(those with close ties to the government such as the Chinese Red Cross Society and the China Charity Federation) that occurred over the course of the summer and fall 2011.
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