PUBLISHED: JANUARY 6, 2000

At a seminar in Taiwan, the Himalayan Foundation proudly presented a Chinese translation of the World Bank Handbook on Good Practices for Laws Relating to Non-Governmental Organizations. A print copy of the Handbook is available by contacting the Himalayan Foundation.

The Himalayan Foundation is organizing a discussion of the Handbook, which will be conducted partially in seminars and conferences, and as an on-line discussion on their web site. At the conclusion of these discussions, the foundation hopes to form a working group to prepare legislative proposals.

Chinese is the tenth language in which the Handbook has been made available: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Albanian, Russian, Polish, Vietnamese, and Bulgarian (partial). The International Center for Not-for Profit Law (ICNL) was commissioned by the World Bank to prepare a handbook that sets forth key issues and good practices for laws relating to non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This Handbook is based upon extensive research, hands on experience working in many countries, and key principles undergirding civil society. The Handbook is still a discussion draft and comments are always welcome.