MNA � Massoumeh Ebtekar, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs said, "President Rouhani's government policy has been based primarily on supporting the activities of civil society and providing legal support to NGOs.

At the opening ceremony of the 5th Regional Meeting of Women and Family NGOs in Shiraz Ebtekar stated "Rouhani's policies have been the basis for the more effective participation of NGOs in different stages of policy and decision making, as the working groups of the Provincial Planning Council emphasize the presence of NGOs in decision-making processes."

In order to present the proposals, innovations and creations of NGOs in national programs Massoumeh Ebtekar has called for social cohesion, adding "the creation of insecurity, distrust, social unrest and social fragmentation today is part of the psychological war against the people; therefore, the efforts of NGOs will create hope for future generations."

"We cannot expect these institutions to act like the government or to have bureaucratic management systems," said the vice president, pointing out how the management of volunteers and NGOs varies from government to government. "Volunteer management needs emotional intelligence and inspiration and is different from the mechanisms of the government; thus, it is very important to attract funds from the state to invest in, support and strengthen these civil institutions."

Referring to the participation of these NGOs in the recent flood, she said "in this event, we saw how the volunteer forces were motivated despite all the economic problems and other issues that we are all facing, and their actions were miraculous to such an extent that the Supreme Leader compared them to the presence of people on the battlefield of the imposed war."

The vice president for women and family affirmed this development as having great social capital, adding "our social capital has been promoted through coherence and empathy in the recent flood; therefore, we must follow this path, and this ensures the future of Iran's integration against internal and external threats."

Referring to the actions taken by the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affair in order to strengthen these civil institutions, she said "in order to increase the influence and empowerment of NGOs, we have put political and social planning, social cohesion, engagement of the people and education on the agenda."

Ebtekar also emphasized the collective and networked efforts taken in utilizing shared capacities, saying that the number of NGOs in our country is worthy of attention and that if they work together, they can have a more positive impact."

She added "therefore, it is essential to communicate and formulate joint plans between the organizations and the provinces, in order to tackle the issues that are seen in the NGOs with motivation, vitality, hope and a creative outlook."

She emphasized the importance of establishing effective NGO participation in different stages of policy making and decision making, and said "the working group of the Provincial Planning Council emphasizes the presence of NGOs in decision-making processes."

The 5th Regional Meeting of Women and Family NGOs will be held in Shiraz from July 6 to 9, with the focus on holding specialized training workshops aimed at enhancing participatory approaches."

This special meeting is held in the four provinces of Fars, Bushehr, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Khuzestan, with the support of the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs in order to strengthen the communication and interaction among women and family NGOs, as well as the establishment of a link between NGOs and the government as part of President Rouhani's government policies.