The talk is about the internal problems of civil organizations in Iran; of course, I should mention at the beginning that the security pressure on these organizations makes these problems even more complicated, which should be addressed separately.

Civil organizations in a society where its education system does not teach students about democratic or modern collective work, face many challenges. However, in the absence of this type of education, civil organizations cannot be denied; because the essence of democracy is not parties, but civil society that forces parties and governments towards democracy.

Therefore, the suppression of what is called civil society or the confiscation of their resources is placed on the agenda of governments.

Given these difficult circumstances, root cause analysis is necessary for addressing the problems of civil society institutions.

1- Civil society needs to continuously exist in order to be able to form a suitable competition and partnership among its members in a timely manner, in order to prevent its organization from collapsing.

2- Every organization needs to go through a change of leadership every fifteen years at least; because the change of leadership in an organization shows its ability to build and empower its workforce and attract new talent; but the government is trying to put pressure on organizations to cause two bitter outcomes: either the organization falls apart or it becomes a closed loop for survival; because for an organization to survive, it cannot easily take the risk of changing leadership or accepting new members. Some organizations or movements in Iran, such as the Writers’ Association or the Freedom Movement of Iran, are of this nature and despite their resistance for independence, they are forced to become closed-off structures. At the same time, the government increases the cost of membership in these movements and deprives individuals of their livelihood, meaning they lose their jobs. The pressure currently being put on members of the Teachers’ Association is an example of this.

3- Another issue in professional and civil organizations is their independence. This independence must be preserved. Civil organizations are not affiliated with any political movement, but rather have a relationship with political organizations based on their own independence. Paying attention to this principle allows for greater resilience of the organization, although it does not guarantee its security, but independence and a civil perspective in civil organizations gives it an authenticity that also gives hope to its members.

4- Civil organizations need both acceptance of competition and cooperation within and between organizations to counteract security conspiracies and at the same time strengthen and sustain the organization. Security issues create conflicts among civil organizations and within a profession. These conflicts weaken the profession and cause members to become divided and confused. This method destroys active institutions within the profession and ultimately destroys all of these institutions. Therefore, there must be a competitive spirit and a move towards common goals, where judgment among members of the profession and society becomes the basis for judging the behavior of each profession.

5- But there are a thousand finer points here than just hair. Partnership and competition in every institution must be based on a fundamental principle in order for the professional flow to survive. Within the organization, competition should be the main principle for succession of individuals, even at the cost of fluctuations in the professional flow. Because as long as the aging of the leadership of the profession for any reason destroys competition and growth within the civil flow, it also turns the life of that organization into a self-centered community and limits its connection with society.

6- It seems that the civil society in Iran is facing external and internal obstacles for sustainability. This short article by Fathabadi addresses the internal obstacles that need to be recognized in order to make efforts towards their elimination. Competitiveness, partnership, rotation of responsible positions in any situation, time-bound positions, and accountability of the leaders of the institution are important factors that can sustain the civil society.