NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

Always angels??

Introductory Remarks

Structure of our course so far tempts us to focus on NGOs working (from outside) in conflict situations. But:

• Many NGOs work for humanitarian, human-rights or ‘single-issue’ causes in ‘peacetime’, inc in our own countries

• Local NGOs also vital for outcomes • Even wider range of ‘civil society’ actors,

crucial i.a. for Security Sector Reform

IS THERE ANYTHING ALL NGOs HAVE IN COMMON?

• Not governmental (or institutional, like UN agencies)

• ‘Self-motivated’, free choice of action

• But not always ‘self-financed’ - agents of aid delivery, recipients of aid

• Can be quite ‘institutionalized’ and in weak states could be filling power gap

NGOS IN THE POWER NEXUS

• Work against, with or ‘for’ govts/insts

• Work against, with or ‘for’ business actors

(how to classify things like the Gates Foundation??)

• Take resources from private citizens to private citizens

SKETCH OF ISSUES: MACRO

More than ‘the ladle in the global soup kitchen’:• Humanitarian vs. development or ‘caring’ vs.

‘solving’/’reforming’ goals• Caring for human bodies or human rights • ‘Neutrality’ in conflict, posn. on violence?• If transmitting standards, which standards?• Top-down, North-South vs. empowering and

facilitating models• Fire-fighting, or longer engagement?

SKETCH OF ISSUES: NGO GOVERNANCE

• General codes + norms; self-policing??• Answerability for impact/efficiency • Fund-raising techniques, competition• Status when delivering others’ funds• Administrative expenses• Staff qualifications, motivation• Staff safety, ‘NGOs as targets’

LOOKING AHEAD

• NGOs’ fear of subjection/manipulation as govts do more complex conflict management but also like using agents

• Classic NGO funding/work methods (govt, private giving) overtaken by Soros, Gates, single-issue drives?

• Various factors weakening ‘Northern’ leadership + control

AFTER THE BREAK

• Will look in more detail at challenges for NGO impacts + principles in a rather chaotic conflict situation

• Not that this is the only setting for ambiguity: consider diversion of charity payments to terrorists (and Hamas humanitarian work); rights and wrongs of single issue campaigns eg on fur, whaling; misuse of ‘civil society’ organizational forms eg in Communist states

ROLES OF NGO X-AID

• Direct humanitarian delivery: food, drugs, medical assistance

• Running a large refugee camp on the state border

• Working with a local charity for aid distribution in an ethnic minority area

• Working under protection of a NATO team in unstable Province Y

• WHAT ISSUES CAN ARISE??

DIRECT AID DELIVERY

• Clues: - By what routes? To whom?

REFUGEE CAMP ON BORDER

• Clues: who and what is in the camp? What comings and goings?

LOCAL CHARITY + ETHNIC GROUP

• Clues: what will this do for the group’s and the charity’s post-conflict status?

WORKING WITH NATO

• Clues: Independence? Impact? Image? Pros + cons for safety?

ANY REMEDIES?

Look within the range:

• Prohibition/avoidance

• Regulation (is the ‘contract’ relevant??)

• Self-regulation