The Durban Strategy, NGOs and Human Rights

Gerald Steinberg

Conference on Ethical Norms in a Political World: NGOs, Human

Rights

NGO Monitorwww.ngo-monitor.org

THE POLITICAL POWER OF NGOs

• Non-Governmental Organizations are powerful political actors

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• NGOs define human rights, “war crimes”, violations of international law, etc.• NGOs are not subject to accountability or “checks and balances” • NGOs have no systematic basis for determining the boundary between legitimate criticism and demonization

NGO SUPERPOWERSAnnual budgets

Human Rights Watch                              $ 56 million  Amnesty International (£23.7 million)  $ 43 million   Christian Aid    (£58.5 million)  $ 90 million Oxfam   $368 million  MSF/ Doctors Without (€366 million) $468 million

Borders

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NGO POWER ON DISPLAY:DURBAN – SEPTEMBER 2001

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DURBAN CONFERENCE NGO DECLARATION

• “We declare Israel as a racist, apartheid state in which Israel’s brand of apartheid as a crime against humanity…”

• “…we declare and call for an immediate end to the Israeli systematic perpetration of racist crimes including war crimes, acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing…”

• "Call upon the international community to impose a policy of complete and total isolation of Israel as an apartheid state…"

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NGOsNGOs

MediaMedia

UN and DiplomatsUN and Diplomats

AcademiaAcademia

Durban

Jenin

UNHCR

UNGA and ICJ

Boycott and Divestment

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• Derrick Pounder (Amnesty) on the BBC: “the signs pointed to a massacre”

• Roth (HRW) and Kahn (Amnesty) spoke about Israeli “war crimes”, erasing the context of terror;

• Christian Aid film Peace under Siege dedicated to Palestinian victims of Jenin

NGOs and the Jenin “Massacre” Myths

April 2002

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NGOs, ACADEMIC BOYCOTTS AND NGOs, ACADEMIC BOYCOTTS AND DIVESTMENT CAMPAIGNSDIVESTMENT CAMPAIGNS

•SABEEL Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, in cooperation with Jeff Halper (ICAHD)•Mennonite Central Committee (CIDA)•al Mezan (SDC, Sweden, Netherlands Representative Office,…) •Miftah (European governments)

RESEARCHING NGO AGENDASHRW IN THE MIDDLE EAST – 2004

145

91

42

1323

37

Israel

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

PalestinianAuthority

Syria

Libya

Data based on the number and relative weight of documents produced in 2004, compared to other countries in the Middle East, and excluding Iraq-related documents, of which actually pertained to US policy.

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AI has adopted “double standards on human rights…and propaganda against America and Israel.”  http://www.capitalresearch.org/pubs/pubs.asp?ID=511

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AI Reports per million peopleBeginning 2005 - March 2006

U.S.

SaudiaArabiaIsrael

GlobalRate

0.09 0.02

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1

2

3

4

5

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CAPITAL RESEARCH CENTERSTUDY OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

HRW’s use of “Durban” Rhetoric- 2005.

38

2 4 3 1

0

10

20

30

40

Israel Egypt Morocco

Violations International Humanitarian law / Human

Rights Law18

31 1

0

5

10

15

20

Israel Syria Egypt Syria

Arbitrary / Unlawful Killing/ Killing of Civilians / Extra Judicial

Killing / Summary Execution

•In HRW Middle East publications, Israel was the only country charged with "collective punishment" and "war crimes".

•Israel charged with "grave" and /or "serious" human rights "violations" and/or "abuses" 32 times; Egypt 22 ; all other countries fewer than 10.

WHO SETS THE AGENDA?REPORTS ON ISRAEL/PA AND SUDAN SEPTEMBER 2000- 2004

020406080

100120140160180200

AI HRW ICJ

Israel / PASudan

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QUESTIONS:POLITICS, HUMAN RIGHTS AND

THE ROLE OF NGOs

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•What is the status of NGOs in international diplomacy? What is the basis for their role in the UN?

•Where is the line between “legitimate criticism” and demonization rhetoric -- “war crimes”, “violation of international law”, “collective punishment”, “excessive” /”disproportionate” force, etc.•How can NGO officials and funders be held accountable?

•To what degree do NGO officials use universal norms to pursue their own particular objectives?

QUESTIONS:NGOs and Ideology

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•To what degree do NGO officials promote post-colonial and post-nationalist ideologies, assigning virtue to “victims”, and guilt to others? •To what degree to NGOs provide informed criticism vs. becoming parties to the conflict?

Human Rights NGOs and the Media: Is there a Halo Effect?

• Do what degree do journalists examine the credibility of NGO reports and claims?

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• Are NGO claims credible? What are their research capabilities?

• To what degree do their political and ideological biases determine NGO reports and allegations?

Who Funds Political NGOs?

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•NGO participation in Durban was funded by the Ford Foundation, other private funds, European governments, Canada, and others•Despite pledges by Ford, funding for most Durban NGOs continues

•EU, Canada, Swiss, Japanese, etc funding for NGO under “Partnership for Peace”, Human Rights and Palestinian civil society

EUPFP "PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE PROGRAMME"AWARDED IN JULY 2005 - Israeli NGOs -- 3.6 Million Euros

Women's Fund for Human Rights

Machsom Watch60,000 EU

Commitment to Peace and Social Justice

Civic Action Groups for Peace and Social Justice – unknown NGO

179,335

Machon Mifne - Amuta for Developments of New Educational Treaty

Peace & Democracy Programs Directed to Traditional Religious and Anti-Peace Constituencies

296,000

H.L. Education for Peace Ltd.

Using the Geneva initiative to encourage post Gaza negotiated permanent status peace.

220,000

EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East

Advancing Community Based Reconciliation by Focusing on Cross-Border Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian Neighboring Communities

500,000

EUPFP "PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE PROGRAMME"AWARDED IN JULY 2005 - Israeli NGOs -- 3.6 Million Euros: CONTINUED

The Peres Center for Peace

Aix Group – “Exploring the Economic Dimensions of a ‘Two State’ Final Status Agreement between Israel and Palestine”

483,940

Parents Circle-Families Forum

Building Trust and Hope 500,000

Ir Amim (A.R.) Penultimate Jerusalem: Overcoming the Obstacles to Final Status in Jerusalem

475,160

ICAHD (Jeff Halper)

Re-Framing: Providing a Coherent Paradigm of Peace to the Israeli Public

472,786

Peres Center for Peace and Panorama Center

"The Palestinian Israeli Peace NGOs Forum"

500,000

EIDHR (HUMAN RIGHTS) GRANTS -- AUGUST 2005

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel

East Jerusalem issues

100,000

Arab Association for Human Rights

HRA Research and reporting department

95,532

Hamoked Center for the defense of the Individual

Accessibility to the Israeli Legal System for Palestinian Victims of Human Rights Violations

93,696

Adva Centre Better implementation of Human Rights through better budgeting

83,977

The College of Management - The Concord Research Center for the Interplay Between Israeli Law and International Norms

Amicus Curie for International Law

42,400

•Most global NGOs (Amnesty, HRW) have essentially no independent research capability.

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Examining NGO Credibility

•They rely on Palestinian “eyewitness testimony” and journalists who use the same sources.

NGO Credibility“…Amnesty International has reported that Israeli soldiers deliberately aim at Palestinian children. When asked to document that they couldn't come up with a single case.

“Human Rights Watch has made up stories that have had no corroboration whatsoever. …..”

“I spoke with Donatella Rovera, who is AI's researcher …and asked her to provide the data …Rovera acknowledged that …the report was based on anecdotal information, …from Palestinian NGOs.

“It is impossible …for any outside researcher to replicate AI's study and to confirm or disconfirm its conclusions.

- Prof. Alan Dershowitz

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HRW’s Credibility In Gaza • On June 13, HRW’s Mark Garlasco held a

press conference in Gaza – claimed evidence pointing to Israeli responsibility for the Friday beach incident

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• Garlasco was also the author of HRW’s “Razing Rafah” report (11/2004), which was highly political and contained numerous inaccuracies.•How does the press verify Garlasco’s allegations?

NGO Anti-Semitism

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Addressing NGO Political Agendas

• Code of Conduct/Ethics for NGOs.• Application of a single universal human

rights standard equally to all countries, including Israel

• Accountability• Transparency• Education

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Watching The Watchers: NGO MONITOR

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