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These articles offer a snapshot of how NGOs and civil society are being portrayed and profiled in the press around the world.
Traditionally, NGOs wanting to operate in China have had to face many requirements set by the State, which has served, in many cases, as a deterrent to their engagement at a national level. Recognizing the contribution of NGOs in delivering social programmes, however, the Chinese Government has decided to ease its obligations for NGOs by eliminating their need to be sponsored by a government department. (read)
To ensure that NEPAD projects have a direct impact on the livelihood of African communities, the NEPAD Secretariat has recently decided to allow civil society organizations to determine which projects governments will implement in certain countries. (read)
Partnerships between NGOs may sometimes harbor an imbalance in the distribution of authority within a project due to sources of funding coming largely from one partner, usually an international NGO. These lopsided dynamics can often have a perverse effect on development efforts, but this author believes these inequalities can be overcome. (read) In response to what some NGOs point to as the World Bank's failure to uphold its promise to conduct an environmental evaluation for one of its pending projects, a group of Brazilian NGOs along with the Social Movements Forum removed their representatives from the civil society consultations organized by the World Bank in Rio de Janeiro. (read) Rajasthan
to Involve NGOs in Water Projects After making
a significant contribution in water conservation efforts, Indian
NGOs are invited by a provincial government in India to play a
more active role in the management of water projects. (read) |
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This section draws on the scholarly/academic discourse on the significance of NGOs and civil society in both international and national political landscapes.
Progress in human rights requires the establishment of conditions conducive to their respect. The authors of this essay suggest that these conditions cannot solely consist in national and international legal structures. An engaged civil society is needed in order to promote human rights and advocate for their application. (read)
In developing countries, Western NGOs have been successful at blocking development projects deemed harmful to the environment. The halting of these projects sometimes prevents millions of people from having access to clean water and electricity. This article offers a reflection on the actions of some NGOs and questions whether they are doing more harm than good in the war against poverty. Using case studies in Uganda and China, the author argues that zealous NGOs sometimes undermine the will of the people and mislead the general public by mounting campaigns that serve nothing but their own cause. (read)
The political nature of humanitarian aid, coupled with the new context of insecurity, militarization, privatization and the merging of developmental and security aims, has created dilemmas that are plaguing NGOs' sense of neutrality. Read how NGOs are adapting themselves by abandoning or pursuing their humanitarian principles. (read)
If the African Union (AU) wants to expand democracy and stimulate economic development in Africa, Charles Mutasa is convinced that it will need to include the voices of its intended beneficiaries - the African people. The author suggests that top-down approaches emanating from intergovernmental summits without the people will not change the face of Africa; rather, the AU must become a space where civic actors can dialogue with governments. (read)
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Volume
2:
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UN-NGLS,
Palais de Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Telephone:41-22-917-2076, Fax:41-22-917-0432, Email: ngls@unctad.org |
UN-NGLS,
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Volume 2 -
September - November 2005 -  |
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Statements and positions from NGOs and civil society are featured here to demonstrate how these actors relate to the UN system and use multilateral fora to advance the issues they champion. Also featured is documentation on civil society and NGOs emanating from the multilateral system.
Under the
banner of "Women As the Voice for the Environment" (WAVE),
the first Global Women’s Assembly on the Environment (sponsored
by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Women’s
Environment and Development Organization) was held in Nairobi
from 11-13 October. The Assembly aimed to put women’s issues
at the centre of the global environmental effort to deliver the
Millennium Developments Goals (MDGs) and the World Summit on Sustainable
Development’s (WSSD) Plan of Implementation. Participants
developed a Manifesto on Women and the Environment. In response to an open debate by the Security Council, the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security urged Member States on the Council to take further action in the implementation, monitoring and reporting of Resolution 1325, which addresses the impact of war on women, and women's contribution to conflict resolution and sustainable peace. (read) For Years
On: An Alternative Report and Progress Check on the Implementation
of Security Council Resolution 1325 This report provides United Nations (UN) Member States insight into the ways in which women's civil society organizations have been utilizing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR 1325) since its unanimous adoption four years ago. Based on qualitative information collected from civil society, governments and UN agencies and programmes, this report makes five central recommendations to advance the systematic implementation of SCR 1325. (read)
On October
4, the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO) agreed to adopt a "Proposal for the Establishment
of a Development Agenda for WIPO." This proposal was strongly
supported by developing countries, as well as by a large contingent
of civil society. Prior to the meeting, hundreds of nonprofits,
scientists, academics and other individuals had signed the "Geneva
Declaration on the Future of WIPO," which called on WIPO
to focus more on the needs of developing countries, and to view
Intellectual Property as one of many tools for development - not
as an end in itself.
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Advocacy is a feature often associated with NGOs and civil society, but many also have the capacity to produce compelling and valuable research, which underpins their advocacy work. This section carries examples of recent civil society and NGO research.
The 12th edition
of the World Disasters Report examines the capacity of disaster-affected
people to cope with apparently hopeless situations and argues
that a more inclusive approach to creating disaster resilience
is needed. This approach would dispel the myth of the helpless
victim and the infallible humanitarian by putting communities
in charge of defining their needs and crafting the right solutions
when faced with a crisis. According to the report, this paradigm
shift can only occur by tapping into local knowledge, skills,
determination, livelihoods, cooperation, access to resources and
representation. (read)
This report presents the results of Global Witness and Amnesty International's survey into the diamond jewellery retail sector's implementation of self-regulation to support the Kimberley Process. Focusing on retailers in the US and the UK, the report shows a continued lack of systematic monitoring to prevent trade in conflict diamonds, and that companies are falling short in their implementation of voluntary self-regulation. (read)
This study seeks to provoke reflections among NGOs regarding their work and ambitions for the coming decade. It encourages NGOs to be more assertive in areas where they have the capacity to influence and instill change - environment, urbanization, migration and HIV/AIDS - while recommending that they be more comprehensive and holistic in their approach, more mutual in interactions with southern institutions, more cautious in their use of government resources, and more disposed to raising awareness in northern constituencies. (read - heavy pdf file)
This report, the third in HPG's annual series looking at trends in the international humanitarian sector, focuses on the increasing engagement of the international development aid system in situations which have been traditionally seen as the preserve of the humanitarian community. The report reviews the changing relationship between the ideas, instruments and financing of the humanitarian system and of mainstream development cooperation in situations of protracted crisis. (read)
In its latest report, the New Economics Foundation argues that global warming is threatening the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, and may even reverse human development achievements, as climate change is being felt most by the world's poorest people. Climate proof and climate friendly models of development are identified as viable options to alter the current trends damaging the livelihoods of poor people. (read)
Based on two research missions -- North Darfur (July-August 2004); Khartoum and Darfur (September-October 2004) - Human Rights Watch has released a report documenting and analyzing the continued violence by all parties in the conflict, obstacles to the return of displaced people, the government's efforts to end impunity and the international community's response so far to the ongoing human rights crisis. Emanating from this analysis is a series of recommendations to the UN, the African Union, the Government of Sudan and the rebel groups. (read) |
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 Information You Can Use: A Bi-monthly Service for the UN and Civil Society Volume I, Issue 5, October-November 2004 |
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Civil Society Observer
is a bi-monthly package of documentation of various kinds from all political
persuasions to keep you
informed of developments related to NGOs and civil society. It is divided
into four sections:
In the Press –
snapshots of how NGOs and civil society are being portrayed by the media
and news outlets around the world;
Trends and Debates –this features academic and scholarly discourse
on the role and significance of NGOs and civil society in
the contemporary world;
CSOs and the Multilateral System – position papers, statements
and other documents delivered by civil society and NGOs
at multilateral and international meetings and events. It also carries
documentation relating to NGOs and civil society emanating
from the multilateral system.
CSO Research – featuring analysis and research originating
from civil society and NGOs.
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The
views reflected in this publication are those of the authors and
not those of the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service
or the UN system. See
UN Link -- http://www.un.org/terms.htm#disclaimer
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