What is an NGO?
It is hard to give a brief definition of an NGO (Non-governmental organization), given the richness
and diversity of their activities but they do share certain special characteristics.
Generally speaking, the definition relates to organizations which meet the following three criteria:
• The first, which is immediately obvious from their name, is their relationship to public
authorities. NGOs are in fact independent of the state, though that does not prevent their
collaborating with governments or receiving financial aid from them.
• But the above criterion alone is not sufficient: there are other international organizations, such as
multinational corporations, which are independent of the state. The second criterion, therefore, is
that of being an association. That is to say, an NGO is a group of private individuals brought
together for non-profit making purposes.
• In addition, this association usually exists to uphold some human, universal and democratic
values. Thus, aid is one of the many fields in which NGOs work.
WHEN DID NGOS FIRST APPEAR ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE?
Aid is not a twentieth-century phenomenon: charitable societies and ‘good works’ have existed
since antiquity. The twentieth century can, however, be called the ‘century of the NGO’. NGOs
developed from1945 in the wake of the UN (United Nations). A further wave of humanitarian
initiatives marked the 1970s with the development of organizations ‘without frontiers’.
Nowadays there is a proliferation of NGOs. According to the Union of International Associations
(UIA), there were about 40,000 international non-governmental organizations (INGO) throughout
the world in 2001. Eight years later, the Yearbook of International Organizations had uploaded
entries on 60,000 civil society organizations in 300 countries and territories, in every field of human
endeavor. Today, there are an estimated 10 million (non-governmental organizations) NGOs
worldwide.
IS AN NGO A NATIONAL OR AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION?
An NGO has its roots in a single country or it may develop from the outset as an international
network. Examples of the former are Oxfam (in Great Britain) or CARE (in the United States of
America), both of which originally raised funds only in their own countries, before setting up links
with international federations. In the latter category is Amnesty International, founded in Great
Britain, but which, from the beginning, sought support in other countries.
IO, IGO, NGO, INGO: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?
An IO (International Organization) is a collective term which encompasses all sorts of international
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organizations, while an IGO (Intergovernmental Organization) is an organization with regional or
international responsibilities, created by several states, the UN and UNESCO for example.
An INGO (International Non-governmental Organization) is an organization created by
transnational agencies (NGOs, corporations, political parties…).
WHAT IS THE STATUS OF NGOS IN RELATION TO THE UN?
Article 71 of the UN Charter recognizes the special role of transnational agencies, including of
course NGOs, which may participate in a consultative capacity in the Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC). A series of resolutions governs the way in which this consultation may take place.
Today, nearly 2000 NGOs are involved in ECOSOC.
Source: THE RECORDS OF NGOs, MEMORY … TO BE SHARED. A practical guide in 60
questions, prepared by Armelle Le Goff, senior curator of the National Archives Historical Centre
(France). © ICA, 60, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 75003 Paris, France.
Reading test:
Which of the following criteria can help define any kind of NGO?
a) state participation
b) corporation investment
c) collaboration with governments and IGOs
d) non-profit goals
e) grassroots organization
f) local or transnational operations
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