Non-Governmental Organizations

Definition/short description NGOs

Non Governmental Organizations(NGOs) are private voluntary organizations whose members are indivuduals or associations that come together to achieve a common purpuse. Some organizations are formed to advocate a particular cause such as Human rights, peace, and environmental protection, while others are established to provide services such as disaster relief, humanitarian and Development aid in war torn societies, or development assistance. Most of the NGOs has a small core paid staff and a larger group of volunteers. NGOs tend to rely on funders and donors to keep the organization alive and to pay for indivudual projects.

In depth

NGOs serve the public good

NGOs are very active worldwide at all levels from human society to governance, from local to national and international politics. National groups are also called interest or pressure groups, and many of these NGOs are now linked in other countries throw transnational networks or federations. International NGOs draw their members from one region or several regions. Some of these NGOs are organized around one issue area, while other are organized around broad issues such as Peace environment or the human rights. Some provide services such as development assistance or Humanitarian aid while other do both like Oxfam. NGOs can also take the place of states, either its performing services that a corrupt government is not doing, or stepping in for a failed state.NGOs have taken on roles in helping a Migrant, Migrant worker and refugee. NGOs provide also education, health, agriculture and Microcredit these were all originally government functions.

Varieties of NGOs

The estimates of numbers of NGOs vary enormously. The Yearbook of International Organizations counts more than 6.500 NGOs worldwide that have an International dimension either in terms of membership or commitment to conduct activities in other states. Exclusively, national NGOs number in the millions. There are international NGOs (INGOs) that are transnational federations that are now linked with national groups. Examples: CARE,Red Crescent Societies,oxfam,International Federation of Red Cross and Human rights watch. The growth of NGOs and NGOs networks in 1990s has been a major factor in the increasing involvement in Governance at all levels from local to global. NGOs come in such variety of forms, with such a variety of emphases that there is a new group of acronyms that explain subtle differences.

• AGO anti governmental organizations
  
• TRANGO transnational NGOs
• GRINGO government regulated and initiated NGOs
• GONGO goverment organized NGOs
• BINGO buisness and industrie NGOs
• DONGO donor organized NGOs
• DODONGO donor dominated NGOs
• ODANGO ODA-financed NGOs
• FLAMINGO flashy minded ngos(representing rich countries)
• PO people organizations
• ONGO oprational NGOs
• ANGO advocacy NGOs
• TSMO transnational social movements
• GSM global social movements

NGOs growth since the 1970s

The growth of NGOs and their influence in the global governance since the 1970s event because of four factors: Globalization and interdependence issues such as human rights, migration, development, population and food aid, global conferences, the communication revolution, the cold war’s end, and the spread of democracy.

Globalization and interdependence issues There is a broad sense among the general public that the world is more closely connected than ever before. There is also an awareness of a set of issues whose solutions depend on intergovernmental cooperation’s. The governments do not posase the information and other resources to deal with these issues. NGOs with their ability to collect information, to mobilize key constituencies, and to target resources on particular goals developed to fur fill these needs, giving them great opportunities for influence for example the European migration policy.

Global conferences and non state actors Since the 1970s NGOs have sought opportunities to participate in agenda setting and negotiations. NGOs intended the conferences to draw attention for global issues such as migration and to mobilize the international community to take steps. Secondly, they created opportunities through conferences to influence for example the Migration policy.

Communication revolution The communication revolution made it possible for NGOs to link individuals and groups without the face to face gatherings at global conferences. The internet, fax and e-mail made it possible for everyone to get access to information about global issues.

The Cold War end and the spread of Democracy With USA and the Sovjet union has new super powers, colonialism came to an end and decolonization started. The collapse of communism in Russia had the result that new states in Europe existed. the end of the confrontation between USA and Soviet Union brought more attention to the non security issues. There came a global spread of democratic political systems. In Democracies, civil societies are enhanced and NGOs are encouraged.

NGOs Roles

NGOs also educate delegates, expand policy options, and bring parties together in third parties venues. They pay also important role in monitoring implementation of human rights norms and environmental regulations. They enhance public participation, mobilizing political groups and individuals to take political action and developing networks, NGOs use the media to publicize information, some of which can be embarrassing to the targeted government.

Finally, Services one provided by governments are being contracted out to private, Non govern mental organizations. NGOs deliver disaster relief, run refugee camps, and provide microcredit loans to pore women and men. They also, ad mister development programs, try to contain the international spread of disease, provide food and shelter for displaced persons and work to clean up the environment.

The relevance of Non-Governmental Organizations for Migration and/or Migration Policy

Functions NGOs for Migration and Migration Policy

Advocacy NGOs try to influence political processes by trying to create a public debate about the issue in this case the migration and/migration policy. The will try to organize protests to show the pulbic concern about migration. They will also try to get media attention to spread information and awareness about migration, by doing so they will try to have indirect influence to the migration policy.

Service NGOs provide support to people in need like stateless people. They supply food shelter technical assistance and relief work. the focus is service and delivery, service groups work internationally because their targeted groups live mostly outside their home country.

NGOs Partnership with IGOs

In order for NGOs to play a role in global governance they need to have access to places where decisions are made. If NGOs want to have influence in this case migration policy they need to cooperate with IGOs. NGOs want the right to lobby governmental delegates, to participate sessions, to obtain documents, to speak, to distribute issue papers , provide data and analysis, and to vote, otherwise it would be too difficult to help migrants or to have influence on the migration policy. NGOs Cooperate also with a particular Inter-Governmental Organization (IGO) The International Organization for Migration (IOM).

NGOs partnership with IOM

• Human rights of Migrants

NGOs and IOM organize workshops and information campaigns to increase the awareness of the Human rights of migrants.

• Labor migration

NGOs and IOM promote regular labor migration, within the framework of combating irregular migration fostering the social and economic development of countries of origin, transit and destination and ensuring respect the right and integrity of labor migrants.

• Migration Health

NGOs and IOM are managing health assessments for refugees and migrants.

• Technical cooperation on migration

(TCM) helps NGOs with technical and material support to enhance civil societies role in contribution with the migration sector this includes also NGOs efforts to research, to provide direct services to migrants and advocacy on behave of the migrants.

• Movement Management

NGOs help IOM with Return migration programs of migrants to their own countries, NGOs help also with tracing families and reunification, sponsorships, transit assistant, and post movement follow up services.

• Assistant voluntary return

NGOs works with IOM on three stages of Assistant voluntary return: Pre departure, transportation and post arrival. NGOs also provide return assistance to irregular migrants and other migrants suck as Asylum seekers.

NGOs activities for migration policy in cooperation with the UN

1 Policy initiating activities

• Agenda and standard setting NGOs try to influence the political agenda by giving allot of attention to migration or migration policy for example.

• Information provision NGOs provide United Nations information which they researched such as migration.

• Lobbying and diplomatic activities NGOs lobby UN officials to convince them about the importance of issues such as migration.

2 Policy developing processes

• Policy advisor NGOs are asked by the UN to give advice on certain issue like migration policy, this means that NGOs can indirectly have influence on migration policy.

• Policy formulator NGOs are directly involved during the process of formulating specific policies.

Examples

Example: Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch try to help HIV positive Migrants by ensuring treatment and health care across borders. They released a report (Returned to Risk: Deportation of HIV-Positive Migrants) with four other HIV/aids NGOs where they try to influence governances to come up with new policies for HIV positive migrants. In the report they describe five cases: Saud Arabia United Arab Emirates. South Africa United States South Korea. Saud Arabia: HIV migrants had to wait for a year before they received medicine or were deported. united Arab Emirates:1.518 non citizen residents effected with HIV, hepatitis B or C or tuberculosis where deported. South Africa: inability to provide HIV treatments for people who are sending back to Zimbabwe. United States: Harsh conditions and poor access for treatment for HIV positive migrants who are in detention, there is also a lack of treatment for some HIV migrants who are deported. south Korea: mandatory HIV testing of migrants and the deportation of those found to be HIV positive. In the report Human rights and the other HIV/aids groups called governances to come up with new deportation policies for these migrants because they have no access for treatment and care in their own country. They also called governances and donors to provide treatment while HIV Positive migrants are waiting for deportation.

Example: Refugees International Who are Refugees International? Refugees Internationaladvocades lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and promotes solution for displacement crisis. Refugees International was started in 1979 as a citizens movement to help indochinese refugees. Since then, Refugees International is one of the leading NGOs that provokes action from global leaders to take action for the refugees problem. Refugees International does not accept funding of de UN because they want there advocacy to be fearless and independed.there are 41.9 million refugees and internally displaced people worldwide and 12 million stateless people with no citizin rights. Refugees International is convinced that timely response to this refugees problem can increase stability in a region before the conflicts spreads across borders. Where do they Work? Refugees International conduct every year 20 to 25 field missions in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. they provide services like food,water,health care,housing,access to education and protection from harm.Refugees International uses the knowledge based of the field missions to challenge policy makers and aid agencies to improve the lives of refugees around the world.

Sources, further reading, links

• International Organization for Migration
• refugees International
• Human Rights watch
• kerstin Martins, NGOs AND THE UNITED NATIONS, PALGRAVE MACMILLAN,2005, ISBN:978-1-4039-9284-0
• Shamima Ahmed, David M.Potter, NGOs in International Politics, kumarian Press Inc, 2006, ISBN:978-1-56549-230-1
• Margaret P.Karns,Karen A.Mingst International Organizations,the Politics and Processes of Global Governance, Lynne Rienner Publishers Inc, 2004, ISBN:978-1-55587-987-7

Related Educational Pages

• IPMProject1