DEVELOPMENT: Co-operation Between Governments and NGOs Called For

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Linus Atarah

TAMPERE, Finland, Aug 30 2000 (IPS) - In recent times non governmental organisations (NGOs) have become important actors in national and international political arenas.

A mass demonstration by NGOs is thought to have contributed to the deadlocked trade negations in Seattle last year.

A similar demonstration was organised in a failed attempt to shut down the joint meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington in April this year.

Yet that increasing visibility of NGOs in public affairs is not matched by a clear perception of their proper role. While many view the upsurge of NGOs as a positive development, others associate NGOs with violent demonstrations so often portrayed in the media.

“Making Sense of Development NGOs” was the theme of an international seminar held in the Finnish city of Tampere this week.

Bringing together hundreds of researchers and activists in the NGO community, the two-day seminar was aimed at examining the current and future role of NGOs in order to clear the persistent doubts around their activities, said the organisers.

For instance, in the aftermath of the Washington demonstrations, Karen Lissakers, the US representative in the executive board of the IMF, complained that governments are becoming disturbed that NGOs are not accountable to anyone yet are allowed to have too much influence in policy-making.

But Professor Ulla Vuorela, of the University of Helsinki, speaking at the seminar, said that the activities of NGOs are generally seen to be opposed to governments but in the current globalisation process that divide has to be bridged.

“In a situation where governments fail to give space to civil society, it is proper that civil society should take up the task of demanding that space. But in the current situation governments and NGOs may have common concerns to share, even forge alliances regardless of their relationship,” she said.

Vuorela identified the International Monetary Fund, WTO, World Bank and international finance capital as, what she calls, the “great alliances of our time”.

This alliance, she said, is muzzling in on the powers of national governments making them increasingly vulnerable.

“All states are being weakened in a sense because they are asked to concede decision-making powers to international finance to enter and operate in their countries. Where financial capital can invest is a matter of no small consequence,” she said.

“Governments are sandwiched between these alliances and NGOs but NGOs could help governments take a firm stand against certain developments that are not in their interests,” added Vuorela.

She cited trade related intellectual property rights and the patenting of genetic resources in the WTO trade regime as prime examples that are denuding the developing countries of natural resources.

In a similar vein, Dr Thomas Wallgren, of the philosophy department at the University of Helsinki, pointed out that contrary to what advocates say, globalisation constraints freedom.

“Civic action brings to the public their wishes, aspirations and demands on a reordering of the laws under which they live. But globalisation stifles these because decisions are regulated from above by transnational regimes such as WTO, NAFTA, etc.”

Researchers have attributed the upsurge of NGOs in development co-operation as a reflection of the dissatisfaction in both market and the state.

But mostly working at the grassroots level NGOs have been identified as more efficient than government bureaucracies, to deliver vital social services to the neglected social sectors and in alleviating poverty.

Therefore, international donors saw this as an opportunity to channel development funding to these organisations in the developing countries.

But this general positive view of NGOs has ran into problems in some poor countries, said Krishna Bhattachan, a lecturer at Tribhuvan University in Nepal.

According to him, NGOs in Nepal have become a swear word.

Development NGOs have acquired such a bad public image that many people do not like to be associated with them.

He says ordinary people have not realised a significant improvement in their life situation, because for one thing, NGOs are mainly centred in the capital, Kathmandu, far removed from a majority of the marginalised social groups.

For another thing in a caste-based society such as Nepal, many NGOs are dominated by the upper castes that avoid coming into contact with members of the lower castes.

“The offices of NGOs are equipped with faxes, computers, email facilities, while leaders drive round in four-wheeled air- conditioned Pajeros and are drawing handsome salaries”.

Indeed NGOs in Nepal have become so discredited that a whole set of new terminology has been coined to describe them.

“There are family NGOs, “suitcase NGOs”, “briefcase NGOs”, depending on the amount of funds they control, Bhattachan said. Instead of contributing to a trickle-down effect, NGOs in Nepal are said to be in the “tricking business” and causing a “trick down effect”.

Critics have also said that a large influx of foreign funding to NGOs in the developing countries is undermining the emergence of a strong civil society in these countries.

Finnish writer and activist, Risto Isomaki, argued that foreign funding has lead to the creation of large number of NGOs who bicker among themselves instead of forming large coalitions of civil society organisations.

On the other hand, Mokbul Morshed of the University Dhaka in Bangladesh, said that a too over-optimistic view has been placed on the NGOs with regards to the alleviation of poverty in developing countries.

“Lets face it, the scope of NGOs are limited and can only reach a small number of people,” he said. Instead, he would like to see the development of a strong state in the developing countries with an increased capacity to deliver social goods.

In spite of the conflicting perspectives on NGOs, Vuorela said that they are vital to a society.

She said NGOs are social movements who are concerned about social issues and through them certain issues can be main streamed.

Vuorela cited the example of Finland, where, she said, women acquired the franchise much earlier than all European countries because women’s’ activism led to its incorporation in legislation.

“The benefits of NGOs is that they arise when there is a need and are often the first to take up issues that otherwise would not be taken up by governments,” she added.