The United Nations, NGOs and Global Governance

Table of Contents

• FOREWARD
• OVERVIEW OF THE CONFERENCE DEBATE
• INTRODUCTION
• THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
• THE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA AND COOPERATION, CONFERENCE FOLLOW-UP, AND UN-NGO COLLABORATION
• WHITHER THE UNITED NATIONS?
• NGOS AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE
• THE GLOBAL GOVERNANCE AGENDA AND DEMOCRACY, EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY WORK, AND THE ECOSOC REVIEW ON NGO ARRANGEMENTS
• STRENGTHENING UN-NGO COOPERATION: VIEWS FROM THE UN SYSTEM
• THE UN, NGOS AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE: CHALLENGES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
• CLOSURE
• Annex I: PROGRAMME
• Annex II: LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
• Annex III: LIST OF ACRONYMS

OVERVIEW OF THE CONFERENCE DEBATE

One of the most interesting and informative aspects of the conference is that it addressed in a frank way some key, and often sensitive, issues on the UN-NGO and NGO-NGO agenda. Many of the issues are connected to the unprecedented increase of NGO participation in UN events, fora and bodies over the past few years. In taking stock of this experience, the meeting clarified ongoing and emerging issues and identified a number of key issues for further dialogue.

The conference addressed three broad themes: the international development agenda; the reform of the United Nations, global governance and NGOs; and formal, informal and practical aspects of UN-NGO cooperation. The following observations are offered in the spirit of a "chairman's summary" for which NGLS accepts responsibility.

The International Development Agenda

Participants recognised that the series of UN world conferences since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) have contributed significantly to the shift in the focus of the international development agenda, and the way in which development issues are conceptualised with emphasis upon poverty eradication, individual (and community) initiative and responsibility, participation and empowerment, women's equality, social progress and environmental sustainability within a market-based economic framework.

The conferences have created unprecedented opportunities for NGO cooperation, networking and dialogue at the international level. In a significant number of countries, the preparations for the conferences have brought governments and civil society representatives into closer dialogue and cooperation through the creation of national planning committees and other mechanisms and arrangements.

A number of participants, particularly those from developing countries, stressed the need to establish and/or strengthen tripartite arrangements between governments, the UN system and NGOs at the national level both for conference follow-up and, more generally, to facilitate a more collaborative and effective response to development problems and issues.

The conferences have helped open up space for NGOs to pursue their goals. However, NGOs from developing countries are experiencing a gap between the commitments made at the international level, and the economic and social realities and trends in their countries. In particular, NGOs from developing countries felt that the goals agreed at the UN conferences in areas such as poverty eradication, social progress and equity and environmental sustainability were being put even further beyond reach by the liberalization and its attendant marginalization of countries and poor people, the structural adjustment programmes being implemented at the national level in many countries, the continuing debt crisis of a large number of countries and the precipitous decline of aid flows to developing countries. For many developing countries, poverty seemed to be spreading and deepening and this did not auger well for their development aspirations but was, rather, a recipe for increasing conflict.

Indeed, from the viewpoint of developing countries, the international community is moving away from investing in development to responding to conflicts and emergencies. In this context, the role of NGOs is to inform their partners and constituencies of the commitments made by governments. NGOs also monitor and support governmental implementation of those commitments, and support and implement projects based on internationally agreed upon objectives. Examples of these objectives include sustainable development, the major theme of UNCED and reproductive health, stressed at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). In this vein, several participants argued that the current wave of structural adjustment programmes should be replaced by development policies that unleash the productive capacities of the poor by increasing their access to productive assets and resources.

Many examples of NGO follow-up work to the global conferences were described by participants. The nature and degree to which NGOs can follow-up the international conferences depends very much upon the national political context, the policy environment and the commitment of governments. It also depends upon NGO capacity and resources. Support for capacity building for developing country NGOs has to go beyond managerial and administrative aspects to include research, advocacy, diplomacy and negotiating skills. It was suggested that NGOs from developing countries could collaborate more actively in this area.

Many NGOs are experiencing the impact of declining levels of overseas aid and its diversion to emergency operations and to the transition countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. NGO participants from Latin America in particular voiced their concern at the declining levels of official aid and NGO funding for development work in their region. In a number of donor countries, the NGOs that have become too dependent upon government funding are facing considerable difficulty--with consequences for their Southern partners. Because an increasing proportion of aid funding is being directed towards emergencies, NGOs are concerned that more money is being channelled through, and concentrated in, a relatively small number of global NGOs that have large-scale capacities to tackle emergencies.

In response to this new context, many development NGOs are rethinking their priorities, activities and even roles. At the same time, some NGOs feel that the crisis of the aid system has opened up many opportunities to develop new forms of cooperation, both intergovernmental and non-governmental, based on partnerships. In this view, both the concept and practice of bilateral aid has been flawed from the outset, since it was based more upon the commercial and geopolitical interests of donor countries in the post-colonial and Cold War period, than upon the goals of eradicating poverty and promoting development. It was argued that NGO calls for the restitution and expansion of official aid budgets have to be accompanied by demands for better quality aid.

Despite the difficulties, this is a period of tremendous creativity and innovation for NGOs. They are forming alliances with other major groups and increasing their international networking. There is renewed attention to policy-related work, and greater attention to poverty and related issues in the donor countries. Many new initiatives are using alternative sources of finance, such as social and ethical investment funds and micro-credit. The good governance agenda, and increased NGO access to policy-making bodies at the national and international levels, has opened up an important new area of work. NGOs are seeking ways of integrating the various components and dimensions of the development agenda, economic and social equity, democracy, human rights and good governance, and environmental sustainability into their advocacy and operational work. The NGO development agenda is moving away from the North-South "charity paradigm" to one based more firmly on the principles of justice, rights, equality, partnership and solidarity. At the same time, development, or rather sustainable human development, is increasingly perceived by NGOs as a global challenge, no longer confined solely to the countries and societies of the developing world but of equal concern for the so-called rich or developed countries.

Global Governance, UN Reform and NGOs

Participants recognised the importance of constructing an effective system of global governance in response to emerging global social, environmental and other problems, and as a political counterweight to the globalization of the world economic system. NGO work at the international level is a manifestation of the emergence of global or international civil society. While it was generally agreed that the UN system needs to be reformed to better fulfil this role, concern was expressed about the direction this is taking with a decline in the relative power and influence of the UN in relation to the major powers, the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Many participants argued that greater democracy at the international level requires strengthening the multilateral system, greater accountability of the BWIs and the WTO, and greater accountability of the seven to ten major powers that dominate international economic and social policy setting and whose actions have a disproportionate impact upon the global environment for sustainable development.

Several NGO participants who were involved in campaigns for a strengthened UN described the proposals for UN reform emerging from their work. These include reshaping the roles, composition and machinery of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) as the UN's supreme governing bodies.

NGO priorities for UN reform include democratization vis-à-vis the major powers and international institutions and the participation of global civil society; greater transparency and accountability; less bureaucracy, duplication and waste; more efficient and effective work in development, human rights, democratization, disarmament, peace-keeping and humanitarian emergencies; and maintaining priority attention to the human and development impact of globalization. In this regard, a number of participants expressed strong support for the proposal that the UN organize a world conference on trade, money, finance and sustainable development. They also said the UN should establish an integrated and effective institutional machinery to deal with the "commanding heights" of the world economy. Participants said that 1996-97 will be a crucial time for determining the future shape and work of the UN, and that NGOs that want to see a strengthened and more effective multilateral system will have to engage the debate and raise public awareness of what is at stake.

NGOs recognise that to play an enhanced, and more effective part in global governance, they will have to pay greater attention to the quality of their contributions and to the organization of their participation. Several examples of the progress being made in NGO organizing for international work were discussed in depth. These include the relatively recent phenomenon of NGO caucuses formed along sectoral, issue-based and regional lines around the recent major UN conference processes. Attention was also given to other NGO mechanisms, such as the NGO Steering Committee for the Commission on Sustainable Development, the Réseau international des ONG sur la désertification, the Climate Action Network and the international NGO network established to monitor the Global Environment Facility. All of these mechanisms have been established to make NGO work at the international level more transparent, accountable, cooperative and effective.

Opinions were divided on the value of creating some form of global NGO forum; it was agreed that this proposal requires further discussion. With the ending of the continuum of major UN world conferences and summits in 1996, and the reduced opportunities for international participation, more international work will need to be undertaken at the national level. This will require strengthened international networking and strengthened arrangements at the national level for consultation and dialogue. The coming "end of long distance" resulting from international electronic communications will greatly facilitate this.

While it was agreed that NGOs from the North and South are learning to work better together on global issues, tensions still persist. One recent example concerns the divergence of views between Northern, largely US environmental NGOs, and NGOs from Africa over the replenishment of the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA). It was also noted that a conflict may be emerging between Southern NGOs and those Northern NGOs that appear to be seeking to replace foreign experts from the World Bank and other international organizations in the delivery of services. Northern and international NGOs must accept that Southern NGOs know better than they what is good for developing countries.

The need for Northern development NGOs to pay more attention to poverty and other social problems in their own societies was strongly reiterated by several NGO participants from the South. It was suggested Northern NGOs more actively involve their support base in their activities and could, in fact, learn a great deal about working with people from their Southern partners. With regard to the role of Northern and international development NGOs in the countries of the South, there is a great deal of unfinished business on the North-South NGO agenda concerning the creation of partnership, consensus and solidarity.

Several participants observed that increased recognition and influence of NGOs brings increased responsibilities. NGO information and analysis has to be of the highest standards. NGOs should also be more solution-oriented and less negatively critical. As one NGO participant said, it is not enough to criticize aspects of others' decisions; the key challenge is to develop alternatives that work.

One of the greatest advantages of NGOs compared to governments and multilateral organizations is their first-hand knowledge and experience of people and conditions on the ground. This comparative advantage, combined with the mission of NGOs to explain things in terms of what they mean for the poor, gives NGOs unparalleled insights into the complex political economy of development. Thus, to be legitimate and effective, NGO work at the international level has to be firmly rooted in NGO work and experience at the national level. NGOs must talk the language of real people and express their concerns when discussing issues such as empowerment, sustainable development and equity.

In the context of the UN, and of NGO relations with intergovernmental bodies and global governance, the issue of representativity will remain a complex and sensitive issue both for NGOs and for the official organizations with whom they deal. A wide variety of opinions and viewpoints were expressed on this issue and different concepts of representativity were articulated.

To define representativity only in terms of an NGO's global reach and size of membership was not considered satisfactory, since it denies any vestige of representativity to national organizations which make up the bulk of the NGO community worldwide. Several participants pointed out that different NGOs represent different things in terms of constituency, capacity, resources, concerns, strategy and objectives. Some participants felt that the UN's concern for NGO representativity, while understandable, could be exaggerated. One participant observed that NGOs are not political parties and do not seek political power but seek rather to influence its exercise. Seen in this light, it is not necessary for NGOs to represent particular social and/or political constituencies to have a legitimate role. Another participant said civil society is not homogeneous and it might be more accurate to say that NGOs reflect rather than represent different parts of civil society. At the same time, transparency and accountability were seen by several participants as essential to NGO legitimacy and credibility. Indeed, as long as an NGO acts transparently and is accountable, who is to say that it cannot simply represent itself when bringing issues, experiences or points of view to the attention of governments to enrich and strengthen intergovernmental deliberations?

Since NGOs work on the basis of ethical and humanitarian imperatives (development, human rights, etc.), they do not want to be confused with those non-profit entities that are active at the UN/international level and that represent the interests of the private sector. NGOs are motivated to articulate the views, experience and aspirations of the marginalized, the poor, the oppressed and the exploited. In this sense, NGOs see themselves as upholders of the public interest, although they do recognize the dilemmas often involved in defining this at the international level. For some participants, non-profit organizations established by business to promote its interests have no place at the UN. For others, it is vital that business-based groups participate in policy dialogues and in initiatives to promote sustainable development. Some participants said NGOs need to clarify their relationships with other actors of civil society such as business groups.

While the diversity of the NGO community is its greatest strength, it can also be its greatest weakness. NGOs recognise that in their relations with official bodies, such as those of the UN, the lack of a comprehensive or universally accepted definition of NGO is a source of confusion and apprehension. At the same time, NGOs do not want to be subject to, and restricted by definitions of their role devised by governments or intergovernmental bodies. Nonetheless, NGOs recognise that in the absence of their own shared criteria for defining themselves, they run this risk. There have been efforts to develop codes of conduct, or basic criteria, to define what NGOs are; despite the difficulties involved, NGOs need to make further efforts to elaborate minimal criteria and standards for defining a legitimate NGO.

UN-NGO Cooperation

During this period of reform and restructuring, the UN recognises NGOs and other actors of civil society as important allies and constituencies for its work, and for its capacity to achieve its goals in development, human rights, disarmament, and democracy and to respond to humanitarian crises. The United Nations and the NGO community share many basic principles, values and commitments to a more just, peaceful and humane world. Many, but not all, UN member states welcome the increased participation of NGOs in the economic and social work of the UN system. NGOs will continue to press for participation in the work of other UN bodies, such as the General Assembly and the Security Council, as well as the BWIs and WTO.

The panel of speakers from UN agencies demonstrated the multifaceted nature of relations and cooperation between the UN system and the NGO community. In areas such as sustainable development, human rights, food aid, refugees, post-conflict reconstruction, and regional development, NGOs are indispensable to the fulfilment of UN agency mandates. Examples of increased cooperation between NGOs and the UN system, which aspire to create new forms of partnership, include the Partnership in Action (PARinAC) process, the NGO Committee for UNICEF, and the work of NGLS.

Yet difficulties and misunderstandings arise in UN-NGO relations largely due to the different institutional and political cultures of intergovernmental bodies and NGOs. NGOs are frustrated with the bureaucracy and the heavy administrative requirements of UN bodies, and often fail to understand the UN's relations with governments and the constraints these may impose at the international or national level. In a similar vein, official bodies have difficulties coping with the bewildering array and diversity of the NGO community. At the national level, progress could be made through greater tripartite dialogue between governments, intergovernmental organizations and NGOs. While the UN is an invited guest in any particular country, and must act accordingly, in many situations the scope for increased practical collaboration between the UN and NGOs has never been wider.

Participants expressed concern about the difficulties faced by the ECOSOC Open-Ended Working Group on the Review of Arrangements for Consultations with NGOs in reaching a consensus on broadening the access of NGOs to the UN1. NGOs fail to understand the unwillingness of the developed countries to consider broadening NGO access, beyond ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies, to include the Security Council and the General Assembly--and, by extension, the BWIs and WTO. While supporting developing countries' efforts to have the Security Council, the GA and other bodies opened to NGO participation, NGOs are concerned about the developing countries' more restrictive approaches concerning criteria for defining which NGOs are eligible, and the rights of participating NGOs. Several participants reaffirmed the commitment of NGOs to seek access to all governing bodies and policy-making fora of the UN, including the GA and the Security Council. NGOs are also seeking greater participatory access to the BWIs and the WTO.

Different kinds of NGOs hold different views on the issues raised by the ECOSOC review. Some international NGOs that have long held consultative status with ECOSOC are concerned that opening the UN to wider NGO access will dilute their rights. Other international NGOs, and many national NGOs, believe that widening access for a broader range of NGOs will better reflect new realities and the need, in terms of advancing international democratization, to hold governments accountable for the positions and decisions they take at the international level. They said NGOs in consultative status with the UN should be taking the lead in advocating deeper and broader NGO participation in the work of the United Nations. Participants agreed that obstacles to greater cooperation between the various NGO constituencies that participate in the work of the UN need to be addressed. They also said different NGO constituencies need to develop greater understanding, trust and solidarity in their work at the international level. Whatever the outcomes of the ECOSOC review, the UN system should maintain a flexible approach in its relations and cooperation with NGOs, and to NGO participation in the fora and bodies of the UN. The range of formal and informal arrangements should depend on the context and the nature of the cooperation.

Notes

1. ECOSOC established the working group in 1993 to review, in light of the experiences gained at UNCED, policies, legislation and procedures concerning the formal relationship of consultative status between NGOs, ECOSOC, and its subsidiary bodies. (The original procedures were established in ECOSOC Resolution 1296 of May 1968.) The working group has met several times but has yet to complete its work. A number of participants at the NGLS conference have been participating actively in the review and took the opportunity to address this topic.