Advocacy NGOs also engage in lobbying governmental actors for social, economic and political change. They also serve as watchdogs that monitor others for actions that violate international law, such as violations of human rights and war crimes.
The most important contribution NGOs have made to international relations is their impact on international development, which has been complex.
NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) are organizations that exist in the civil sphere, often with the objective of community development. This means that they are both founded voluntarily by individuals or groups of people, and most often funded voluntarily. Since NGOs are not necessarily limited by the fluctuating support of a government, they can work outside of the usual limitations of government-sponsored aid. They can work across national and international borders, in a variety of different industries, to make an impact. These characteristics make them uniquely suited to take on the work of international development.
Since the end of the Cold War, the number of NGOs has grown rapidly. With the rise of NGOs came a shift in perspective surrounding international development. During the Cold War, more powerful states often provided aid to developing countries as a way of negotiating loyalty. But after the Cold War dissipated and these powerful countries pulled back, developing nations were left with a funding void. Many of these nations did not have stable governments, nor sufficient financial markets to handle the demands of their citizens. NGOs became seen as an alternative way to meet the needs of these developing countries.
It is important to note that recently, especially within the last two decades, there has been backlash against the work of NGOs in international development. Most importantly, critics of NGOs say that they have actually stunted international development. They argue that NGOs still support an unbalanced power dynamic wherein more developed, rich, western countries believe they can solve the problems of developing nations. In reality, an NGO founded in one country may not have all the context it truly needs to effectively address an issue in another country. In addition, NGOs can take a level of independence away from local structures of support. Citizens may learn to turn to NGOs instead of their own government initiatives. This in turn may stunt the growth of developing governments as well as the countries themselves.
https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/177/31620.html
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