Difference between revisions of "What are Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)?"
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| − | Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are generally considered to be “non-state, non-profit orientated groups who pursue purposes of public interest”, excluding the private sector (Schmidt and Take 1997). One of the most widely used definitions is given by Operational Directive 14.70 of the World Bank: “private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development” (World Bank 2001).<ref>Operational Directive 14.70, August 28, 1989. </ref> More broadly, the term is applicable to any non-profit organization (NPO) that is not affiliated with government. | + | Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are generally considered to be “non-state, non-profit orientated groups who pursue purposes of public interest”, excluding the private sector (Schmidt and Take 1997). One of the most widely used definitions is given by Operational Directive 14.70 of the World Bank: “private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development” (World Bank 2001).<ref>Operational Directive 14.70, August 28, 1989. </ref> More broadly, the term is applicable to any non-profit organization (NPO) that is not affiliated with government.<ref>This, however, does not imply that an NGO cannot receive funding from governmental sources. </ref> According to the World Bank, NGOs are “value-based organizations which depend, in whole or in part, on charitable donations and voluntary service,” and in which “principles of altruism and voluntarism remain key defining characteristics”. The World Bank differentiates two main categories of NGOs with which it interacts: |
Operational NGOs, the primary purpose of which is the design and implementation of development-related projects, and | Operational NGOs, the primary purpose of which is the design and implementation of development-related projects, and | ||
| − | Advocacy NGOs, the primary purpose of which is to defend or promote a specific cause, and influence the policies and practices of international organizations. | + | Advocacy NGOs, the primary purpose of which is to defend or promote a specific cause, and influence the policies and practices of international organizations.<ref>The two categories are not mutually exclusive, as some NGOs engage in both operational and advocacy activities. </ref> |
Operational NGOs are further classified as: a) national organizations, which operate in individual developing countries; b) international organizations, which are typically headquartered in developed countries and carry out operations in developing countries; and c) community-based organizations (CBOs), which serve a specific population in a narrow geographical area. CBOs, also referred to as grassroots organizations or peoples’ organizations, differ from other NGOs in both nature and purpose: while national and international organizations are seen as “intermediary” NGOs that are formed to serve others, CBOs are usually “membership” organizations whose purpose is to advance the interests of their members. Examples include women’s groups, credit circles, youth clubs, cooperatives and farmers’ associations. | Operational NGOs are further classified as: a) national organizations, which operate in individual developing countries; b) international organizations, which are typically headquartered in developed countries and carry out operations in developing countries; and c) community-based organizations (CBOs), which serve a specific population in a narrow geographical area. CBOs, also referred to as grassroots organizations or peoples’ organizations, differ from other NGOs in both nature and purpose: while national and international organizations are seen as “intermediary” NGOs that are formed to serve others, CBOs are usually “membership” organizations whose purpose is to advance the interests of their members. Examples include women’s groups, credit circles, youth clubs, cooperatives and farmers’ associations. | ||
Alternative terms used to refer to NGOs include private voluntary organizations (used especially in the United States) and voluntary development organizations (a term favored by many African NGOs). | Alternative terms used to refer to NGOs include private voluntary organizations (used especially in the United States) and voluntary development organizations (a term favored by many African NGOs). | ||
| − | Note: NGOs are not legal entities under international law the way states are. An exception is the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is considered a legal entity under international law because it is based on the Geneva Convention. | + | Note: NGOs are not legal entities under international law the way states are. An exception is the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is considered a legal entity under international law because it is based on the Geneva Convention.<ref>See, for instance, http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/genevaconventions. </ref> |
==Footnotes== | ==Footnotes== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
Revision as of 08:06, 6 August 2008
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are generally considered to be “non-state, non-profit orientated groups who pursue purposes of public interest”, excluding the private sector (Schmidt and Take 1997). One of the most widely used definitions is given by Operational Directive 14.70 of the World Bank: “private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development” (World Bank 2001).[1] More broadly, the term is applicable to any non-profit organization (NPO) that is not affiliated with government.[2] According to the World Bank, NGOs are “value-based organizations which depend, in whole or in part, on charitable donations and voluntary service,” and in which “principles of altruism and voluntarism remain key defining characteristics”. The World Bank differentiates two main categories of NGOs with which it interacts:
Operational NGOs, the primary purpose of which is the design and implementation of development-related projects, and Advocacy NGOs, the primary purpose of which is to defend or promote a specific cause, and influence the policies and practices of international organizations.[3] Operational NGOs are further classified as: a) national organizations, which operate in individual developing countries; b) international organizations, which are typically headquartered in developed countries and carry out operations in developing countries; and c) community-based organizations (CBOs), which serve a specific population in a narrow geographical area. CBOs, also referred to as grassroots organizations or peoples’ organizations, differ from other NGOs in both nature and purpose: while national and international organizations are seen as “intermediary” NGOs that are formed to serve others, CBOs are usually “membership” organizations whose purpose is to advance the interests of their members. Examples include women’s groups, credit circles, youth clubs, cooperatives and farmers’ associations.
Alternative terms used to refer to NGOs include private voluntary organizations (used especially in the United States) and voluntary development organizations (a term favored by many African NGOs).
Note: NGOs are not legal entities under international law the way states are. An exception is the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is considered a legal entity under international law because it is based on the Geneva Convention.[4]
Footnotes
- ↑ Operational Directive 14.70, August 28, 1989.
- ↑ This, however, does not imply that an NGO cannot receive funding from governmental sources.
- ↑ The two categories are not mutually exclusive, as some NGOs engage in both operational and advocacy activities.
- ↑ See, for instance, http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/genevaconventions.
