Difference between revisions of "History of the NGO Sector"
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==The Establishment of the UN: Post-1945== | ==The Establishment of the UN: Post-1945== | ||
| − | + | Starting around the end of the Second World War in 1945, American foundations began to become mediators in the formulation of public policy.<ref>Mark Dowie, ''American Foundations: An Investigative History''. (MIT Press, 2001), p. 2.</ref> The Ford Foundation, founded in 1936, together with the Rockefeller Foundation, gave early attention to global population growth. They funded research centers and discussed implications of population research with governments all around the world. | |
| − | The Second World War ended in 1945, but another war emerged in its aftermath | + | The Second World War ended in 1945, but another war emerged in its aftermath: the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. The changing times were also marked by a growing economic affluence in the US and the liberation of countries from colonial rule. In the US, there was also the establishment of an open trade system, the lowering of tariffs and economic multilateralism. |
The United Nations was established, bringing to the forefront the rights and interests of people, to be safeguarded through cooperative international action. By then, the role of NGOs was already important: at the time of establishment, forty two NGOs were invited to serve as advisers to the official US delegation. | The United Nations was established, bringing to the forefront the rights and interests of people, to be safeguarded through cooperative international action. By then, the role of NGOs was already important: at the time of establishment, forty two NGOs were invited to serve as advisers to the official US delegation. | ||
Revision as of 10:38, 6 August 2008
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as we know them today are generally thought to have come into existence around the mid-nineteenth century. It was only about a century later that the importance of NGOs was officially recognized by the United Nations. At the UN Congress in San Francisco in 1968, a provision was made in Article 71 of the Charter of the United Nations framework that qualified NGOs in the field of economic and social development to receive consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.
The development of modern NGOs has largely mirrored that of general world history, particularly after the Industrial Revolution. NGOs have existed in some form or another as far back as 25,000 years ago. Since 1850, more than 100,000 private, not-for-profit organizations with an international focus have been founded. The growth of NGOs really took off after the Second World War, with about 90 international NGOs founded each year, compared with about 10 each year in the 1890s. Only about 30 percent of early international NGOs have survived, although those organizations founded after the wars have had a better survival rate. Many more NGOs with a local, national or regional focus have been created, though like their international counterparts, not all have survived or have been successful.
This article presents an overview of the history of modern day NGOs, with particular emphasis on international organizations. It looks at the different causes that have been championed by NGOs as the events in world history have unfolded, from the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution to the World Wars and through the aftermath of the Cold War. It also looks at the evolution of the structure and purpose of NGOs as they have matured over the years.
