VilaWeb - Diari escola: Non-Governmental Organisations

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dijous, 25 d'abril de 2024

> Pioneering Organisations

> The Work They Do

> Raising Awareness of Forgotten Conflicts

dijous, 3 de març de 2005

Over the last fifteen or twenty years there has been a huge increase in the number and variety of NGOs, the abbreviation generally used for not-for-profit organisations that are not attached to any political authority and that work for solidarity.

Various reasons have been given for this increase: the narrowing ideological gap between political parties, at least in economic policy; the democratic deficit in many parts of the world, especially outside the West; and the failings of what is known as globalisation, the term used to refer to the transformation undergone by the capitalist system over the last two decades (some people believe that globalisation has widened the gap between rich and poor, and between the West and the so-called Third World).

As well as these reasons, which also help to explain the growth of the anti-globalisation movement, there is the phenomenon of the world wide web, which has made it possible of us to find out what is happening in any corner of the world practically in real time, and which has really driven the development of different collective initiatives.

However, it should be pointed out that the phenomenon of non-governmental organisations is not a new one, as we shall see below.

+ VilaWeb Solidaritat
+ Webs relacionades dins Nosaltres.Com: Solidaritat i organitzacions no governamentals

Pioneering Organisations

+ The symbols of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

In fact, this type of organisation began to spread widely following the Second World War (1939-1945), and the actual term 'non-governmental organisation' dates from the middle of the 20th century. Amnesty International, for example, is one of the best-known human rights organisations, and it was founded in London in 1961. But even before that, there were non-governmental organisations. The Red Cross, one of the very first, was set up in 1863 with the purpose of helping the wounded in times of war.

The Work They Do

+ Some NGOs focus on the defence and promotion of human rights.

We were just saying that there is a great variety of NGOs. Some focus mainly on the defence and promotion of human rights (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, OneWorld International Foundation); others prioritise humanitarian aid (Médecins Sans Frontières, Red Cross); and of course some fight for the eradication of poverty and for development in the most needy areas (Intermón Oxfam, Mans Unides, the Vicent Ferrer Foundation). Then there are organisations that are devoted to more specific issues, such as the defence and protection of the environment (Greenpeace).

Raising Awareness of Forgotten Conflicts

+ Médecins Sans Frontières publishes an annual listing on the most under-reported emergencies.

All too often the media cover conflicts that appear imminent, potential future wars and political crises that they maybe would not cover if they did not have electoral repercussions. But there are conflicts afflicting the world that are left permanently in oblivion, as though they did not exist. So some NGOs strive to bring these forgotten conflicts to the surface, so that people become aware of their seriousness. Médecins Sans Frontières, for example, publishes an annual report on the ten crises that have had least media coverage.

MATERIALS

ONG
Format:Web
Selecció de vincles d'Organitzacions No Governamentals.
Canal Solidari
Format:Web
Espai comunicacional sobre cooperació, desenvolupament, pau, drets humans i inclusió social.
Xarxanet
Format:Web
Web de la Xarxa Associativa i de Voluntariat de Catalunya, impulsada pel Departament de Benestar i Família de la Generalitat.
EduAlter
Format:Web
Xarxa de recursos sobre la pau, el desenvolupament i la interculturalitat: materials didàctics, vincles i bibliografia.

QUE HO SABIES?

The International Red Cross Committee has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize three times: in 1917, 1944 and 1963. And Henry Dunant, the founder of the organisation, was the first winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1901.
The Nobel Prize for Peace has also been awarded to Amnesty International, in 1977, and Médecins Sans Frontières, in 1999.
According to a recent study by the Jaume I University in Castelló, two thirds of the people who work as employees or as volunteers for NGOs are women. And yet most of the managerial positions are held by men.