Substantial efforts have been made to address this question, even at the highest level of global governance. A Panel of Eminent Persons on UN-Civil Society relations was established by the UN Secretary General in 2003 to make report and recommendations on the issue. At the 2005 Summit, World Leaders welcomed the positive contributions of civil society organizations, including NGOs, to the work of the UN. They also encouraged continued dialogue between civil society and Member States.
Yet, the question continues to raise anxieties for many.
There is a general consensus on the need for continued dialogue and interaction between Member States and NGOs. At the same time, there are different expectations and preferences on how to manage and develop it further.
Last year, together with H.E. Ambassador Johan L. Lovald of Norway, the writer had the opportunity to act as a personal advisor of the President of the 60th General Assembly on the relationship between Member States and civil society, including NGOs. Discussions were held with representatives of Member States, NGOs and related UN agencies, regarding current practices of NGO engagement in the work of the UN and future expectations.
While confirming the existence of clear differences on various issues between Member States and NGOs, it was heartening to note that there was sufficient common ground to develop more meaningful, constructive and workable partnerships and interaction between both sides.
Both agreed on the fundamentality of the intergovernmental nature of the United Nations. Both also agreed that further measures for increased interaction could be envisaged. Among the important measures identified was to address the so-called “confidence deficit”.
It was clear that a certain “confidence deficit” existed at the heart of the relationship between Member States and NGOs. This has raised a question pertaining to the NGO accountability, especially in connection with their involvement in the work of the United Nations.
This is particularly relevant in light of the fact that NGOs have greatly proliferated and become more visible while remaining relatively unregulated in many parts of the world. A lack of international standard of NGO accountability has allowed far less credible organizations to undermine the effectiveness of credible NGOs. There is a legitimate concern over the question of NGO accountability, one underlying factor behind the confidence deficit.
Member States generally appear to be open to increased consultation with NGOs as long as there are clear parameters that are understood and respected by all. NGOs are valued for their expertise in a variety of areas, their role as partners in implementing various development programs, and their capacity to provide early warning in cases of potential conflicts.
Many NGOs themselves also emphasized the importance of accountability and wished to exercise due diligence for NGOs attending UN meetings. Accountability was viewed to be integral to establishing meaningful dialogue between Member States and NGOs.
Questioning NGO accountability should not be viewed as an unfriendly attempt to disengage. Instead, it reflects growing recognition of the increased role of civil society, including NGOs, in shaping public policy across the world.
Such role needs to be accompanied by accountability, however.
The notion of NGO accountability needs to be defined and developed. This is not an easy task because of the multiplicity of actors with whom the NGOs engage. Yet, several areas certainly need to be addressed in this regard.
There should be a recognized standards by the NGO community for their integrity and performance. The participation in the work of the UN should be granted to organizations that truly have expertise in the area being discussed.
The idea of a code of conduct for NGOs is also worth further exploration. The code of conduct can be an instrument to ensure that NGOs commit themselves to the aims of the Charter and act in a manner that respects the intergovernmental character of the UN.
There should be a level playing field for NGOs involvement, in that the NGOs attending UN meetings are truly representative of the world’s population. This brings up the crucial issue of the participation of NGOs from developing countries.
As of 2005, approximately 67% of all NGOs in consultative status with Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) came from developed countries, which only constitute 20% of the world’s countries. Understandably, developing countries sometimes view NGOs involvement as another channel to push the “Northern agenda”.
Several initiatives have been identified to address this imbalance, including optimizing the use of information and communication technology and establishing a trust fund to provide financial assistance to NGO representatives from developing countries.
These are only some of the areas that can be elaborated further. This is a healthy process towards a realistic framework for balancing interests and respecting the different roles of Member States and NGOs within the UN process. This is also a positive sign of the growing maturity of the international community in welcoming the role and contributions of civil society, including the NGOs.
In the evolving relationship between the UN and NGOs, NGOs may not be able to claim to be the representative of all the peoples, but they can definitely give voice to a wide range of opinion which emerges in various segments of society.
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