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| ⚫ | '''NGOWatch''' initially operated between 2003 and 2007 and was relaunched in May 2009. Its stated goal is to monitor the activities of ]s (NGOs) and their impact on public policy. It is a sibling website of Global Governance Watch, a collaborative project of the conservative think tanks the ] and the ]. | ||
| {{POV|date=December 2007}} | |||
| {{Inappropriate tone|date=December 2007}} | |||
| ⚫ | '''NGOWatch''' was |
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| ⚫ | ==Goals== | ||
| NGOWatch focussed on government funding of NGOs. "In recent years, NGOs have become more prominent, more visible across a broader spectrum of interests. Governments and international organizations increasingly rely on NGOs to implement aid programs and deliver development assistance, channeling millions of dollars through these organizations and arguing, in effect, that NGOs have the capacity to address social and environmental problems with greater efficiency than government agencies. Today, thousands of internationally operating NGOs deliver billions of dollars of assistance annually, and the U.S. government gives a large share of its aid funds through NGOs," they stated. <ref> NGOWatch</ref> | |||
| The resuscitated NGOWatch claims its "goal is to raise awareness about global governance, to monitor how international organizations influence domestic political outcomes, and to address issues of transparency and accountability within the United Nations, related intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and other non-state actors." It positions itself not as an ideological foe of NGOs—it was founded by two NGOs—but as a resource to monitor NGO advocacy and encourage non-governmental organizations to embrace the same standards of disclosure and accountability that they demand from governments and corporations. It states: "NGOs have positioned themselves as advocates of global governance and shapers of corporate and government policy. NGOWatch monitors these monitors to encourage transparency and accountability."<ref>{{cite web|title=About Global Governance Watch®|url=http://www.globalgovernancewatch.org/about/|accessdate=3 December 2013}}</ref> | |||
| == |
==Staff== | ||
| ], a visiting scholar (since 2002) at the American Enterprise Institute, is the supervising editor of NGOWatch. He is an author and journalist, a columnist (since 2001) for the British-based international magazine Ethical Corporation and a consultant focusing on strategic communications, sustainability, and corporate responsibility. David Peyton, a research assistant at AEI, is the program manager of NGOWatch. | |||
| To coincide with the launch of NGOWatch, the ] (AEI) co-hosted a conference called “We're Not from the Government, But We're Here to Help You - Nongovernmental Organizations: The Growing Power of an Unelected Few,” with the right-wing think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs in Australia. The list of speakers included: ] from the ], ] and ], from the ], ], from the ], and ] from the ] that runs . | |||
| == |
==Criticism of Former NGOWatch (defunct as of 2007)== | ||
| Before the original NGOWatch went defunct in 2007, the website ] criticized it as "a subtle attack on the United Nations ... and ... on civil society itself.".<ref>{{cite web|title=NGOWatch|url=http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v18n1/v18n1/css/v18n1_6.html|publisher=]|accessdate=3 December 2013}}</ref> | |||
| In September 2003, the ] reported how “Spurred by conservative rumblings over the growing clout of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the Australian government is taking a closer look at such groups' activities at home and abroad”. The article noted how the investigation “could potentially cut off some charities from further government access, funding, or tax breaks, experts say” <ref>J. Kremmer (2003) “Australia Scrutinizes Influence of Nongovernmental Groups”, Christian Science Monitor, 5 September, p.7.</ref> | |||
| ==Conferences Sponsored by NGOWatch/Global Governance Watch== | |||
| The month before, in July 2003, the Australian Treasurer, ] released draft legislation threatening to remove tax exemption status from NGOs if they were deemed to be more involved in political lobbying and advocacy than in community work. It was a move widely condemned as a bid by the Government to silence its most strident critics <ref> Brendan Nicholson and Gary Hughes, The Age, 2003-08-10</ref>. | |||
| * American Enterprise Institute, 2009-10-06. | |||
| ⚫ | * American Enterprise Institute, 2008-12-14. | ||
| ==References== | |||
| The result is that suddenly the two primary sources of funding for NGOs - tax deductible donations and government grants or payments for carrying out consultative work - are under simultaneous attack.{{Fact|2007-11-14|date=November 2007}} | |||
| Just as ] groups argue that philanthropic foundations that fund social justice or environmental programs have strayed from their founders ], so too they seek to portray NGOs as having strayed from their original objectives. "Many groups have strayed beyond their original mandates and assumed quasi-governmental roles. Increasingly, non-governmental organizations are not just accredited observers at international organizations, they are full-fledged decision-makers," they complain. <ref> NGOWatch <font color=red>'''dead link 2007-11-14'''</font></ref> | |||
| ==Comments== | |||
| Inter-Press Service journalist, Jim Lobe, sees the project as part of an attempt to curb NGOs ability to influence governments and international negotiations. "Having led the charge to ], the ] (AEI), an influential ] close to the ], has added a new target: international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)," he wrote.{{Fact|2007-11-14|date=November 2007}} | |||
| Canadian writer Naomi Klein commented: "The war on NGOs is being fought on two clear fronts. One buys the silence and complicity of mainstream humanitarian and religious groups by offering lucrative reconstruction contracts. The other marginalizes and criminalizes more independent-minded NGOs by claiming that their work is a threat to democracy. The ] (USAID) is in charge of handing out the carrots, while the American Enterprise Institute, the most powerful think tank in Washington, D.C., is wielding the sticks," she wrote. <ref> Naomi Klein, Globe and Mail, 2003-06-20 <font color=red>'''paid subscription required to view article 2007-11-14'''</font></ref> | |||
| == NGOs formerly on the Watch List == | |||
| Some NGOs are currently linked and have NGOWatch profiles. | |||
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| ⚫ | == |
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| <references/> | <references/> | ||
| == |
==External links== | ||
| * | |||
| *] | |||
| == Further reading == | |||
| * American Enterprise Institute, 2003-06-11. | |||
| * Jim Lobe, ''OneWorld'', 2003-06-12. <font color=red>'''site off-line due to reorganization 2007-11-14'''</font> | |||
| * Jim Lobe, Adelaide Independent Media Center, 2003-06-16 | |||
| * Naomi Klein, ''Guardian'' (UK), 2003-06-23. | |||
| * Naomi Klein, ''TomPaine.com'', 2003-06-23. <font color=red>'''dead link 2007-11-14'''</font> | |||
| :This is a republication of a commentary column that first appeared in the Canadian newspaper, the Globe and Mail. | |||
| * Jean Hardisty and Elizabeth Furdon, ''The Public Eye'', Spring 2004 • Volume XVIII, No.1 | |||
| * American Enterprise Institute, 2005-12-07. | |||
| * American Enterprise Institute, 2006-01-10. | |||
| * American Enterprise Institute, 2006-03-01. | |||
| ⚫ | * American Enterprise Institute, |
||
| :subtitled "Nongovernmental Organizations: The Growing Power of an Unelected Few" | |||
| * Jessica Irvine, ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 2007-02-23. | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Ngowatch}} | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 16:26, 3 July 2022
NGOWatch initially operated between 2003 and 2007 and was relaunched in May 2009. Its stated goal is to monitor the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their impact on public policy. It is a sibling website of Global Governance Watch, a collaborative project of the conservative think tanks the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies.
Goals
The resuscitated NGOWatch claims its "goal is to raise awareness about global governance, to monitor how international organizations influence domestic political outcomes, and to address issues of transparency and accountability within the United Nations, related intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and other non-state actors." It positions itself not as an ideological foe of NGOs—it was founded by two NGOs—but as a resource to monitor NGO advocacy and encourage non-governmental organizations to embrace the same standards of disclosure and accountability that they demand from governments and corporations. It states: "NGOs have positioned themselves as advocates of global governance and shapers of corporate and government policy. NGOWatch monitors these monitors to encourage transparency and accountability."
Staff
Jon Entine, a visiting scholar (since 2002) at the American Enterprise Institute, is the supervising editor of NGOWatch. He is an author and journalist, a columnist (since 2001) for the British-based international magazine Ethical Corporation and a consultant focusing on strategic communications, sustainability, and corporate responsibility. David Peyton, a research assistant at AEI, is the program manager of NGOWatch.
Criticism of Former NGOWatch (defunct as of 2007)
Before the original NGOWatch went defunct in 2007, the website Private Eye criticized it as "a subtle attack on the United Nations ... and ... on civil society itself.".
Conferences Sponsored by NGOWatch/Global Governance Watch
- Science and Technology in the Balance? Food Security, Precaution, and the Pesticide Debate American Enterprise Institute, 2009-10-06.
- Corporate Responsibility in an Era of New Internationalism American Enterprise Institute, 2008-12-14.
References
- "About Global Governance Watch®". Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- "NGOWatch". Public Eye Magazine. Retrieved 3 December 2013.