NGO Legitimacy

Book Reviews

NGO Rights and Responsibilities:  A New Deal for Global Governance
by Michael Edwards
The Foreign Policy Centre in association with The National Council for Voluntary Organisations, UK, 2000, 37 pages

Michael Edwards, Director of the Ford Foundation's Governance and Civil Society Unit, and formerly of the World Bank and The Save The Children Fund, proposes a "new deal" between government and non-government organisations in global governance.  The deal is a parallel parliament of "civil society chambers" standing alongside the UN Assembly, the WTO and the boards of the World Bank and the IMF.  He asserts, "while NGOs cannot and should not be expected to take the place of governments, they will have a voice in world affairs".  The chambers are to be their voice.

Why a new deal?  Edwards observes that NGOs are increasingly under attack as being "self-selected, unaccountable and poorly rooted in society".  Governments and corporations question their legitimacy in debates on global development.  Within the sector, Third World NGOs are at times highly critical of their Western big brothers.  He notes the criticism is a considerable challenge to NGOs because, "humility doesn't come easy to organisations that have been used to occupying the moral high ground".

Further fault lies in their tendency to be ruled by fashion and sensation, and in campaigns to trade off rigour for speed and profile.  He is also aware that "although civil society is often seen as the key to future progressive politics, the civic arena contains many different interests and agendas, some of which are decidedly non-progressive".  The US National Rifle Association has consultative status with the UN!

These honest admissions are an important start to a new deal.  Edwards argues that the increased prominence of NGOs in world affairs has occurred because the "Washington Consensus" -- the belief that free markets and liberal democracy provide a universal recipe for growth and poverty-reduction -- has declined.  He also notes that governments and international institutions involve NGOs because it is cost-effective public relations and that "few people now trust governments alone to represent the views of every interest in society".  While the rise of NGO strength and the decline in public confidence in the democratic process are real, the assumption that trust now resides in NGOs is highly questionable and decidedly self-serving.  It is just as valid to argue that the decline in public trust in democratic and international institutions alike are a result of criticism from NGOs.  For example, institutions don't open their doors to NGOs, ergo they lack accountability.

Excusing, for the purposes of review, the circuitous rationale for NGO growth, Edwards's new deal is based on two assumptions.  First, that the world is not headed for global government, rather a patchwork of agreements between governments, corporations and citizens' groups at different levels.  Second, that there should be a way to harness the NGO voice in more responsible and constructive ways.  These are an admission that NGOs are suffering a crisis of legitimacy in international governance.  Edwards is aware of the tenuous rationale for the involvement of NGOs in global governance, so he sets out to find something a little stronger.

He suggests three grounds for legitimacy:

• A voice, not a vote.
• Minimum standards for NGO integrity and performance.
• A level playing field for NGO involvement.

Edwards recognises that NGOs cannot claim to represent the whole of civil society, but they can give voice to a wide range of opinion.  He observes, "there is no such thing as a common set of civic interests that cross national borders, still less a global civil society with uniform goals and values".  In the second, he proposes a trade-off:  NGO participation in return for transparency and accountability of NGOs.  In the third, NGOs from developing countries are to be given a helping hand so that their voices may be heard.

The democratic route to legitimacy is through representation.  NGOs will find this very difficult.  Another is to add valuable knowledge and skills to the debate.  Some NGOs can claim this, particularly where they perform a service.  The answer lies in what they have to offer, not who they represent.  Edwards' is an honest and brave account of the legitimacy problems of NGOs in the international arena.  We may differ as to the nature of the problem and its solutions, but as they say at the Olympics, let the debate begin!