1. The role of NGOs in humanitarian aid and development cooperation
Ivana Raslavská

2. NGOs
NGOs were not founded to gain profit. (However, they have paid employees and their activities can make profit. This profit is never used to pay employees or management)
NGOs have specific formal and institutional background. (Typically they have formal statute which defines their mission, objectives and field of activities. Generally they account for their work to the members and donators)
NGOs are independent (usually from state and other public institutions, political parties or commercial organisations)
NGOs are not providing activities for their own objectives and values. (The aim is to search for needs in the society and solve problems with specific marginalised groups of people.)

3. How do we distinguish NGOs
Size and range of activities
number of employees
focus
Type of activities
NGOs as fast providers of social services
NGOs as advocacy providers – influence on public opinion and policy makers

4. Main role of NGOs Support to participatory democracy
Representation of specific groups of people in relation to state and international organisations
Contribution to policy making
Contribution to project coordination

5. Comparative advantages of NGOs
NGOs are active in specific types of project, where no other sector is interested to operate, e.g. education, democratisation, civil society, capacity building – danger of substitution
NGOs operate directly in the field – often in difficult conditions, and culturally different environment
NGOs develop partnerships in developing countries and build capacities and civil society in developing country
NGOs contribute to development and professionalisation of development cooperation, e.g. code of conduct, audits, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation methods...

6. Financial sources of NGOs
State budget – MFA SR – SlovakAid
Private donors – individuals and private companies
International organisations and institutions – EC, UNDP, etc.
Institutions abroad – NED (National Endowment for Democracy), embassies
Membership fees

7. How to get funding? Project proposals for grant calls individually
in partnership
Private fundraising
Public collections
humanitarian purposes (Burma, Sri Lanka)
development projects (Dobrá novina)

8. Humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid Humanitarian assistance
Humanitarian intervention
Relief aid
Emergency and distress aid
Material or logistic assistance provided during humanitarian crisis.
Main objective of humanitarian aid is rescue lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity.

9. History of humanitarian aid
after WWII – civil wars, IDPs and refugees
Discourse about human rights (Eleanor Roosevelt) Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Help to the victims in Biafra (Nowadays Nigeria, (1969)

10. History of humanitarian aid II
cold war – political influence
Refugees in Europe – caught attention of developed states
Celebrities (Bono, Bob Geldof and Bandaid, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie...)
Public awareness „humanitarian consciousness“

11. Humanitarian aid principles
„Impartiality“ – all civilians should be helped without bias and prejudices
„Neutrality“ – take no side in conflict and strictly distinguish between civilians and soldiers
„Independence“ – independent from all political agendas

12. Which humanitarian projects are provided in developing countries?
Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion
Food aid/distribution
Material aid
Health
Shelter
Cash for work

13. NGOs and humanitarian aid
Foundation of significant NGOs:
International Red Cross (ICRC 1859) humanitarian law
Save the Children (WWII)
Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere (CARE 1945)
Oxfam (1949)
Impartial humanitarian aid
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF 1968) - activists B. Couchner, F. Cuny
Against „non-intervention“

14. NGOs and humanitarian aid
Donors in humanitarian aid can not mobilize the sources when needed – they rely on NGOs
Acceptation of NGO work in humanitarian aid:
„humanitarian corridors“ or „corridors of tranquillity“
„safe heavens“ or „no-fly zones“
NGOs play significant role in civil war regions where UN agencies do not have access, however UN agencies are able to cover widespread and complicated crises by huge amount of money at one time
needs oriented humanitarian aid vs. rights oriented humanitarian aid

15. What is SPHERE project? Sphere is 3 things: A handbook
A broad process of collaboration
An expression of commitment to quality and accountability
Sphere is based on 2 core values:
- All possible steps should be taken to alleviate human suffering arising out of calamity or conflict
Those affected by disasters have a right to life with dignity and therefore a right to assistance

16. Development Cooperation
Development aid
Development cooperation
Development assistance
Technical assistance
International aid
Foreign aid
Overseas aid...
Main objective is to ensure sustainable development for all people in developing countries and ensure, that development will continue even after the money flow from donors will finish.
„ give people fishing rods, not fish“

17. Which areas of intervention?
Economic development
Social development
Political development

18. Which development cooperation projects are provided in developing countries?
Health sector
Women empowerment, human rights, civic rights
Income generation and small microfinance projects
Repatriation of IDPs
Development of the rural areas
Capacity building of the local NGOs, civil society
Infrastructure
Education

19. NGOs and development cooperation
Direct or indirect project support in developing countries, we help to improve peoples lives and livelihoods in developing countries
Global/Development education – education of people in donor countries about global interdependency and „third world“ problems, poverty and development cooperation
Advocacy campaigns and activities – active protection interests, especially interests of poor, marginalised, vulnerable groups of people in developing countries.  

20. Advocacy and development education
Educational and informational activities for public
Educational activities for experts and state representatives
Know how and expertise exchange form field
Ad hoc targeting of specific problems, e.g. Human rights violation
Lobbying
International networking

21. What does it mean in relation to DC?
Conditionality
Tied aid
Dutch disease
Code of conduct
White elephants
Remittances
Debt relief

22. Slovak NGOs – members of NDGO platform I

23. Slovak NGOs – members of NDGO platform II

24. Slovak NGOs – members of NDGO platform IV

25. Slovak NGOs – members of NDGO platform V