1. Human Rights & Nongovernmental Organizations

2. Introduction
NGOs and their advocacy of human rights ideas  e.g., Amnesty International
2) private groups – mostly called relief or development agencies or PVOs (Private Voluntary Organisations) or VOLAGs (voluntary agencies)
Private actors are crucial, especially, for grassroots action on social & economic rights
Have promoted some of the liberalism in international relations through their emphasis on individuals & power
States and their intergovernmental organizations are dependent on these NGOs
Sharing the international stage with these organizations  state sovereignty is at times restricted by the activities of these organisations that work for civil and political rights, and social and economic rights

3. Private Advocacy for Human Rights
E.gs., Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), the International Commission of Jurists, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Lawyers Without Borders, Physicians for Human Rights, Doctors Without Borders, & Anti- slavery International
Core advocacy groups are usually called non- governmental organizations (NGOs) or international non-governmental organizations (INGOS)
There are also governmentally created quasi- private human rights organizations (GONGO)

4. Private Advocacy for Human Rights
Western NGOs  concern themselves primarily with civil and political rights in peace- time and international humanitarian law in war or similar situations
Many NGOs in the global south tend to emphasise the right to development, and many socio-economic rights without ignoring civil and political rights
Traditional international human rights groups work as individual entities or as part of movements, coalitions or networks
For example, one can speak of a movement to ban landmines or a movement in support of an international criminal court
Some organisations have made use of the internet to collect and spread information on human rights

5. The Process
What do these traditional human rights groups do in their advocacy work?
1) Of significance is the collection of accurate information & its timely dissemination
For instance, Amnesty is know for accurate reporting mainly about torture, the death penalty and prisoners of conscience – individuals imprisoned for their political views, mostly expressed non-violently
It’s record has not been perfect
E.g. in 1990, AI was caught in Kuwait propaganda when it repeated the story that Iraqi forces had torn incubators from premature Kuwait babies

6. The Process https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghUSEHe7Wug
2) Human rights advocacy NGOs try to influence policy of the targeted government through analysis and dissemination of information
3) Traditional human rights NGOs publish information in the hope of long-term education
They do this through publishing books, brochures, reports, etc.
For instance, Human Rights Watch has a publishing agreement with Yale University Press
Make use of the internet to disseminate their information
This is targeted to both policy makers and members of the public in order to raise their consciousness so as to create & maintain a supportive environment for human rights policy

7. The Process
4) Some human rights advocacy groups also provide direct support to victims of human rights abuses
E.g., by engaging in legal advocacy by participating in court cases
Advising asylum seekers on how to present their claims to refugee status under international law
Human rights NGOs have helped to restrict and thus, transform the idea of state sovereignty  the idea of the responsibility to protect
State elites in countries such as China, Russia and the Philippines  human rights are a strictly Western notion alien to their nations
Both at home and in foreign policy such countries seek to restrict NGOs actions seeking to advance human rights

8. Relief and Development NGOs
The International Bill of Rights contains economic and social rights (e.gs, right to shelter, adequate food, clothing and medical care in peacetime)
International humanitarian law has non-combatants rights to emergency assistance
UN has extended these same rights to “complex emergences”  complex emergency  “a major humanitarian crisis that is often the result of a combination of political instability, conflict and violence, social inequities and underlying poverty” (World Food Organisation)
Private groups providing these socioeconomic rights are normally referred to as relief or humanitarian and development agencies
State donations frequently support them
They frequently act in conjunction with intergovernmental organisations  the US and European Union member states provide most of the resources

9. Relief and Development NGOs
UN agencies that are heavily involved in relief work include  UNICEF, the WHO, the World Food Program & the UN Development Program
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in most cases plays a central role in situations of war
It has long been associated with victims of war & international humanitarian law 
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also play a significant role
UNHCR and ICRC were co-lead agencies for international relief in Cambodia in the late 1980s
Many private agencies are also involved in relief: World Vision, Caritas, Oxfam, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, and so on
Doctors Without Borders:

10. Relief: Process A summary of the challenges these organizations face:
Negotiate access to those in need
Must provide an accurate assessment of need
Must mobilize relief in a timely and effective way
It’s vital that they have an ability to actually deliver the assistance in a timely and cost- effective way
Have to engage in evaluation of past action and planning for the future
Pressing issues
Relates to the issue of more coordination
Relates to the issue of separating politics from humanitarian action – question of impartiality & neutrality
Relates to the question whether one could change the situation through new legislation and/or better dissemination of norms

11. Influence
Private actors have considerable influence in the issue of international relief:
E.g., ICRC was a major actor in Somalia ( ), and the UNHCR and its private partners were a major player in Bosnia ( )
Influence is a complex two way street:
Governments need the NGOs, which allows possibilities for NGO subtle influence on the state
But NGOs need support and cooperation of state officials
The influence among these actors is difficult to pinpoint

12. Development: Process
The development process also presents a mixture of public & private actors
Some PVOs reject state funding to maintain their independence
However, most act otherwise & serve as conduits for public monies & public policies  are a vital part of the public-private development process (e.g., Oxfam)
Such organizations provide values & services often lacking in the public sector
Major intergovernmental actors include the World Bank, regional development banks and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
The World Bank and UNDP have officially endorsed NGOs and community-based organizations participation in the development process

13. Development: influence?
Private development agencies also face challenges
1990s – the prevalence of ethnic conflict and other forms internal armed conflict and political instability resulted in public authorities channeling large amounts of resources into relief
Result: few funds and less attention given to development
From about 1980, western governments placed much emphasis on “market solutions” & the role of direct foreign investment by transnational corporations, rather than official development assistance (ODA) by governments
Historical problem – PVOs and VOLAGs did not always look at development in relation to human rights

14. Development: influence?
With time there was a shift toward focusing on empowerment – a synonym for participatory rights
Also a shift towards integrating women’s rights with development strategies
Less emphasized historically, was any shift emphasizing socioeconomic rights in the development process
The real influence of development NGOs just like human rights advocacy NGOs was their contribution to a wider movement, network or coalition interested in sustainable development