Diplomacy and NGOs

Diplomacy has moved forward in many areas and particularly in relation to public diplomacy, non-state actors and multilateral diplomacy. All of these play an important role in modern diplomacy. In my view the aspect that stands out as being the most important is the impact of non-state actors, or non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

These organisations are gradually increasing in power and becoming more recognised in society and the political community. The internationalisation of world politics has brought with it an increased focus on the policies of governments around the world, and particularly those that have a global impact. It is common that governments in countries across the globe implement foreign policies which do not represent the views and beliefs of all those in the country as a whole, and while there have long been non governmental organisations in existence, it is only recently that they have began to adapt their approach so that they are not only an outlet for radical believers, but a serious member in the negotiating team.

Since the early global environmental meetings such as Stockholm in 1972, the politicians and diplomats have begun appreciating the benefits that non-governmental organisations can bring. These organisations often have a specific focus and consequently they can focus their resources and labour on this area. This means that they are often better positioned to have knowledge in these areas. In the more recent conferences, even as early as Rio 1992, select NGOs have been invited to play a role in the negotiations.

Similarly, The World Bank recently began engaging with NGOs: in order to obtain the local knowledge needed to successfully implement policies to countries in which the diplomats or negotiators may have had little knowledge. Many NGOs are potentially in a powerful position in the sense that they are often accepted by the locals or those directly affected by the issues at hand, and by the decision makers in government. This means that effectively they can act as the mediator in any negotiations. However their power is often limited by the fact that, apart from their cooperation, they rarely have anything to bargain with. They also often have a very narrow objective with one subject in mind, whereas the politicians and diplomats have to consider the wider picture.

Politics comes with the burden of the requirement to balance the needs of many people, whereas NGOs often have specific aims and objectives and can bring to the fore key areas or issues that may have previously been overlooked by the politicians. While they will never lead the negotiations, they now often play an important part.