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From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

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5 THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM AIDcountry governments, spurred on by civil society organisationsdemanding greater accountability and effectiveness, supported byNGOs both North and South, and perhaps by the more far-sightedprivate sec<strong>to</strong>r leaders who see both the human and commercial casefor building prosperity in the South.In a fast-evolving world, how can INGOs best contribute <strong>to</strong> buildingaccountable citizenship and effective states? In 2000, when aid budgetsappeared <strong>to</strong> be in terminal decline and 9/11 had yet <strong>to</strong> transformglobal politics, a number of NGO-watchers met <strong>to</strong> discuss ‘NGOsbeyond aid’. 170 They suggested that non-government developmentagencies ‘adopt a fourth, value-based position between state, marketand civil society….In this the NGO role is one of multi-sec<strong>to</strong>r negotiation,as well as of promoting and exacting compliance of duty holders<strong>to</strong> deliver people’s rights.’Unpicking the jargon, the gathering suggested that NGOs shouldaim <strong>to</strong> be:• Supporters of poor people and their organisations, helpingthem <strong>to</strong> build the skills and organisational capacity needed <strong>to</strong>demand their rights and feed their families;• Negotia<strong>to</strong>rs and trusted media<strong>to</strong>rs, whether bringing <strong>to</strong>getherrival groups <strong>to</strong> prevent tension turning in<strong>to</strong> conflict, or gettingsmall farmers in<strong>to</strong> a room with supermarket buyers <strong>to</strong> thrashout the practicalities of selling in<strong>to</strong> a global market;• Respected watchdogs of the behaviour of powerfulgovernments and corporations, including themselves;• Acknowledged innova<strong>to</strong>rs in the public interest, in areassuch as health, education, water, and sanitation, with a constanteye on seeing their own small efforts adopted by governmentsor other bigger players.At a global level, they suggested that INGOs should mobilise the publicand pressure for international action <strong>to</strong> address problems that nationalgovernments alone are unable <strong>to</strong> solve, notably where the formalmachinery of global institutions is inadequate. (<strong>Oxfam</strong>’s work ondebt, aid, trade and, increasingly, on climate change seeks <strong>to</strong> addresssome of these gaps in global governance.)379

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