NGO's private diplomacy: a contribution to peacebuilding?

Résumé du document

The presence of NGOs on the international scene is now well-established. As far as peacebuilding is concerned, NGOs have a long-term presence in many of the areas of the world affected by intractable conflicts. They are now engaged in even more peacebuilding activities than are official government agencies, even if the two are sometimes difficult to separate. But, their exact role as well as their real weight in the international arena remains controversial. The sector is experiencing a rapid growth and largely influences some major global issues. In this context, some observers and world actors (like former diplomat and head of Coordination Sud - the national coordination of international solidarity French NGOs- Henry Rouillé d'Orfeuil) have put forward the concept of “non-governmental diplomacy” or “diplomacy of NGOs” to define this empowerment. This is sometimes the source of tensions, especially with States and international organizations, but also raises the question of their legitimacy in their contribution to peacebuilding, with some analysts evoking possible counter-effects to international peace programmes due to NGOs interventions.
So, it is worth wondering to what extent this emerging non-governmental diplomacy can effectively contribute to peacebuilding.
This implies evaluating what non-governmental diplomacy actually consists of - if it does exist - and to try to define the role of NGOs in the peacebuilding process, while dealing with its evolution.

Extraits

[...] NGOs have to develop community- oriented analytical approaches so as to better evaluate aid programmes and improve pre-assessment and monitoring of the socio-political contexts and the consequences of post-war peace building programmes. It is finally also important that outsiders improve their accountability towards local people and partners, for the more their legitimacy will be acknowledged, the more local people will be eager to cooperate with non-governmental actors. To conclude this essay, we could say that there remains a lot to do for NGOs to shift from a situation where they merely provide services to states' foreign policy (or regional organizations' one like the EU) to one where they carry out their own projects. [...]

[...] NGO'S Private diplomacy: a contribution to peace building? The presence of NGOs on the international scene is now well-established. As far as peace building is concerned, NGOs have a long-term presence in many of the areas of the world affected by intractable conflicts. They are now engaged in even more peace building activities than are official government agencies, even if the two are sometimes difficult to separate. But their exact role as well as their real weight in the international arena remains controversial. [...]

[...] In reality and contrary to what NGOs may be inclined to feel, they shouldn't consider themselves as the main actors, but rather “facilitators” in what could be defined as a leverage process. That is not to say that they are under the control of officials, but rather that their role needs to be conceptualized in relation to their various interactions with local political processes and local resources. These are being mobilized by people to reconstruct their community, trying to give a sense to their situation by resulting to traditions. [...]

[...] Take the example of the contribution of NGOs to peace building in Bosnia. After the Dayton agreement, the main focus of international forces was to maintain the ceasefire, separate the parties and sustain the election process. But after presidential elections were held, it was necessary to help the society to go beyond its divisions and morbid memories. In Tuzla, a local nongovernmental organization lends money to refugee family who want to open or restart businesses, with the aim of helping people to regain trust and self-sufficiency. [...]

[...] But is it still relevant then to speak about non governmental diplomacy, with NGOs above all helping governments and international officials to implement their policies? The growing concern among states and international organizations about the influence of NGOs proves that these are actually experiencing some changes in their status and recognition in the international sphere. The number of NGOs active in the international field is growing (between and in the North; and around - in the South), and some are doubtlessly weighing on the governance and international positioning of their respective state. Different factors contribute to the emergence of this nongovernmental diplomacy. [...]