Difference between revisions of "History of the NGO Sector"
From NGO Handbook
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“Americans of all ages, all stations of life, and all types of disposition are forever forming associations. There are not only commercial and industrial associations in which all take part, but others of a thousand different types – religious, moral, serious, futile, very general and very limited, immensely large and very minute… Nothing, in my view, deserves more attention than the intellectual and moral associations in America.” | “Americans of all ages, all stations of life, and all types of disposition are forever forming associations. There are not only commercial and industrial associations in which all take part, but others of a thousand different types – religious, moral, serious, futile, very general and very limited, immensely large and very minute… Nothing, in my view, deserves more attention than the intellectual and moral associations in America.” | ||
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There were two organizations of note that were founded before 1850. One was the Central Commission on the Navigation of the Rhine, established by the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Lyman Cromwell White regards this organization as the first modern intergovernmental organization, but participation was limited to central European states.<ref>Lyman Cromwell White, ''International Non-Governmental Organizations: Their Purposes, Methods, and Accomplishments''. (Rutgers University Press, 1951), p. 4.</ref> Another organization, the Superior Council of Health, was founded in 1838 in Constantinople (now Istanbul) to deal with the spread of communicable diseases. Participation was also limited, to delegates from the Ottoman Empire and Europe. | There were two organizations of note that were founded before 1850. One was the Central Commission on the Navigation of the Rhine, established by the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Lyman Cromwell White regards this organization as the first modern intergovernmental organization, but participation was limited to central European states.<ref>Lyman Cromwell White, ''International Non-Governmental Organizations: Their Purposes, Methods, and Accomplishments''. (Rutgers University Press, 1951), p. 4.</ref> Another organization, the Superior Council of Health, was founded in 1838 in Constantinople (now Istanbul) to deal with the spread of communicable diseases. Participation was also limited, to delegates from the Ottoman Empire and Europe. | ||
| − | Behind these developments were events that were setting the wheels in motion for the growth of NGOs, both | + | Behind these developments were events that were setting the wheels in motion for the growth of NGOs, both internationally and locally. International law was becoming codified, international courts of arbitration were being established, and international conferences to discuss ways to prevent war were being convened. Technological developments such as the invention of the locomotive engine, steamship, telegraph and telephone gave rise to global communication and consciousness. Worldwide networks of goods, capital and labor were becoming more common and established. |
| − | + | ==Early modern NGOs: 1850-1914== | |
Against the social and economic backdrop of the time, the international NGOs founded in the second half of the nineteenth century mostly related to telegraphy, postal services, weights and measures, slavery, sugar and agriculture. Only two health organizations and one organization each relating to agriculture and education were founded before 1900. | Against the social and economic backdrop of the time, the international NGOs founded in the second half of the nineteenth century mostly related to telegraphy, postal services, weights and measures, slavery, sugar and agriculture. Only two health organizations and one organization each relating to agriculture and education were founded before 1900. | ||
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Early international NGOs also worked closely with governments. The International Red Cross (IRC), established in 1863, appealed to the Swiss government to convene an international congress to improve the treatment of the war wounded. Throughout the years, the IRC broadened its scope to include the relief of suffering in times of peace as well as in war, health education and disaster relief. During the wars, the organization also took on a political stance: “the IRCC urged the belligerent countries to adopt measures calculated to lessen the terrible consequences of the war.”<ref>Op. cit. The IRCC and Its Missions Abroad (1918-1923), p. 15-16 in White, p. 187.</ref> | Early international NGOs also worked closely with governments. The International Red Cross (IRC), established in 1863, appealed to the Swiss government to convene an international congress to improve the treatment of the war wounded. Throughout the years, the IRC broadened its scope to include the relief of suffering in times of peace as well as in war, health education and disaster relief. During the wars, the organization also took on a political stance: “the IRCC urged the belligerent countries to adopt measures calculated to lessen the terrible consequences of the war.”<ref>Op. cit. The IRCC and Its Missions Abroad (1918-1923), p. 15-16 in White, p. 187.</ref> | ||
| − | The influence of international NGOs may be best demonstrated in the resulting organizations that were formed. Its efforts at peace paved the way for the creation of the League of Nations. The international law societies and the IPU laid the foundation for the World Court. Labor-themed organizations led to the creation of the International Labor Organization. The influence of the International Free Trade Union led to the founding of the Nansen International Office for Refugees. | + | The influence of international NGOs may be best demonstrated in the resulting organizations that were formed. Its efforts at peace paved the way for the creation of the League of Nations. The international law societies and the IPU laid the foundation for the World Court. Labor-themed organizations led to the creation of the International Labor Organization. The influence of the International Free Trade Union led to the founding of the Nansen International Office for Refugees. |
==The World Wars: 1914-1945== | ==The World Wars: 1914-1945== | ||
Revision as of 10:45, 6 August 2008
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as we know them today are generally thought to have come into existence around the mid-nineteenth century. It was only about a century later that the importance of NGOs was officially recognized by the United Nations. At the UN Congress in San Francisco in 1968, a provision was made in Article 71 of the Charter of the United Nations framework that qualified NGOs in the field of economic and social development to receive consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.
The development of modern NGOs has largely mirrored that of general world history, particularly after the Industrial Revolution. NGOs have existed in some form or another as far back as 25,000 years ago. Since 1850, more than 100,000 private, not-for-profit organizations with an international focus have been founded. The growth of NGOs really took off after the Second World War, with about 90 international NGOs founded each year, compared with about 10 each year in the 1890s. Only about 30 percent of early international NGOs have survived, although those organizations founded after the wars have had a better survival rate. Many more NGOs with a local, national or regional focus have been created, though like their international counterparts, not all have survived or have been successful.
This article presents an overview of the history of modern day NGOs, with particular emphasis on international organizations. It looks at the different causes that have been championed by NGOs as the events in world history have unfolded, from the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution to the World Wars and through the aftermath of the Cold War. It also looks at the evolution of the structure and purpose of NGOs as they have matured over the years.
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