International NGOs Research Articles

Spiral to Surveillance: The Effect of INGOs on Levels of Peacekeeper Misconduct

Abstracts Over the last twenty years, the international relations literature has sought to understand the conditions in which peacekeeping operations (PKOs) occur and the efficacy of their presence. Much work has focused on PKOs’ relationship to civilians in civil conflict, but less is understood about the influences on peacekeeping missions’ quality. If PKOs commit human rights abuses, how might other actors deter exploitive PKO behavior in the domestic context? We argue international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) provide a monitoring and socializing effect on PKOs. Using the Peacekeeper Attributes (PKAT) and Transnational Social Movements (TSMO) datasets, we analyze peacekeeping missions from 2007 to 2013. Through zero-inflated negative binomial regression, we found that the presence of general INGOs decreases rates of misconduct, and human rights INGOs decrease rates of misconduct. However, we find that the presence of women’s rights-focused INGOs does not decrease rates of sexual misconduct among PKO troops.

Power dynamics and participation within humanitarian coordination groups: A case study of the MHPSS Taskforce in Lebanon.

The humanitarian sector has often been criticised for its hierarchical power dynamics. Such dynamics often centre the priorities of 'international' actors, thereby marginalising the knowledge and expertise of those closest to the setting and play out in various fora, including coordination mechanisms. While guidance emphasises the importance of supporting local systems and government structures rather than creating parallel humanitarian structures, this approach is not consistently applied, creating challenges. We used a case study approach to explore how power relations influence the practice of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Taskforce in Lebanon, a nationally-led coordination mechanism chaired by the Ministry of Public Health with UN agencies as co-chairs. We conducted 34 semi-structured interviews with Taskforce members and other stakeholders coordinating with the Taskforce, including local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), international NGOs, United Nations agencies and government ministries. Interview transcripts were collaboratively analysed using Dedoose. We conducted feedback workshops with participants and integrated their feedback into analysis. We found that UN agencies and international NGOs are perceived as holding more decision-making power due to their access to funding and credibility-both shaped by the humanitarian system. Our findings also suggest that power dynamics arising mainly from differences in seniority, relations between 'local' and 'expat' staff, and language used in meetings may affect, to varying degrees, decision-making power and members' voices. We also show how the agenda/focus of meetings, meeting format, language, and existing relationships with Taskforce leaders can influence levels of participation and decision-making in Taskforce meetings, ranging from lack of participation through being informed or consulted about decisions to decisions made in partnership. Our findings have broader implications for coordinating service delivery within the humanitarian sector, emphasising the need to reflect upon power imbalances critically and continually and to ensure a shared understanding of decision-making processes.

Universal Design for Learning in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT The growing importance of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework for implementing inclusive education is acknowledged in the Global Education Monitoring report of 2020. There is a lack of evidence and little guidance on how to effectively implement UDL in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). In this context, a scoping review of the literature was commissioned by CBM Christian Blind Mission, an international non-governmental organisation, to look for evidence of current UDL practices in LMIC. The aim was to identify existing research and current gaps, and make recommendations for capacity-development resources and materials in implementing UDL in LMIC. Twenty-one articles were included in this review, of which 13 were from the African continent. While eight of these 13 articles came from South Africa, other LMIC were represented by one or two papers each. The following themes emerged deductively: capacity building of teachers, levels of technology, diversity of target audience, role of communities and families, addressing systemic inequality, and policy supporting implementation. Inductive analysis was used to consider areas that did not fit into these predetermined themes, and additional themes emerged: disability and UDL, and challenges of implementing UDL. These themes are discussed and recommendations made.

Predictors of social media users’ intention to donate online towards international NGOs in the fake news era

International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) operate worldwide to fulfil important needs and issues faced by global communities, but they are highly dependent on donations. Social media facilitates communication with potential donors but exposes them to fake news. This study examines the effect of a set of predictors of social media users’ intention to donate online to international NGOs, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as a conceptual structure. A self-administered online survey was used to collect data from 1629 potential donors to INGOs, and structural equation modelling with SmartPLS 3.0 was employed for assessing the model. The study reveals that social media usage and INGOs’ brand reputation positively impact the sharing of fake news, perceived risks of online donations, attitude towards online donations, and brand image of INGOs. Communication specialists could utilise these insights to boost online donations towards INGOs in the age of misinformation.

Transnational Private Actors Shaping the Policy and Practice of Child Institutionalisation

We provide an overview of transnational non-state actors and their agency that shape today’s out-of-home childcare around the world, specifically institutional residential childcare. Based on existing studies and desktop research, we reveal a broad range of complexly inter-related for-profit and non-profit actors promoting diverse, often conflicting policies and practices – with ambiguous implications for children in care. We focus on secular and faith-based international non-governmental organisations, transnational companies, private regulators, and individuals. Many of them promote family- and community-based care, yet many others support orphanages and other forms of institutional care. The growing number of transnational actors in residential childcare, the emergence of private regulatory frameworks, the advance of market-based, for-profit players, and the involvement of well-resourced religious communities make the future of child institutionalisation uncertain. We discuss how this transnational agency compares with other policy fields and propose directions for future investigations of how transnationalism impacts children in care.

Assessment of the feasibility of a community-based mental health training programme for persons with disabilities by non-specialists from different stakeholders’ perspectives in Bangladesh

IntroductionBangladesh is a developing country where 11% of the population has at least one disability, but no community-level mental health service is available. There is limited evidence of the burden of mental health issues and health-seeking behaviour among this population. This study assessed the feasibility of a training intervention for persons with disabilities, where peer support providers provided community-based disability-inclusive mental health services.MethodsFour stakeholder groups participated in this qualitative study: peer responders (trained persons with disabilities), trainers, representatives of organisations of persons with disabilities and disability-specific organisations, and officials of international and national non-governmental organisations. Two types of qualitative interviews were used to collect data, and thematic analysis techniques were utilised.ResultStakeholders perceived the peer responder training programme as acceptable for persons with disabilities to develop themselves as peer support providers, with potential benefits including increased mental health literacy, ensuring accessible mental health services, and improving the well-being of persons with disabilities. Potential challenges included receiving training and delivering services. Increased training duration, more fieldwork, supervision opportunities, and refresher training were recommended to mitigate training challenges. Financial support and formal community recognition were deemed necessary for training delivery.ConclusionThe peer responder training programme was feasible to ensure accessible mental health services for persons with disabilities, build a workforce to screen for mental health conditions, and provide appropriate referrals. A multi-sectoral collaboration of government and non-governmental institutions is recommended to policy advocates to expand the peer responder training programme in the mainstream mental healthcare system.

A Critical Reflection on the Impact of International Organisations on Vocational Education Policy in China

Under the influence of globalisation, the importance of international organisations has become increasingly prominent. This paper explores the four stages of China's vocational education policy development and the effects of its implementation, as well as the impact of international governmental and non-governmental organisations on the development of vocational education and training (VET) in China. Specifically, the paper critically reflects on the degree to which the 4A principles, namely acceptability, availability, adaptability, and accessibility, have been accomplished in China's vocational education system in the context of reality, and the role of international organisations in policy-making and economic assistance in vocational education.

Collaborator or quasi–grant maker? Revealing the dissonance in international development charities’ partnership representations

ABSTRACT This paper explores partnership representations in the Trustees’ Annual Reports & Accounts (TARA) of English and Welsh international non-governmental organisations (INGOs). INGOs are prominent global actors, whose TARA serve important accountability purposes, while also acting as key fundraising communications. The study uses thematic analysis to examine 83 TARA published between 2014 and 2018 by 29 INGOs. Findings show that in these TARAs’ narrative sections, partnership relationships are largely described using the language of collaboration, yet accord the INGO the primary role. In the subsequent managerial and financial sections, however, these relationships are presented as a hierarchy, focusing on upwards accountability from project partners to the INGO. These presentations suggest that INGOs continue to embed power inequalities in their partnership relationships. Furthermore, drawing on stakeholder theory, this exploratory study argues that the contradiction found demonstrates that INGO reporting prioritises legitimation rather than authenticity, and obfuscates understanding of international development partnership relationships.

Precariousness and vulnerability: Seafarers in the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the world and work in particular, but its effects on the labor market were not evenly distributed. Seafarers, who are essential workers engaging in international maritime transport, encountered exacerbated challenges to labor conditions at sea during the pandemic. Notably, the inability to conduct crew changes violated their right to rest, increasing the risk of fatigue-related safety accidents at sea. Additionally, the precarious nature of maritime employment relationships delayed seafarers waiting to enlist on the vessels, creating extended financial hardship ashore. Socio-legal analysis revealed how the pandemic, related public health measures and precarious employment heightened the vulnerability of seafarers during the pandemic. Applying the Pressure, Disorganization and Regulatory Failure model and supported by qualitative data collected through a policy review, media coverage analysis and semi-structured interviews, we identified how seafarers’ health and safety rights were significantly compromised during the pandemic. Even though various initiatives were raised by international governmental and non-governmental organizations to address the “humanitarian crisis” at sea, maritime labor regulatory failures were not effectively addressed throughout the multiple waves of the pandemic.

The historical aspect of the transformation of the International Union of Journalists

The scientific article is a study on the history of the creation of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The article presents an analysis of the history of the creation and development of the IFJ. The authors pay special attention to the reasons and prerequisites underlying the emergence of the International Federation of Journalists, as well as expand the data on the creation of the IFJ. The study draws attention to the circumstances that led to the establishment of the IFJ in the post-war period. Special attention is paid to the influence of geopolitical factors on the formation and development of the organization. The consideration of the reasons for the split of the MOJ includes differentiated approaches and strategies adopted by various participating countries, in particular, in the context of the professional activities of journalists. The data on the current state of affairs of the Russian Union of Journalists as part of the International Federation of Journalists are presented. The research methods used include historical analysis: the study of historical documents, archival materials, protocols of congresses related to the creation and development of the IFJ. A content analysis of the texts of articles, statements and reports related to organizations was carried out in order to identify key topics, approaches and dynamics in their activities. The novelty of this study lies in the fact that there are very few such materials in the scientific literature devoted to the history of journalism in Russia, and they mainly concerned the regions of Russia and the development of regional journalism. The main conclusion of this study is the understanding that currently non-governmental international organizations formed on the principles of professionalism are changing and becoming similar to political organizations, which in turn can lead to a split in these organizations and the termination of their existence. After Russia launched a special military operation in February 2022, the unions of journalists of Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland announced their intention to leave IFJ due to the presence of the national Union of Journalists of the Russian Federation in it. In February 2023, despite the fact that the organization claims that it is not connected with politics, but is exclusively engaged in protecting the rights of journalists, the IFJ "froze" the membership of the Russian Federation in the organization. It will be possible to return to the issue of Russia's return to work as part of the International Federation of Journalists only in 2026, if necessary.

Toxic pollution: current aspects of plastic waste management, optimal solutions without prohibitive measures usage

Introduction. Pollution of the environment by plastic waste is one of the modern global problems.
 Material and methods. The article analyzes international agreements related to the regulation of the production and circulation of pollutants, including plastic waste, with a summary of information materials.
 Results. The solution to the problems of environmental pollution by plastic waste, identified on the basis of an analysis of international agreements, Russian laws is seen primarily through amendments to the current legislation. At the end of the article, a list of normative documents that were used in the work when writing the article is given, as well as a list of websites of international multilateral agreements and international non-governmental organizations.
 Conclusion. The article analyzes and summarizes information materials on what and how is being done in the Russian Federation in connection with this global problem.

Mapping cooperation: insights into Colombia's humanitarian response to migration from Venezuela

IntroductionSince 2015, Colombia has faced a significant humanitarian challenge, receiving 2.9 million displaced Venezuelans. This study examines organizational cooperation in the humanitarian response to this migration crisis, aiming to understand the coordination dynamics among key organizations and actors.MethodsOur research combined interviews and web scraping to gather data on key actors and their relationships in the humanitarian response. We employed Social Network Analysis (SNA) to examine these relationships and the collaborative strategies among entities, focusing on how they address the migration challenges.ResultsThe results indicate that cooperation occurred through mediated channels, where established NGOs collaborated via coordination mechanisms established by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), often involving diaspora volunteer-based organizations and through ad-hoc coordination. We also identified that organizations specializing in specific activities often exhibited limited coordination with others operating in the same sector. Lastly, the results suggest that coordination mechanisms played a crucial role in driving activities and facilitating the diversification of responses, partly through allocating financial resources.DiscussionThis study contributes to the humanitarian aid and migration literature, focusing on Colombia's migration response. It employs a mixed-methods approach, including Social Network Analysis (SNA), to explore the dynamics within humanitarian networks. It highlights the role of the Venezuelan diaspora NGOs, challenging the conventional view of migrants solely as aid recipients. The research uncovers the complex roles of intermediaries and coordination mechanisms, offering new insights into constructing effective humanitarian network structures. It advocates for a collaborative and inclusive approach to managing migration situations.

In search of decent work: Human resource managers as custodians of fair reward in international NGOs

As the world faces increasing environmental, social and financial crises, as a result of climate change, deepening unrest about inequality, and the cost of living crisis, there are growing calls for organisations to play a role in responding to them. Scholars in the field of sustainable human resource management (HRM) have elaborated various avenues through which the field of HRM can contribute to this response. One such contribution HRM can make to global grand challenges is through contributing to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Of particular relevance for HRM is SDG8, which calls for decent work. In this study we empirically explore why, how and what influences HR managers in international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) to seek to enact fair reward, a key component of decent work. Based on our analysis, we find evidence that HR managers can be strategic actors in enacting fair pay, and we identify a complex interplay between HR managers and their context in the behaviours underpinning this enactment. HR managers adopt one of at least three identified roles to proactively enact fair reward (visionary, gatekeeper or technical consultant). Each role adopts differing strategic and fairness enactment behaviours to navigate the constraints posed by the context in which they work, including focussing on influencing different justice dimensions, and leveraging disruption in the external environment. By drawing out the key role HR managers can play in enacting fairness, we offer support for the importance of HRM in contributing to decent work and global grand challenges. Ultimately our study offers support for a common good HRM, in which HR manager actions are influenced and driven by challenges beyond the scope of their organisation. We offer empirical support and theoretical development related to how context shapes HR manager roles at work.

Europeanization as a hegemonic process: the counter-hegemonic coal phase-out struggle in Turkey

ABSTRACT The study examines how anti-coal groups – national and international environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) and influential think tanks – conduct a counter-hegemonic struggle to Europeanize the coal exit process in Turkey. By undertaking intellectual leadership in Turkey’s growing authoritarian political-economic space, anti-coal groups proactively have shaped the discourse on the coal phase-out debates within civil society. To delegitimize the official hegemonic frame promoting coal for energy independence, supply security, and rapid economic development, they have appealed to the European Green Deal as a powerful discursive tool to create necessary consent for a coal exit in Turkey. Based on the Europeanization perspective complemented with the Gramscian insights that enabled the consideration of the power relations and vested interests within energy transition, the study reveals that the anti-coal groups have conducted a counter-hegemonic discursive struggle for the Europeanization of Turkey’s policy of coal exit.

Understanding and addressing the unintended effects of aid localisation

ABSTRACT Aid localisation is a decades-old endeavour recently catalysed by the 2016 Grand Bargain agreement. However, localisation’s unintended effects have yet to be assessed systematically. This study typologises five unintended effects in the context of Cordaid’s partnerships within the Just Future program: competition, administration, value, civic space, and climate effects. Through literature reviews and 15 key informant interviews, it finds most frequently and impactfully that localisation risks perpetuating hierarchies, as international NGOs favour partnerships with larger local NGOs that manage to meet donor requirements at the expense of community-based organisations (competition effect). In addition, it risks disproportionately increasing local administrative burdens due to donors’ low risk appetite and mistrustful perceptions of local capacities (administration effect). Localisation furthermore risks diverging from certain values, such as gender-related and LGBTQ+ rights, which are a priority for many international NGOs (value effect). Recommendations focus on adaptive management and providing technical assistance to smaller local NGOs.

Dimensions of Urban Poverty in Slum Neighbourhoods of Yenagoa City, Bayelsa State

Urban poverty and slum development have become a reoccurring social phenomenon in urban societies of developing economies. The study aims to assess urban poverty in slum neighbourhoods of Yenagoa City, Bayelsa State. The objectives include identifying the characteristics of slum dwellers in the study area; ascertaining the dimension of urban poverty in the study area; assessing the impact of urban poverty in slum neighbourhoods and identifying measures aimed at reducing urban poverty in the study area. The study adopted a mixed-methods research approach. A total of 397 sample sizes were arrived at using the Taro Yamane formula at a 5% precision level. Only 380 questionnaires were retrieved, collated, and analysed using univariate statistics. The study found that urban poverty is high in the study leading to an increase in crime, insecurity, and poor tenure security affecting residents’ environmental conditions. The study recommends that the Bayelsa State Government and local governments should collaborate with international donor agencies and NGOs to provide appropriate skills acquisition and training programmes, and institute schemes to develop the skills of residents to be self-reliant, provide basic infrastructure, facilities, and services in all the neighbourhoods to improve the quality of life and encourage residents to diversify into other sources of income. The government should collaborate with security agencies and communities to establish community policing to improve security architecture and crime prevention strategies in the study area.

International Legal Framework for the Protection of Cultural Objects

Introduction. For thousands of years, historical and cultural monuments have been damaged or destroyed as a result of armed conflicts and acts of vandalism. Given the role that these sites play in the development of humanity, international humanitarian law (IHL) establishes the basis for the international legal protection of religious, cultural and scientific sites. At the beginning of the 20th century. the situation was complicated not only by the absence of a universal international treaty that would be devoted exclusively to the international legal protection of these objects, but also by an international intergovernmental organization that would develop appropriate norms and standards. These problems led to the creation in 1945 of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Thanks to the activities of this specialized UN agency, as well as the activities of a number of non-governmental international organizations, it was possible to form an international legal regime for the protection of cultural property both in peacetime and during armed conflicts.As a result of changes in the strategy of conducting armed conflicts, as well as improving the methods and means of conducting them in the 21st century, cultural objects are in great danger. In this regard, the analysis of current international legal norms and principles for the protection of cultural property in the context of international humanitarian law is of particular relevance.Materials and methods. As for the materials, we were talking about legal acts, Russian and cultural information based on the cultural traditions of international law. methodological basis based on scientific methods of lysis and synthesis, comparative legal method, scientific method of delivery.Research results. The evolution of the system of international legal protection of cultural property and world cultural heritage allows us to draw a conclusion about the comprehensive level of such protection, applied both in peacetime and in armed conflicts. The international legal responsibilities of states in this area are associated, first of all, with assessing the significance of cultural objects and giving them the appropriate legal status through national legislation or inclusion in the registers of international organizations.Discussion and conclusion. At the same time, the activities of states and international organizations related to the special designation of cultural objects in armed conflicts, the training of civilian and military personnel, and taking into account the specifics of the placement and maintenance of such objects are of particular importance. The general body of knowledge and skills for the protection and protection of cultural objects is formed by UNESCO as a specialized agency of the United Nations, which strives to preserve the universal heritage as the highest achievements of art and science.

(In)sufficient institutionalization? Norm articulation in the World Health Organization and infectious disease prevalence across the global South

Recent work in the neoinstitutional tradition has sought to clarify the mechanisms by which global norms diffuse across the world system. Prior work highlights the role of organizational linkages between world society and the nation-state—especially international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs)—in the process of spreading policies, practices, and ideas cross-nationally. Although prior empirical studies ask whether diffusion occurs, this study examines the conditions under which such effects are stronger versus weak (or absent). To do so, we use the strategic case of norm articulation in the World Health Organization (WHO) and its relationship to infectious disease prevalence across the global South. Our research design leverages variation in the extent to which issues garner attention within this intergovernmental organization. We begin by identifying four infectious diseases with variable degrees of prominence on the WHO agenda. In the descending order, they are HIV, tuberculosis, leprosy, and Guinea-worm disease. We then estimate the impact of organizational links to world society (operationalized as health INGOs) on disease prevalence and compare results across each of the four outcomes. Results support the neoinstitutional argument that diffusion is conditional on the extent to which norms are articulated in the prevailing global institution. We find that, for the most part, world society links are associated with lower rates of infectious disease. However, the size and significance of the relationship depends on a disease’s relative priority on the WHO agenda. In the absence of sufficient norm articulation, results show that integration into world society is unrelated to infectious disease prevalence.

Unpacking the Food Security Crisis in the Ecologically Fragile and Conflict-Ridden Lake Chad Basin: Interrogating NGOs' Response to the Climate Change-Security Nexus

A 2018 United Nations report highlights the growing need for funding and assistance to the Lake Chad Basin (LCB). The food security crisis in the LCB is a blend of complex factors relating to the declining water of Lake Chad and protracted insecurity fanned by Boko Haram insurgency. Unfortunately, development agencies sometimes focus less on how the climate change-insecurity nexus is becoming increasingly consequential in explaining the LCB’s profile in fragility. This paper considers the extent to which international agencies and nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) respond to multiple crises, integrating both climate change and security facets in their analysis and response to the food crisis besetting the LCB. Findings from interviews in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger reveal that NGOs fail to sufficiently take climate change into account in their policies and strategies, in that many food assistance programs are climate change neutral in content and focus.

Utilising the communication for development approach to prevent online child trafficking in Thailand

In Thailand, predators use online and offline methods to exploit migrant children as forced labourers in various industries, including shrimp and seafood processing, construction and agriculture. This study examines the current status of online child trafficking and considers how the communication for development (C4D) approach can be utilised to prevent these crimes. This study reviews papers and reports published in Thailand and abroad on online child and human trafficking, prevention methods and C4D. Moreover, the study used purposive sampling and interviewed Thai government officials and representatives from non-government organisations (NGOs) with expertise in migration issues. The findings reveal that human traffickers deceive migrant children into online child labour and trafficking through unregulated online channels. However, the Thai government has collaborated with local and international NGOs to apply C4D to reach out to children seeking employment in safe online spaces to prevent child trafficking. This paper argues that C4D is helpful for raising public awareness of the threats posed by human trafficking. Simultaneously, specific labour groups employ C4D Plus, which may be applicable in the prevention of online child trafficking.