The New Diplomacy

From my reading from week 5 to 7, where Public diplomacy, NGOs( Non-governmental organizations) were discussed i understood that one of the most important aspects in Diplomacy are NGOs- Non-governmental organizations. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are components of civil society. They are very active in open societies. Some of them are lobbies( i.e, special interest groups that try to influence the political system to protect and promote causes) others have narrow focus for example: The National Rifle Association. NGOs may affect the diplomatic process when they succeding rallying public support behind diplomatic initiatives in generating massive opposition. The international campaing in the mid-1990s to ban landmines shows how NGO mobilization of support led to the historic landmine treaty against the opposition of major states, including the United States. Massive NGOS coalitions have also been formed in opposition to international projects for example in 1997-1998 negotiations undertaken by the 29 members of the organization for economic cooperation and development( OECD) to conclude an agreement intended to provide greater forceable protection to international investors. Finally the OECD negotiations foundered and were eventually discounted. For example in September 2006 about 500 nongovernmental groups came to Singapore to take part in annual meeting of the World Bank and IMF, to issue reports critical of the policies of the most institutions. Concerned over the protests at past annual meetings, Singapore at the last minute denied visas to some of the leaders of civil society groups who had been invited to take part in the meeting. and after this western government leaders protested this action and the government of Singapore relented, and then allowed 22 of the 27 banned representatives to enter the country. NGOs alos have sought to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly, a body widely perceived as more important than ECOSOC. Since the 1970s, NGOs have taken part in the committee work of special sessions of the General Assembly concerned with disarmament, economic and social development, drugs and etc. NGOs have for several decades practiced mediation in international and revolutionary conflicts taking diplomatic initiatives of their own. Due to them their effectiveness in this pursuit has given them prominence as international actors. NGOs have been the first international actors to attempt bringing belligerents to the conference table. Some NGOs have been involved in conflict resolution- for example the Charter Center in Atlanta which has a long history of humanitarian mediation.Nongovernmental organizations can be expected to remain extensively involved in the diplomacy of peacemaking. One of their contributions is the implementation of conflict resolution agreements for instance in monitoring what is happening in the field such as the disarming of militias, and also publicly reporting such developments. NGOs are now finding more opportunities to work with government representatives at the international level and acquire new international functions.The increasing participation of NGOs in UN activities is reflected in their being frequently reffered to "nongovernmental partners" in various UN documents. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan acknowledged that "non-governmental organizations are now seen as essential partners of the United Nations, not only in mobilizing public opinion but also in the process of deliberation and policy formulation and-even more important-in the execution of policies, in work on the ground".

Reference:The Dynamics of Diplomacy, Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, p 105-106 and 109-110 and 112 .