Non Governmental
Organisations

Non Governmental Organisations

The term itself came into being via the UN’s Article 71.

These non governmental organisations do not have any strict definitions applied to them like a company would. They are also not really disguisable from Non Profit organisations, many NGOs are also listed as non profits. But what do they do more specifically, well, they help provide humanitarian aid and advocate for social change, they may also overlap on governmental work. NGOs can operate on different scales (Regional, national, international).

Ireland has a lot of active NGOs, a review from the now defunct Benefacts an independent nonprofit company that delivered public transparency and digital accessibility to Ireland’s €14bn nonprofit sector 2015-2021. The company was obliged to ceased trading on 31st March 2022. Reviewed this back in 2021:

Benefacts Analysis 2021

Read the full report here.

Sadly, there is no centralised repository available on government NGO spending currently, we benefacts no longer in operation and the fragmentation of the spends by government department its not easy to get the details. However the government did report In 2022, the Government of Ireland provided almost €2.3 billion in Official Development Assistance (The Irish Government’s official development aid (ODA) programme works on behalf of Irish people to address poverty, hunger, and inequality in some of the world’s poorest countries and is an integral part of Ireland’s foreign policy). Excluding the costs relating to Ukrainian refugees, the figure for Ireland’s 2022 ODA is €1.411 billion.

Funding going to causes like: The Dice Project

The DICE project aims to develop and extend staff capacity and expertise in the four partner institutions and embed the development education and intercultural education as essential elements of initial teacher education at primary level in Ireland." Some question if these groups are operating in the best interests of the funders, also whether their aims are benevolent or more politically motivated, using questionable ideological views and motivations: "guided by the fundamental values of equality, social justice and sustainable development". It points to the move to multi culturalism via NGO promotion without the admittance from these groups to state that its the intended goal.

NGO's once lauded for their humanitarian work have come under scrutiny and criticism for what some consider to be as intimate companions of global capital and neoliberalism. Many feel NGOs are overstepping the mark and undercutting the values of nations and acting against their interest. There is of course the ongoing questions surrounding funding to these causes via philanthropy and foreign funding.

NGOs play a vital role in addressing societal gaps, but questions remain about their funding, influence, and alignment with national interests.

- John Strawell