African Unification Front
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Pan African Conference of Civil Society Organizations
AN ECOLOGY OF NGOs
INCOHERENCE AND CORPORATE CONTRADICTIONS
The transformative agenda of many civil activists and civil groups is in crisis. Civil groups working in partnership with business point to a variety of justifications for what they are doing...usually stating justice and humanitarian concerns.
But there are fundamental contradictions that NGO-Corporate partnerships face, in spite of the benefits.
Africans are concerned about the motivations of industrialized countries. The European world is asking them to live up to cultural obligations that we are not prepared to accept. Africans continue to reject forcefully any undermining of community cohesiveness as part of a process of westernization that is usually confused with "development".
Moreover, market-access issues are a particular sore point with many Africans. The "virtues" of trade liberalization and integration into the global economy are questionable, especially because at the same time as it is reluctant to lower trade barriers — especially on textiles and clothing — and reduce agricultural subsidies — both areas of vulnerability to Africa, but ones where the African Union could benefit substantially.
The growth of the shareholder phenomenon has created a pressure for companies to externalise as many costs as possible and increase dividends. Making money out of money independent of productive activity, the satisfaction of needs and the stewardship of nature.
Will shareholder capitalism and the adoption of cooperative economic policy provide the policy context for bona fide corporate social responsibility? Perhaps an increase in the number of employee-owned firms?
By increasing the ethical awareness of the owners of capital, the market may begin to exert a more progressive influence. The emergence of a number of ethical investment funds, often in collaboration with environmental groups.
The ability of business-NGO partnerships to deliver social and environmental change given that there was little likelihood of fundamental change to our economic system. Inter-sectoral dialogue would help people in business and civil groups to realise the fundamental constraints.
VISION CREEP
It seems that some NGOs concern for being seen to be professional and pragmatic is becoming a stronger force in governing their actions than the concern for the issues they are meant to be working towards.
More than NGO “mission creep” we are seeing NGO “vision creep” towards goals that are compatible with current economic structures, rather than challenging them. Were even seeing more NGOs agree that voluntarism is the way forward rather than regulation or international convention - as if pressuring and then working with business was a natural choice of campaigners rather than a necessary ploy due to the breakdown of the governmental political process! Short institutional memories (caused by staff turnover) explain this phenomenon. When many of the new key staff are from industry and they may tend to play the role of business rather than the role of government.
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