ESPM 169: Activist Politics I - Non-Governmental Organizations in IEPOctober 17, 2002 move from science/knowledge based actors to moral actors; environmental activist groups incredibly important in getting environmental concerns recognized and galvanizing action, despite constraints.1. NGOsWorld Directory of NGOs: lists 2600 big onesEU: 14,000India: 12,000Philippines: 18,000Bangladesh: 10,000 - umbrella term for a whole range of groups (and note self-identification element)Related definition (Keck and Sikkink): Actors working on an issue who are bound together by shared values, a common discourse, and a dense exchange of information and services - shared set of principled beliefs - reliance on volunteers and activists - mostly claim a moral, cf. expert/material basis of authority studied as part of social movement theoryNGO: often applied to more "professionalized" groups or networks of groupsDifferent forms:- movements - 'the environmental movement' - parties - grassroots organizationsMay be national, local, transnationalIf transnational - usually, a "peak association" or a network (alliance, partnership) - IUCN as example of truly international organization - the numbers cited above raise questions about what an NGO is "on the ground" many different NGOs active in BD politics - handout!2. Group Exercise: WWF and TWN How do NGOs differ from each other? - radical cf. pragmatic reformist cf. deep ecology - grassroots cf. professional - tactics where are their resources from? - formal and informal - membership - activists - funders 3. NGOs' Role in International Environmental Politics and the CBD2Aim: visibility, persuasion1. Information/Agenda-setting/ Lobbying of government representatives and convention secretariats role of IUCN2. At meeting: formal and informal roles - draft treaties, penguins - occasionally can get on to national delegations - role in subsequent meetings - e.g. organizing forums before SBSTTA3. Monitoring/ Watchdog/ Whistle-blowing roles - e.g. hazardous wastes - GEF role - partners, monitors4. Other actions, not necessarily targeted at state actors - protests - Greenpeace: bearing witness - local organizing - fundraising - campaigns, education at different levels - local, national, international areas AROUND BD too - rainforests a particular focal point…3Greenpeace: "green gold" - against the mahogany trade (related more to CITES)TWN: biotechnology, biosafety, IPRs Paul Wapner's thesis: politics beyond the state - building global civil society Chris Rootes piece: Acting Locally, Thinking Globally - how local environmental groups are affected by non-local factors - what mobilizes people around environmental issues? NIMBY phenomena - how local issues become less local - understanding of broader issues: e.g. eco-justice - what are the prospects for truly transnational environmental movements? - case of Greenpeace Tamiotti and Finger: - conservationist (nature protection org; 1960s and earlier); political (SMOs; 1970s); global ecology (NGO; global env. org, 1990s to present) - Role in international process - negotiation, implementation, monitoring - competition with other actors - capability and costs of actions - strategic action by states4. Dilemmas and Constraints facing NGOs4NGOs becoming increasingly important actors but face several constraints and dilemmasa. Resources - people, time, money - cf. industry - Baselb. Political opportunitiesNational: democracies vs. non-democraciesState violence against themLoss of credibility - Greenpeace and Brent SparInternational NGOs and democracies (Erika and Pauline's article)c. Backlash NGOs - Global Climate Coalition - Wise Use movementd. North-South issues - "NGO-ization" - Sting and Rainforests - Western emphases on conservation - no darkies in the parks, ecotourism - building accountability - values - e.g. DDT and malaria, global warming (Agarwal and Narain)NGO Coalitions - Struggle for Accountability within them5Fox and Brown: effective communication and power sharing between grassroots organizations, national NGOs and INGOs as a learning process, generating social capital - have come a long way since transnational movement to end slavery (CHEK: Keck and Sikkink) certainly doing better at understanding differences of power and geography pressure from WB, WTO, governments to be legitimate - e.g. Narmada Dam credibility remains crucialWhat differences do Southern NGOs face? - state structure - resources - violence - Ogoni, Chico MendesWhat can Western NGOs do to enhance network strategies/ build real partnerships?1. Real coalition building - understanding full range of issues/problems facing partners, and how they frame them2. Address problems at home: How others see us….3. Work on opening political spaceAnti-Globalization Protest movements: From Seattle '99 to Genoa '01Seattle 1999, WTO Ministerial:6- numbers: 30-50,000 - make-up: environmental, human rights, indigenous, labor etc. - nature of claims - strategies: radical vs. reformist: education and protest, performance, sabotage - means of organizing: internet - lack of hierarchy"Travelling circus" takes off: - Washington, Melbourne, Prague, Davos, The Hague, Genoa - violence in Genoa - cancellation of Sept 01 meetings in DCImplications: - global civil society? - de-institutionalization - stable alliances? - reaction from states, international financial institutions - communication and networkingESPM 169 – 10/17/2002: Some NGOs in International Environmental PoliticsNGOs with field activities and some policy activities- World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)7- International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)- Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)- Conservation International (CI)- Fauna and Flora International (FFI)- BirdLife International- International Development Research Centre (IDRC)NGO Activist Organizations (mostly campaigns)- Greenpeace- Rainforest Action Network (RAN)- Taiga Rescue Network (TRN)- Third World Network (TWN)NGO Think tanks (mostly policy-related research)- World Resources Institute (WRI)- Overseas Development Institute (ODI, not only environmental issues)- International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)- Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)NGO Environmental Data Managers- World Conservation Monitoring CentreNGO Scientific Research Institutes- Smithsonian Institution- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)NGO Legal Centers-