Editing Non-governmental organization (section)

== History ==
[[International non-governmental organization]]s date back to at least the late 18th century,<ref>{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Thomas |title=NGOs: A New History of Transnational Civil Society |year=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-19-938753-3 |page=23 |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/ngos-9780199387533}}</ref><ref>Steve Charnovitz, "Two Centuries of Participation: NGOs and International Governance, Michigan Journal of International Law, Winter 1997.</ref> and there were an estimated 1,083 NGOs by 1914.<ref>{{cite book |title=Subcontracting Peace – The Challenges of NGO Peacebuilding |editor1=Oliver P. Richmond |editor2=Henry F. Carey |publisher=Ashgate |year=2005 |page=21}}</ref> International NGOs were important to the [[abolitionism|anti-slavery]] and [[women's suffrage]] movements, and peaked at the time of the 1932–1934 [[World Disarmament Conference]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Thomas Richard |title=The Possibilities of Transnational Activism: the Campaign for Disarmament between the Two World Wars |year=2007 |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |isbn=978-90-04-16258-7}}{{page needed|date=December 2013}}</ref>

The term became popular with the 1945 founding of the [[United Nations]] in 1945;<ref>{{cite book|last=Davies|first=Thomas|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/ngos-9780199387533|title=NGOs: A New History of Transnational Civil Society|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=978-0-19-938753-3|location=New York|page=3}}</ref> Article 71 in [[Chapter X of the United Nations Charter|Chapter X of its charter]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/chapt10.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040322180234/http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/chapt10.htm|url-status=dead|title=Charter of the United Nations: Chapter X<!-- Bot generated title -->|archive-date=22 March 2004}}</ref> stipulated [[consultative status]] for organizations which are neither governments nor member states.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Götz|first=Norbert|date=2008-06-01|title=Reframing NGOs: The Identity of an International Relations Non-Starter|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066108089242|journal=European Journal of International Relations|language=en|volume=14|issue=2|pages=231–258|doi=10.1177/1354066108089242|s2cid=145277588|issn=1354-0661}}</ref> An international NGO was first defined in resolution 288 (X) of the [[United Nations Economic and Social Council]] (ECOSOC) on February 27, 1950, as "any international organization that is not founded by an international treaty". The role of NGOs and other "major groups" in [[sustainable development]] was recognized in Chapter 27<ref>{{cite web |author=United Nations Conference on Environment and Development |url=http://habitat.igc.org/agenda21/a21-27.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030217095008/http://habitat.igc.org/agenda21/a21-27.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 February 2003 |title=Agenda 21 – Chapter 27: Strengthening the Role of Non-governmental Organizations: Partners for Sustainable Development, Earth Summit, 1992 |publisher=Habitat.igc.org |access-date=20 December 2011 }}</ref> of [[Agenda 21]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/documents/ecosoc/res/1996/eres1996-31.htm |title=1996/31. Consultative relationship between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations |publisher=Un.org |access-date=20 December 2011}}</ref> The rise and fall of international NGOs matches contemporary events, waxing in periods of growth and waning in times of crisis.<ref>Boli, J. and Thomas, G. M. (1997) World Culture in the World Polity: A century of International Non-Governmental Organization. American Sociological Review. pp. 177</ref> The United Nations gave non-governmental organizations observer status at its assemblies and some meetings. According to the UN, an NGO is a private, not-for-profit organization which is independent of government control and is not merely an opposition [[political party]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.apa.org/international/united-nations/acronyms.pdf| title = United Nations: Definitions and Terms}}</ref> An observer has access to most meetings and relevant documentation.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.un.org/en/about-us/about-permanent-observers| title = About Permanent Observers| website=United Nations| access-date=21 Jan 2025}}</ref>

The rapid development of the non-governmental sector occurred in Western countries as a result of the restructuring of the [[welfare state]]. [[Globalization]] of that process occurred after the fall of the communist system, and was an important part of the [[Washington Consensus]].<ref name="global">Pawel Zaleski ''Global Non-governmental Administrative System: Geosociology of the Third Sector'', [in:] Gawin, Dariusz & Glinski, Piotr [ed.]: "Civil Society in the Making", IFiS Publishers, Warsaw (2006)</ref>

Twentieth-century [[globalization]] increased the importance of NGOs. [[Treaty|International treaties]] and organizations, such as the [[World Trade Organization]], focused on [[Capitalism|capitalist]] interests. To counterbalance this trend, NGOs emphasize [[Humanitarianism|humanitarian issues]], [[development aid]], and [[sustainable development]]. An example is the [[World Social Forum]], a rival convention of the [[World Economic Forum]] held each January in [[Davos]], Switzerland. The fifth World Social Forum, in [[Porto Alegre]], Brazil in January 2005, was attended by representatives of over 1,000 NGOs.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bartlett |first=Lauren |title=NGO Update |journal=Human Rights Brief |year=2005 |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=44–45}}</ref> The 1992 [[Earth Summit]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], attended by about 2,400 representatives, was the first to demonstrate the power of international NGOs in environmental issues and sustainable development. Transnational NGO networking has become extensive.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Stone |first=Diane |title=Transfer Agents and Global Networks in the 'Transnationalisation' of Policy |journal=Journal of European Public Policy.austiniskewl |volume=11 |issue=3 |year=2004 |pages=545–566 |doi=10.1080/13501760410001694291|s2cid=153837868 |url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1742/1/WRAP_Stone_JEPP_Transnational_Transfer.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216082459/http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1742/1/WRAP_Stone_JEPP_Transnational_Transfer.pdf |archive-date=2011-12-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>