Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), also called “civil society” organizations, are groups formed by individuals working across national borders to affect public policy. Recent progress in technology, coupled with globalization’s emphasis on international cooperation, has allowed the effectiveness of these organizations to grow drastically. Individuals living in different countries can now network with one another, and the Internet has permitted NGOs to both obtain and publish information on an extensive level, previously only available to states.

NGOs have had significant impact on environmental affairs, such as Greenpeace’s advocacy work on climate changethe worldwide rise in temperatures that has been blamed for severe weather in many parts of the world., Amnesty International’s advocacy of human rights, and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won a Nobel Peace Prize for its work in shaping a global treaty to prohibit use of landmines.

However, as the influence of NGOs has grown, more questions are being raised regarding their accountability. Essentially, NGOs are special-interest groups on an international scale, which means that they are unelected and unaccountable to any public oversight, even though they claim to speak for the “public” as a whole.

For more information on NGOs, refer to the Human Rights Issues in Depth (The Rise of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Global Civil Society).

* YouTube Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVu9eawb1QY

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