Dear KMAG: 20200110 Open Thread

The other weapon is NGOs….
On to the subject of “legitimacy” the reason behind the use of the Delphi technique. There is also another technique used to give government the mantle of “legitimacy” and that is the use of NGOs. Just like the Delphied Public Meeting, NGOs are all about controlling the message too.
Cornell Law Library: NGO Legitimacy: Reassessing Democracy, Accountability and Transparency

…A recent survey reveals educated Americans and Europeans trust NGOs more than they trust governments, corporations, and the media.2… As their power augments, NGOs have become increasingly skeptical and critical of the power held by the United Nations (“UN”) and by sovereign states. NGOs accuse these world powers of engaging in rule-making processes that are lacking in transparency, democracy, and accountability, thus lacking in legitimacy. Now, even as their power grows, NGOs are falling under this same criticism—NGO processes are far from transparent, democratic and accountable, and as a result, some claim they are not legitimate representatives of the masses. This NGO criticism has increased in frequency and volume. Even staunch NGO supporters, such as Kofi Annan, have begun to question NGOs lack of accountability following the NGOs’ participation at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa. NGO authority flows from public perception that NGOs are legitimate—that they somehow do represent the muffled masses, that their motives are good, and that they sacrifice their own comfort to help others. The fallacy of these perceptions can be demonstrated. But more important are the criticisms regarding democracy, transparency, and accountability…
Some NGOs are huge organizations, with budgets larger than those of small states,8 that wield powerful influence in international and domestic communities. Large NGOs attract huge funding, and their visibility in media, the policy-making arena, and the general public has never been higher.9 Other NGOs possess little power, are financially unstable, and are oppressed by their national governments. Despite the difference in size, power, funding, and mandate, a common feature among many NGOs (especially human rights and development NGOs) is their desire and attempt to influence government policy, whether at the local, national, or international level….
While NGOs developed a reputation for the advocacy of the disenfranchised, some find it ironic that NGO leaders exert tremendous, almost arbitrary, power over their members. Many observers have wondered whether NGOs—most of which are Western-oriented—act as true representatives of larger constituencies, or whether they serve as political platforms for a few executives.52 NGOs are continuously criticized, by opponents and supporters alike, for their lack of democracy….
Many NGOs do not adhere to an internal democratic process.53 And many, if not most NGOs, do not vote on their leaders, the policies and platforms often do not represent the interests of the members, and few members know what NGO leaders are doing. Few NGOs follow a democratically created constitution, few are accountable to their members, and few allow members to vote on initiatives and leaders….

As one person noted and as I verified it is the large foundations pouring money into a NGO that actually controls it. The leaders are not about to tick off old money bags who pays their salary now are they?
…..
World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy, in a speech at the Bocconi University in Milan

…Whether public or private, governance needs to provide leadership, the incarnation of vision, of political energy, of drive.
It also needs to provide legitimacy, which is essential to ensure ownership over decisions which lead to change. Ownership to prevent the in-built bias towards resistance to modify the status quo.

Ownership is now developed through NGOs who supposedly represent “The People”

Global Policy Journal The Role of Middle Power-NGO Coalitions in Global Policy: The Case of the Cluster Munitions Ban
Medium-sized wealthy states – middle powers – and global civil society networks are increasingly joining forces to influence the global policy agenda on issues of international law, justice, humanitarianism and development. These middle power–NGO coalitions use the comparative advantages of both state and nonstate actors in synergistic partnerships. States represent the coalitions’ interests in international negotiations and conferences, provide donor funding and offer diplomatic support. For their part, NGOs gather on-the-ground research, provide technical expertise, lobby governments, mobilise public opinion and generate media publicity. This article uses the case of the campaign to ban cluster munitions, culminating in the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, to examine the organisation, efforts and impact of such middle power–NGO coalitions…..