Workshop NGOism. A Critical Enquiry

TNI

November 2005

Workshop NGOism. A Critical Enquiry
European Social Forum, Paris, France, 14 November 2003

Organised by TNI and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. Co-ordinators: Christoph Spehr and Christina Hotz

This workshop is stimulated by the conflict between NGOs & political networks growing partly in opposition to the perceived problem of NGOism. NGOs are increasingly criticised as bureaucratic, depoliticised elites & for assuming a representative role without a clear mandate or mechanism by which they can be held accountable. The critical voices identify with values of decentralization, autonomy & resistance. However, they are also non-governmental & can be criticized for a lack of transparency and accountability. How do we define NGOism? How can we be sure that our own methods of organisation do not fall prey to the same flaws?

The aim of the workshop is to exchange experiences and discuss political organisation & accountability. We want to talk about methods of critical & participatory self-evaluation. We are neither interested in pure theoretical speculation nor in accusing others; instead, we want to exchange experiences and to focus on common problems and possible solutions. Of course, we ourselves want to continue being Notoriously Good Organisations...

The workshop is presented by diverse organisations which can be loosely defined as non-governmental organizations. The focus is on organisations which do not have a formal representative structure based on voting amongst themselves or the general public.

Programme:

Video on the theme of implementing utopia.
Case-studies:

Left-wing NGOs in Germany after the Fall of the Wall (Rosa Luxemburg Foundation)
Environmental NGOs & the Kyoto Protocol (TNI Carbon Trade Watch)
Evaluating perspectives of public space through participation (Film Akademie Cultural Social Centre, Amsterdam)

Small group discussions, including a game through which participants can comment on and review the function of public space.
Reflections & Conclusions for the ESF process as a whole (Critical input from Andrej Grubacic, author of "Life after the Social Forum")