Unga-Link UK Interactive

THE INTERNATIONAL COALITION FOR THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT (ICRtoP) brings together NGOs from all regions of the world to strengthen normative consensus for RtoP, further the understanding of the norm, push for strengthened capacities to prevent and halt genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity and mobilize NGOs to push for action to save lives in RtoP country-specific situations.

World Federation of United Nations Associations (New York and Geneva) is one of its members.  

See the latest Nato Watch News Briefing: 24 February 2011

Responsibility to Protect in Libya: calls for intervention intensify 

As UN experts denounce massive human rights violations in Libya, calls by civil society to halt mass atrocities have intensified . . .

There is no global consensus on the answer to that question.  UNGA-Link considers Civil Society in the broadest sense, to include all voluntary organisations from the largest  International Non-Governmental Organisations/INGOs to the smallest Community-Based groups/CBOs - in terms of the UN Charter, Civil Society are “We, the Peoples”.   UNGA-Link’s founding Chair, Jeffrey Segall, felt that the INGOs are adequately represented in the UN system by their place in the UN Charter (Article 71) and the high status of CONGO at UN headquarters in New York.  His focus was on how to represent all the rest of us, the Civil Society Organisations/CSOs. 

Whether or not the term “Civil Society” should include the private sector is disputed.  We accept that the private sector can and sometimes does make a positive contribution to achieving the aims of the Charter in partnership with others. 

The fact that some Civil Society Organisations/CSOs are government-controlled NGOs/ GONGOs is generally accepted. 

We also accept that there is a dark side to the world of voluntary organisations: along with exploitative and irresponsible transnational corporations there are the outright criminals.

If you would like a definition, we suggest the following is as good as any.  Your comments on the subject are, of course, welcome.

From the Cardoso Report on UN-Civil Society Relations (June 2004)Definition, Civil Society: Refers to the associations of citizens (outside their families, friends and businesses) entered into voluntarily to advance their interests, ideas and ideologies.  The term does not include profit-making activity (the private sector) or governing (the public sector).  Of particular relevance to the United Nations are mass organisations (such as organisations of peasants, women or retired people), trade unions, professional associations, social movements, indigenous people’s organisations, religious and spiritual organisations, academia and public benefit non-governmental organisations.  (Glossary p13)