ONTRAC 17. NGOs Ethics, Accountability and Regulations

The passing of the phrase ‘the Value-Driven Sector’ should not go unannounced. The old notion that ‘Civil Society’ consisted of the State, the Market and the Value-Driven Sector has given way to a re-classification of the latter as either the ‘Voluntary Sector’, the ‘Third Sector’ or even ‘Civil Society Organisations’. It has probably always been true that not all Civil Society Organisations are value-driven; however even if this assumption is laid aside, the fact remains that many NGOs see themselves as distinctive because of their strong adherence to humanitarian and other values.

This edition of ontrac explores the question of NGO legitimacy and accountability to respective constituencies. Janice Giffen assesses NGO legitimacy to constituencies in the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and Vicky Brehm explores questions of accountability in the context of North-South NGO partnerships. In relation to the current debate on NGO accountability and regulation, Julie Gale presents examples of regulation and Simon Heap analyses the concept of public trust in NGOs, outlining the potential benefits of codes of conduct.