NGOs under examination

During the last decades, the conservation of natural resources upon which modern society depends has gained important attention, not only from governments but also from general communities. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) play an important role in this arena, acting independently from any form of government and as non-profit entities. Currently, NGOs are key drivers in inter-governmental negotiations and perform important public functions and regulatory activities.

 

However, nowadays politic and economic rules led NGOs to evolve into new business-NGOs collaborations based on strategic partnerships affecting their functioning, creating a complex system of relationships between the different actors where the scientific and ethic basis of their decisions is not always clear.

 

Additionally, their accelerated growth, both in budget and staff, makes NGOs susceptible to governments and private companies’ influences due to their need for economic resources. We consider important to debate these relationships and how NGOs use scientific information, with special emphasis on the interaction between institutions and scientists in terms of job opportunities and volunteering

 

With this on mind, we want to debate the relations between NGOs and governments, as well as science at large and scientists, as well as what are the main challenges to link together scientific research, politics, public awareness and activism. This discussion will provide an insight into the functioning of NGOs, from the small-scale level to European or international organizations, the role of science in NGOs working towards conservation and sustainable use of the environment and how they cooperate with governments and the magnitude of their influence.

 

 

Workshop and discussion with open questions (questions from the public too)

Topics:

·   Science and NGOs: on what scientific basis are projects developed?

·   Scientists and NGOs: are they really cooperating? Networks?

·   Government and NGOs: power relationships, lobbies…