NGO Case study / The strategic criteria

The criteria of the capacity to be self-critical, or politically aware

That last criterion consists in evaluating the capacity of analysis and self-criticism of an NGO, that is to say the ability to:

study the consequences, in the local context, of its actions before, during and after a humanitarian program;
assess the quality of the actions independently of the donors;
adjust a program as it is implemented, and if necessary, sack the individuals implied in cases of sexual abuse, robbery, violence or corruption;
withdraw from situations where the aid is obviously hijacked by the combatants.

Here, the focus is on an organization’s strategy. Whether a support to fighters is chosen or imposed makes all the difference, considering the political character of aid. In order to help populations at risk, some choose their side openly, as the International Brigades did during the Spanish civil war in 1936. Their help loses its humanitarian meaning when it comes to supporting a military effort and does not only consist in paying a bribe to gain access to the victims of conflicts. This option separates a “mercenary” volunteer service from the compromises of an NGO which, in order to save lives, sees its logistics being hijacked for military purposes, without being able to prevent it, and plays the role of the Red Cross of an army or a guerrilla. There are some limits not to go beyond: for instance, to formalize predation by signing a memorandum of understanding with war criminals, to endorse a dictatorship’s racket, to embed an armed movement and to discriminate medical care or food distribution.

When studying the history of an NGO, particular attention is dedicated:

to the conditions in which a program is started or ended;
to lobbying through the diplomacy or the media;
to the links with political parties and governmental armies;
to the relations with rebel movements;
to the impact of aid in war-torn countries, especially regarding embezzlement, abduction, assassination of humanitarian workers, etc.