Word: ngos
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Then there’s the speech that Andrew S. Natsios, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, delivered at a conference of relief and development nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) last May. These groups were receiving government funding to pursue humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. But he reportedly reproached them for failing to make clear to the citizens of those nations that they are “an arm of the U.S. government.” According to those present, he then “threatened to personally tear up their contracts and find new partners...
Natsios’ comments are deeply troubling. Referring to the NGOs as merely “an arm” of government demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of their mission and public value. True, the government ultimately has the right to choose who receives its contracts. But it is vital that NGOs be allowed to retain their independence. An unswerving commitment to their causes often demands that NGOs offer a critical perspective on government policy. But the Bush administration would rather co-opt these groups or, failing that, prosecute them a la Greenpeace...
...expanding microcredit in developing countries as a viable investment rather than charity work. But throw in a projected risk-adjusted return of 14%, and suddenly the Sheratons, ADPs and CalPERS of the world are more willing to consider what has long been the province of venture philanthropists and NGOs. As director of Deutsche Bank's Community Development Group, Mahmood is also using a generous safety net to attract skeptical investors. With a so-called first-loss cushion of 50%, his soon-to-be-launched $50 million debt fund could lose $25 million before commercial investors lose a dime. By employing...
...begin with, U.S. law already prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for overseas abortions and abortion lobbying; even if the Global Gag Rule were repealed, it would still be illegal for U.S. family planning aid to fund these activities. And we could ensure that NGOs would continue to use our aid appropriately—our government keeps close track of how its money is spent. The question is whether essential health services should be undermined because they are performed by organizations with whom some Americans have a sharp difference of opinion...
...Global Gag Rule also puts the U.S. in the intolerable position of undercutting democracy abroad. How would we feel if other nations sought to set the terms of our national abortion dialogue? America purports to champion democracy around the world, and yet we smother the speech of NGOs, restricting free and open discourse in foreign nations. Consider this double standard: If the Global Gag Rule were applied domestically—to restrict the participation of American NGOs in our national abortion debate as a condition of their receiving federal aid—it would be struck down as patently unconstitutional...