NGOs and Conflict: Maintaining Peace - Essay Example

The United Nations, recognizing the important role that these organizations play in today's global environment, has designated them non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and works closely with many of these groups in coordinating and facilitating the needs and economical developments of countries all around the world. However, these organizations face problems just as any other national organization does and some of the most pronounced difficulties lie in the ethical dilemmas they sometimes come in contact with, and international complications which can arise.

As was touched on, a non-governmental organization (NGO), according to the U.N., is any international organization not established by intergovernmental agreement. To qualify for consultative status at the U.N., an NGO must be of service in the Economic and Social Council's field of interest, act in the spirit of the U.N., be non-profit and possess the means to implement its objectives. These objectives are as follows: 1. Non-governmental organizations play a key role by initiating programs of information and education and have indirect effects by mobilizing public opinion and furthering the ends of human rights advocates There are of course other principles that NGO's function around but these stated are the two most crucial to the operations of NGO's from border to border, both nationally and internationally.

The main goal of NGO's in many countries has been to try and establish a semblance of peace following years of conflict with other cultures within a country or through issues due to political problems. Countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, and Fiji have long been known to have ethnic and cultural issues that have long lay hidden inside the boundaries of the countries. It has only been when other cultures have attempted to place dominance over one of the other identities that problematic circumstances with the various cultures have arisen.

The NGO's have always tried to intervene in order to offer a logical more sound proof way of working past these types of difficulties other than simply using violence as the answer. These are some of the most detrimental aspects that NGO's come into contact with when working with smaller countries and they work pertinently on trying to establish frameworks of peace that will benefit all people involved in such cases of distress and confusion. Chapter 1The Ethical Dilemma of Peace Keeping Within the country of Guatemala there has been deep rooted conflict for many decades.

The program that entered into the country was known as "PROPAZ" and was developed to try and teach the natives of Guatemala how to deal with internal conflicts in a way that minimized adversities