Human Rights NGOs and the Problems of Transition

1
Human Rights NGOs and the Problems of Transition

• Lessons for Civic Society
• Professor Christine Bell
• Transitional Justice Institute
• University of Ulster

2
Peace Agreements and Transition

• Phenomenon of peace agreements
• Implications for civic society
• Human Rights NGOs a useful case study

3
Human Rights NGOs Initial Definitions

• Core mandate Human Rights NGOs
• Equality NGOs
• Other Human Rights NGOs

4
Changes in the Issues

• Patterns of conflict
• New constituencies, new needs, new rights
• Who is abusing who
• What can be done

5
Changes in the players

• New governmental structures
• New human rights and justice institutions
• Changes in third sector landscape
• Changes in international players
• Changes in funders and funding

6
Resultant practical problems

• Mandate issues
• Prioritising
• Funding issues
• Personnel issues
• Inter-organisational issues
• Intra-organisational issues

7
Conclusions

• Lessons for HR NGOs
• flexibility
• donor implications
• monitoring
• comparative study

8
Conclusions

• Implications for civic society more generally
• Diverse and conflicted
• Questions over formalising?
• Holding accountable v. Being accountable
• Read across from transition to democratic renewal?

9
The End

• Publication forthcoming
• Human Rights NGOs and the Difficulties of
  Transition, Christine Bell Johanna Keenan,
  Human Rights Quarterly, 2004