Culture of Responsibility and the Role of NGOs

There is a revolution taking place, a sweeping change that is impacting all parts of our society: human rights, education, politics, the environment, business, and even the war on terrorism. This revolution is the explosion in numbers, importance, and diversity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These not-for-profit entities have forged an effective middle ground between the governmental and corporate realms, and are now impacting policies, delivering services, guiding agendas...
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There is a revolution taking place, a sweeping change that is impacting all parts of our society: human rights, education, politics, the environment, business, and even the war on terrorism. This revolution is the explosion in numbers, importance, and diversity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These not-for-profit entities have forged an effective middle ground between the governmental and corporate realms, and are now impacting policies, delivering services, guiding agendas and advancing initiatives that once were nearly exclusively the arena of the state and business. With this increased impact comes increased responsibility. One fundamental truth about good, just and healthy government and society is that they depend on a culture of responsibility. NGOs share with the governmental and corporate realms a social responsibility to address the extraordinary challenges of our time, whether they be wars, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, the environment, human rights, or disease. As advocates and agents of a more just, ethical, and caring society, NGOs help to foster a culture of responsibility among people and institutions, and nurture conscientious concerns in the emerging global culture. They also have an internal responsibility to follow the highest code of ethical conduct in their own activities.Many of the papers and presentations in this collection deal in generally with the theme of NGOs and responsibility. Others deal more specifically with how the NGO community impacts issues of human rights, terrorism, politics, the environment, the family, and other central components of the human experience. Overall, this book offers a unique perspective into the accomplishments and constraints of the non-governmental community, and recent trends in global non-governmentalism.