Non-governmental organizations’ accountability for human rights abuses: discourses, developments, and dangers

Math Noortmann

Chapter 6 in Research Handbook on Accountability for Human Rights Violations, 2025, pp 86-100 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: ‘Non-Governmental Organizations’ denote a vast collection of different groups, which can become victims of human rights violations but can also commit human rights violations and, as such, be held accountable. There is a clear and present danger that NGOs are being held accountable and criminalized for political reasons by governments. But NGOs must also engage with the idea that they might be or become perpetrators of human rights violations. Rules for NGO accountability for human rights violations and oversight mechanisms should preferably be developed by the NGO sector itself. Many NGOs already work on the basis of individual organizational ethics and codes of conduct. In the disaster relief and humanitarian NGO segment, sector-wide codes of conduct and standards for action have been developed and adopted. Similar codes and standards can be developed for guaranteeing the respect for human rights in their own activities.

Keywords: Non-governmental organizations; Self-regulation; Criminalization; Corporate social responsibility; Ethics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035306923
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