NGO Strategy Summit

NGO Strategy Summit- "Sharing and Comparing Experiences"
Lessons Learned from NGO efforts in the Disarmament World

Thank you all for participating in this gathering of key disarmament activists to review and strategize on international security, nuclear disarmament, and prevention of an arms race in outer space. We see this as an opportunity to examine the current political climate with a view to enhancing civil society influence, formulating joint projects, and improving information flow.

This summit is the beginning of a process which will shift gears from the "what" of disarmament substantive issues to "how" NGOs in different environments, fora, and capacities working on disarmament can strategize together and coordinate efforts in an effective and qualitative manner.
There will be a final report from this summit, highlighting key points touched upon during this weekend and sharing strategies used by NGOs, assessing whether these have or have not been effective in their opinions. Please contribute to this document by e-mailing your experiences, both positive and negative, to info@reachingcriticalwill.org. These anecdotes, reports or summaries of lessons learned will be compiled and distributed, so that we can all learn from one another who work in different environments, fora and capacities.

The following are a few sample questions to address for this compilation of NGO experiences about working on disarmament, but of course any other topics for discussion are welcome:

1) NGO Roles:
- research, policy development, advocacy, and implementation
- public awareness and education

2) NGO-governmental relationships
- resources and advice
- the NGOs providing the expertise, contacts and impartiality
- access to meetings and documents

3) Networking- coalition building vs. divergence in views
- splits within movement- ex: arms control vs. abolitionists
- NGO partnerships, coalitions, ex: negotiating NGO statements

4) Obstacles NGOs come across:
- funding- accountability to funders
- results-based funding
- limited staff, resources
- updating each other and information sharing
- media- lack of access, creating own media, lack of media experience
- NGOs working within structures that are unfamiliar, unnatural, or ideologically different

Please submit your constructive views, experiences by email to Reaching Critical Will, at info@reachingcriticalwill.org.

Resources: NGOs and disarmament

Global Civil Society Yearbook 2002, London School of Economics, UK
Pianta, Mario, "Parallel Summits of Global Civil Society: An Update" Global Civil Society Yearbook 2002, London School of Economics, UK, p.371-377.
UNIDIR, "NGOs As Partners: Assessing the Impact. Recognizing the Potential" Disarmament Forum , (One, 2002)
Wallerstein, Mitchel B. "Whither the Role of Private Foundations in Support of International Security Policy?" The Nonproliferation Review. (Spring 2002), p.83-91.