OPEN CLASS | NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR IMPACT

Non-Governmental Development Organizations (NGDOs) have become an actor with a very relevant influence on development. They can be defined, according to the Camões Institute, as non-profit civil society institutions that are characterized by acting in the following axes: Cooperation for Development, Education for Development and, a third axis which is Humanitarian Aid . Thus, these organizations have a diverse spectrum of action in several areas that touch human rights, the environment, poverty alleviation, schooling, among others. They are characterized by a much less hierarchical, decentralized structure than that found in other development actors, articulated in international cooperation networks, which gives them a much less rigid capacity to act. They are also actors with very visible action within communities, sometimes operating in areas where States or other actors do not have any presence. It is therefore important to assess the impact of these organizations on international cooperation, results obtained and difficulties in acting. Special attention will also be given to human rights activism and strategies of local organizations.