High profile campaigns such as those directed at Shell and Nike have shown that NGOs can turn corporate unethical behaviour into a cost which business is keen to avoid. Where is this process heading? Are campaigners unwittingly assisting multinationals to consolidate their market share? Are campaigners improving conditions for multinational employees whilst having minimal impact on workers in export enterprises in developing countries?

Are NGOs suited to advocacy? Traditionally, NGOs have been involved in hands-on development work, but in an effort to increase impact, UK NGOs are shifting towards advocacy and policy work. How do they grapple with issues of legitimacy, accountability, governance, and evaluation? Do they need to strengthen links between their operational activities and advocacy work, and mainstream advocacy within their overall activities?

The National Land Committee (NLC), a network of land rights NGOs in South Africa, is embarking on campaign entitled "Landlessness=Racism" to coincide with the UN World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) and the preceding NGO Forum to be held in Durban, South Africa, August 27-September 7 2001. The purpose of the campaign is to highlight the plight of landlessness in South Africa, and elsewhere, and its continued link to racism. For more information on the campaign, and how you can get involved,...read more

Pebble Bed Molecular Reactors (PBMR) are nuclear power stations which embrace technology that has proved dangerous in other regions on the planet. Despite this, the South African government is supporting a plan to build PBMR reactors throughout the country. campaign against this plan is detailed on their website.

The following demands are being circulated for endorsement in advance of the mobilization at the IMF/World Bank annual meetings in Washington, DC in September/October 2001. These demands have been formulated by the 50 Years Is Enough Network, a U.S.-based coalition of over 200 organizations committed to the fundamental transformation of the IMF and World Bank, through consultations over 15 months with the members of its South Council.

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