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International NGOs: "Global Conscience" or Powerful Political Actors?
(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Dr. Rephael Ben-Ari - Nearly 40,000 international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) are active in the world today. INGOs are not elected bodies and are not accountable to the public. Without any international mechanism of accreditation and regulation of INGOs under international law, these organizations enjoy complete freedom of action. As a result, anyone, anywhere can establish an INGO and start issuing reports that would then be relied on by the media, or by national courts and international tribunals. The writer, former legal adviser to the Israel Mission in the Netherlands, teaches public and criminal international law.