The added value of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to society
The centuries-old history of non-governmental organisations (NGOs)—or civil society organisations (SCO)—highlights the crucial role they’ve been exerting in raising awareness on society’s urgencies and promoting public’s participation in the national and international political arena, reinforcing the concept of democracy. Yet, there are still some realities that fail in consulting them and the danger is real.
EU Member States have been asked to deliver a National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) by the European Commission—following the loans and grants in aid to the coronavirus damages recognized to each of them via the Recovery Fund. Recently, Italy presented its final version of its NRRP that will undergo a 2-month evaluation phase carried out by the European Commission. However, not only the 37% resources to nature imposed target is not achieved (31% is devoted to the ecological transition) but also the government seems to have failed in listening to civil societies and communities while building the plan, as reported by Vittorio Cogliati Dezza, former National President of Legambiente.
Investing in nature-friendly strategies is a win-win for both people and the planet. In fact, everything related to the so-called “sustainable development” finds its raison d’être in “the ability to negotiate the environmental needs and desires of present and future generations” [1]. NGOs help maximise this ability: they represent reliable sources of information and a fundamental tool for scaling up environmental knowledge. As a matter of fact,
“NGO communication seems to be torn between journalistic communication (duty to inform) and marketing communication (obligation to raise funds to carry out actions).” (Batazzi et Parizot, 2015, p. 115)
Notably, good journalistic communication is based on the reliability of the information provided. Both means aim at awakening the public’s consciousness and promoting its participation to fulfil environmental improvement and protection. Nowadays more than ever, listening to civil societies “[…] is an indispensable part of environmental governance system and [environmental] NGOs plays an important role in promoting public participation in environmental governance.” (Wang et al., 2020). Taking NGOs into account is considered as a right established by the World Commission for Environment and Development (WCED) in its “Brundtland Report” or “Our Common Future” edited in 1987:
“In many countries, governments need to recognize and extend NGOs’ right […] to be consulted and to participate in decision making on activities likely to have a significant effect on their environment; and their right to legal remedies and redress when their health or environment has been or may be seriously affected.” (WCED, 1987, p. 270).
Furthermore, the report stresses that achieving sustainable development requires “widespread support and involvement of an informed public and of NGOs, the scientific community, and industry.” (WCED, 1987, p. 25).
It is especially when the burden of certain social and economic problems becomes apparent (Heath, Johansen et Ferguson, 2018), there is a lack of opportunity and a need for skills (Charnovitz, 2002) that NGOs are “the preferred vehicles for social movements promoting reform” (Heath, Johansen and Ferguson, 2018)—as BirdLife International recently demonstrated by sending an open letter recommending amendments to Italy’s NRRP. The expertise and perseverance that characterise NGOs allow them to “address some of the greatest challenges of our time” and “not just survive but thrive and not just start again after a disaster, but improve too” (Pezzullo et Cox, 2018). NGO’s strategies to inform, engaging communities and influence change on environmental matters serve as a way to break down indifference, amplify and raise awareness on the signals from nature since nature cannot speak for itself (Pezzullo and Cox, 2018).
But is Italy and are Italians truly ready to be involved in supporting the ecological transition? Italy has been one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus. There still seems to be more impelling priorities to unfold. Yet, counting on the valuable contribution of NGOs may unlock a revolutionary sprint ahead.
[1] Pezzullo, P. C., and Cox, J. R. (2018). Environmental communication and the public sphere. Fifth Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Vera BROCCHIERI