These five decades after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have shown that the majority of International Nongovernmental Organisations (INGOs) face similar problems in their fight for human rights: uncooperative governments prevent them from operating freely; the fact that most of the INGOs are based in the United States or in Europe has exposed them to criticism of trying to impose Western concepts on the Third World; and the lack of connection between different actors in the international human rights community has slowed the process of becoming more effective and therefore to attract more supporters within governments and international organizations. However, within the past decades, INGOs have clearly demonstrated that private organizations can fulfill a public need. The International Bill of Human Rights has attained such broad acceptance in the international community that a government cannot violate basic human rights without some fear of exposure. Governments do not like to be criticized in the openness of international debate. Although the setting of intergovernmental organizations creates a great forum for forthright discussion of human rights violations, governments remain often reluctant to talk about such issues openly. In a world of sovereign states, foreign policy is principally concerned with the pursuit of the national interest which usually, only marginally includes respect for human rights. It is therefore not astonishing - but nevertheless no less deplorable - that countries often make their initial decision on allocating foreign aid on the basis of a combination of political and humanitarian concerns.

[No Keywords available]

International NGOs Refugees human rights