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Peace-building prompts NGO legitimacy crises in Sri Lanka

After the signing of a ceasefire agreement in 2002, national non-government organisations (NGOs) have played an increasingly important role in the peace-building projects of international donors.

Research from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, in the UK, argues that NGOs’ engagement in peace-building work has involved complex relationships both with donors and domestic stakeholders which has often led to competing demands and expectations. National NGOs have been particularly vulnerable to crises of legitimacy which have disrupted donor programmes and limited their capacity to meet donors’ objectives.

The research analyses the historical experience of three national NGOs emerging from different parts of Sri Lankan civil society – Sarvodaya, a large development NGO from the south, the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation, a relief organisation with its roots in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled north and east of the country, and the Foundation for Co-existence, a specialist peace-building organisation with strong international connections. It explores the way in which these organisations’ historical development and identities have impacted upon their capacity to carry out peace work.

The research finds that NGO legitimacy was damaged in Sri Lanka by a number of factors:

The conflict, which brought NGOs’ work under greater scrutiny and opened them up to accusations of bias.
A lack of sound legal protection and regulation of NGOs.
A political backlash against NGOs linked to the government’s militaristic approach to the conflict and its opposition to international engagement in the country during the peace process.
Attempts by nationalist political parties to increase their own political support by criticising NGOs.
The unruly funding environment prompted by the tsunami of 2004.

The researcher concludes that engagement in peace-building work can reduce NGOs’ flexibility, damage their reputations and their relationships with a range of actors.

This research recommends that donors working with national NGOs should:

consider that peace-building can endanger reputations
consider that peace-building projects involving national NGOs are often adapted to accommodate the political needs of key parties in the conflict
engage in frank strategic discussions with NGO partners
offer more long-term (rather than short-term) support for NGOs
support reform of NGO legislation
take a more politically-situated perspective on civil society in general.

Source(s):
‘Conflict, Peace-building and NGO legitimacy: National NGOs in Sri Lanka’, Conflict, Security and Development, 8 (1), pages 133 to 167, by Oliver Walton, 2008

Funded by: University of London Central Research Fund; School of Oriental and African Studies

id21 Research Highlight: 25 March 2009

Further Information:
Oliver Walton
Department of Development Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London
Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 20 78984404
Fax: +44 20 79894829
Contact the contributor: ow1@soas.ac.uk

School of Oriental and African Studies

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