NGOs and Social Movements

Read the latest paper on INGOs and indigenous movements here.

Briefing Paper 15 - International NGOs and indigenous social movements by Lucy Earle

Briefing Paper 15 - INGOs and indigenous social movements.pdf (1256Kb)

INTRAC was awarded a grant by the Economic and Social Research Council for an 18-month research project (2005-07): 'INGO Engagement with Indigenous Social Movements in the Peruvian Amazon'.

The project focused on collaboration between a local indigenous social movement in the Camisea region of the Peruvian Amazon and international NGOs aiming to both uphold indigenous rights and preserve biodiversity. The project drew on the social movement theory that radical grassroots organizations are likely to lose legitimacy with their members and become formalised if they collaborate with external non-governmental actors. There has been little examination of the dynamics of interaction between international NGOs and social movements. The research therefore aimed to address this gap in the literature on the nature and impacts of collaboration and has produced an empirical case study of one indigenous movement and its relationships with international organizations.

The research project involved fieldwork in Peru with the Machiguenga organization, COMARU. Findings from the project would suggest that although many INGOs claim to be partners of indigenous people’s organisations, their involvement is limited to high-level lobbying. There is little work on the ground in defense of either indigenous rights or conservation, in the face of the significant threat posed by natural gas extraction in the area. Indigenous people’s organisations appear to be the net losers, as they struggle to navigate a complex institutional environment.

You can download the results of this study below.

Advocacy policy briefing.doc (58Kb)

This has also been published as the Viewpoint in Development in Practice (2007) No 6 Vol 17 (775-783).

Advocacy in the Amazon and the Camisea gas project: implications for non-government public action

Please contact Research Asociate Lucy Earle for more information.