The role of non-government organisations in promoting health and wellbeing globally and in supporting the achievement of the SDGs

What this dot point is asking

This dot point asks you to describe what non-government organisations (NGOs) are, explain the role they play in promoting global health and wellbeing, and show how they support the Sustainable Development Goals. You should know how NGOs differ from governments and the WHO, give examples of their work, and weigh their strengths and limitations.

What an NGO is

A non-government organisation is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that operates separately from government, usually funded by donations, grants and government aid. NGOs work in health and development both within countries and internationally. Some focus on emergency relief, others on long-term development. Australian and international examples include organisations such as Oxfam, the Red Cross, World Vision and Medecins Sans Frontieres.

The role of NGOs

NGOs play several distinctive roles in global health:

• Delivering programs on the ground - building clinics, providing immunisation, clean water, nutrition and education directly in communities, often in remote or hard-to-reach areas.
• Emergency and humanitarian response - providing rapid relief after disasters and during conflicts, such as food, shelter, medical care and clean water.
• Working with and empowering communities - involving local people so that programs are culturally appropriate and sustainable.
• Advocacy - campaigning to influence governments and raise awareness of health and human rights issues.
• Filling gaps - reaching people whom governments and large agencies cannot, including in fragile or conflict-affected states.

How NGOs support the SDGs

Because they work directly with communities, NGOs help achieve the SDGs in concrete ways. A water and sanitation project supports SDG 6 and, by reducing disease, SDG 3. Nutrition programs support SDG 2 and SDG 3. Girls' education programs support SDGs 4 and 5. Many NGOs explicitly align their work with the SDGs and partner with governments and the United Nations to scale up their impact.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths include reaching marginalised groups, community participation, speed in emergencies and the ability to focus on long-term, locally led change. Limitations include reliance on donations that can be unstable, smaller scale than government programs, potential duplication where many NGOs work in one area, and the risk that aid does not last once an NGO leaves if local capacity has not been built.

In the exam, define NGO, describe a specific role with an example, link it to the relevant SDGs, and where asked, weigh the strengths and limitations of relying on NGOs.