Ethics in Action: The Ethical Challenge Of International Human Rights Nongovernmental Organizations.

• Author: Gibney, Mark
• Position: Book review

ETHICS IN ACTION: THE ETHICAL CHALLENGE OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

Edited by Daniel A. Bell and Jean-Marc Coicaud Published by Cambridge University Press, 2007

Ethics in Action is an intelligent, provocative and important contribution to the fields of human rights and ethics. The book emerged from a series of meetings--apparently rather dynamic meetings--over the course of several years, which brought together academics and those working for various international non-governmental organizations (INGOs). Oftentimes, it reads like a spirited conversation between and among authors, but more than that the reader feels privy to many of the earlier discussions and arguments, even involving individuals who did not author any of the individual chapters. Thus, the book is the polar opposite of a sterile academic exercise. The editors (Daniel Bell and Jean-Marc Coicaud) rather present a lively and engaging text that ends up raising just as many troubling questions as its answers.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Ethics in Action is divided into three sections. The first is entitled "Northern INGOs and Southern Recipients: The Challenge of Unequal Power", and the very first chapter, "The Pornography of Poverty: A Cautionary Fundraising Tale", helps to set the tone for what is to follow. The issue raised by authors Betty Plewes and Ricky Stuart is whether it is appropriate for organizations doing "good" to employ marketing campaigns that rely on the titillation of human suffering. Such marketing campaigns apparently "sell" in the sense of increased financial support. But is this also true in the long term? And what are some of the broader consequences of employing the "victim" card? Another chapter that deserves special mention is Bonny Ibhawoh's insightful examination of the tensions between indigenous NGOs in the South and INGOs that are almost universally situated in the North. This issue of competing agendas is seldom discussed openly, and Ibhawoh not only presents the problem in a cogent fashion, but also offers various means by which the issue could be addressed in a way that would be more useful for all concerned.

Section II deals with the challenge of States that restrict the activities of INGOs. The Iraq war and China serve as two case studies: in the former, one of the vexing problems relates to INGOs that oppose the war--as almost all did--and how such opposition influences their work in Iraq. What adds another level of...