The Role and Effectiveness of NGOs in Implementing Millennium Development Goals

George Washington University International NGO Team (GWU-INGOT) brings together GW faculty, researchers, and doctoral students from multiple disciplines across the university who share a perspective that NGOs have a central role to play in ending poverty and deprivation.

The Team’s research and outreach efforts are targeted to improving the capacity of the NGO sector to develop innovative ideas, plan strategically, and then
design and rigorously evaluate poverty and related development programs.

GW-INGOT’s co founders are Jennifer Brinkerhoff (Public Administration and International Affairs), Stepeh C. Smith (Economics and International Affairs), and Hildy Teegen (International Business and International Affairs)..

Its primary activity is to promote and discuss research in progress related to international development NGOs, from a broad
range of disciplinary perspectives including business, economics, education, geography, political science, public administration and public health.

On May 12 and 13, GW-INGOT organized a Conference on The Role and Effectiveness of NGOs in Implementing the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). On the occasion, more than 100 NGO representatives from all around the world met in a GWU auditorium to discuss how their countries’ situation in relation to the MDGs
has been assessed, projects have been implemented and monitored, and public, private and non-profit sector have been collaborating.

A research paper produced by Messrs. Brinkerhoff, Smith and Teegen on the main topic of the conference served as a starting and a reference point. It was enriched and complemented by experiences of civil society organizations like BRAC from Bangaldesh, CARE, Citizens Network for Essential Services, Freedom from Hunger, Banyan
Tree Foundation, and Ashoka.

Prominent speakers included Donald Lehman, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, GWU; Jan Vandemoortele, Principal Advisor, Bureau for Development Policy, UNDP; Michael Edwards, Ford Foundation; Ann Florini, Brookings Institution; and James Rosneau, GWU.

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development will continue to actively participate in GWU-INGOT meetings and events, striving to
contribute to the scope and richness of the international debate, and with the aim to apply that knowledge in the Dominican Republic.

GFDD is working with the Earth Institute at the Columbia University in a research project that will assess the Dominican Republic situation in reference to the MDGs and come up with recommendations and strategies towards achieving them.

See: http://home.gwu.edu/~scsmith/ingot.htm

From left to right: Lenora Suki, Earth Institute; Hildy Teegen, GWU-INGOT; Natasha Despotovich, GFDD; Michelle Bologna, Earth
Institute