There are thousands of operating NGOs but
only a handful are capable of responding to
emergencies internationally, and few of these have
the know-how, organizational capacity, and funds to
respond to international emergencies consistently.
Size and Capacity of NGO Community
The NGO community involved with international
humanitarian assistance is large and diverse.
This is clear from the membership profiles of
InterAction— the largest coalition of U.S.-based
international NGOs. Of its 175 members, the
number whose program areas are classified in
either refugee or development or disaster and
emergency relief is presented in table 10.1.131 The
90-member European UnionVOICE—the main NGO
interlocutor with the EU on emergency aid, relief,
and rehabilitation and disaster preparedness has a
similar breakdown.
Measurements of community-wide capacity are hard to quantify. NGOs can do many different things
and muster many resources, whether acting together or individually. NGOs have different capacities
and the same NGO may have a different capacity in one emergency than it does in another. NGO
capacity fluctuates because regional or sectoral specialties may be required in one region over
another and because donor intent or relations with NGOs are different in various emergencies. In any case, the number of employees, offices, operations, programs, and number of HQ personnel may be clues to how active or strong an NGO can be during an emergency. NGO funding levels are also good indicators for capacity.
Cont.. in Next release
