WS24 – Civil society organisations; NGOs

In partnership with :

Eurostep (European Solidarity Towards Equal Participation of People) : www.eurostep.org
Coordination Sud : www.coordinationsud.org

Workshop presentation

Alongside political and administrative machinery or businesses, the European and Chinese societies are structuring themselves into multifaceted organisations whose loose conglomeration represents what is commonly called civil society. The organisation and history of this civil society varies considerably from China to Europe and, within the European Union, from one country to another. It includes informal networks of solidarity and social cohesion as much as formal organisations. The right of association and the guarantees of autonomy are one of the major elements of democratic societies. This huge set of non-governmental and civil society organisations is generally, in contrast to businesses, a non-profit-making sector: the goal is not to seek profit but to satisfy its members’ interests or to implement their convictions. In most countries, this sector is expected to fulfil many social and economic functions, those precisely that the market and traditional administrative action cannot easily satisfy. The result is that, all in all, this sector can mobilise a great number of energies and talents, including in the form of employees; involve significant private and public funding; and lead to numerous and powerful organisations. Civil society organisations have long been internationalised, and for more than a century they have often been behind the establishment of new national regulations. The management of these huge groups also thereby brings up issues of « governance » that are as great and as difficult as in businesses or the public sector.

How are the role and evolution of civil society organisations viewed in China and Europe? How do they take on or demand their responsibilities? How do they want to make their governance evolve? What functions do they want to take on within their respective societies or in the building of a global community?

Such are the questions that this workshop will be able to cover.