Non-governmental organization

An NGO, also known as a non-governmental organisation, is an organisation that is normally founded independently of the government and that works to promote social and environmental causes. Clubs and associations that offer services to its members and the general public are often non-profit organisations, and many of them are involved in humanitarianism or the social sciences; but, they may also be for-profit organisations. According to surveys, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have a high level of public confidence, which allows them to serve as an effective proxy for the concerns of society and stakeholders. However, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) may also act as corporate lobbyists, as in the case of the World Economic Forum.

The term as it is currently understood was first used in 1945, in Article 71 of the newly formed United Nations Charter, which established the International Criminal Court. While there is no fixed or formal definition for what non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are, they are generally defined as nonprofit organisations that are independent of government influence — even if they do receive government funding — and that are committed to social and environmental justice. "A not-for-profit, volunteer citizen's organisation formed at the local, national, or worldwide level to address challenges in favour of the public good," according to the United Nations Department of Global Communications, is what an NGO is. Even with that in mind, the word non-governmental organisation (NGO) is thrown about a lot and is often used synonymously with civil society organisation (CSO), which is any group that was created by people. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are known as nonprofit organisations in certain countries, and political parties and labour unions are occasionally included in the definition of NGOs.

A non-governmental organization's orientation is defined as the type of activities it engages in, such as human rights work or consumer protection; its level of operation is defined as the scale at which it operates, such as local, regional, national, or international; and its size is defined as the number of employees.

In 2008, there were around 277,000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Russia. According to estimates, India had roughly 2 million non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in 2009 (nearly one for every 600 Indians), which is much more than the number of basic schools and health facilities in the nation.