World NGO day in an age of suspicion by Shanna Shepard

World NGO Day arrives this year under a cloud heavier than at any moment in recent decades. Across continents the political mood has shifted sharply. Governments once eager to showcase partnerships with civil society now treat non-governmental organizations with scepticism, hostility or outright contempt. The result is a strange paradox, NGOs are more necessary than ever, yet increasingly portrayed as enemies of the people they serve.

The renewed political influence of Donald Trump in the United States has symbolized a broader global trend rather than a uniquely American phenomenon. From Europe to Latin America, from parts of Asia to Africa, populist and far-right administrations frame NGOs as unelected actors interfering with national sovereignty. The accusation is simple and emotionally effective, NGOs are foreign agents, elitist activists or ideological machines disconnected from ordinary citizens.

This narrative resonates because it feeds existing frustration. Many voters feel abandoned by globalization, distrust institutions and question experts. NGOs, despite their diversity, become convenient targets. They lack armies, borders or electoral mandates. They are easy to criticize and difficult to defend in political slogans.

Yet this criticism ignores a basic reality. NGOs often step into gaps left by governments themselves. When refugee systems collapse, when environmental disasters strike, when healthcare systems fail vulnerable communities, it is frequently NGO workers who arrive first and leave last. They operate in war zones, famine regions and marginalized neighbourhoods not because it is profitable or politically advantageous, but because someone must do the work.

The danger today is not simply criticism. Debate about accountability is healthy. NGOs should be transparent, efficient and open to scrutiny. The danger lies in deliberate delegitimization. Laws restricting foreign funding, bureaucratic harassment, smear campaigns and public rhetoric portraying activists as traitors create a chilling effect. Civil society shrinks quietly, long before citizens notice the consequences.

History shows that weakening NGOs rarely strengthens democracy. Instead it concentrates power. Independent organizations act as early warning systems, documenting abuses, amplifying minority voices and challenging governments when policies harm human rights. Removing those watchdogs does not eliminate problems; it merely removes witnesses.

Ironically, many politicians who attack NGOs benefit indirectly from their work. Disaster relief reduces social unrest. Humanitarian assistance stabilizes regions that might otherwise produce migration crises. Development projects create opportunities governments alone cannot sustain. NGOs often perform functions states depend on but prefer not to acknowledge.

World NGO Day should therefore be less about celebration and more about reflection. The sector must confront its own shortcomings: occasional paternalism, lack of local representation and communication failures that allow critics to define the narrative. NGOs must listen more closely to communities and explain their missions in plain language rather than institutional jargon.

But governments and citizens also face a choice. Do we want societies where only state power and market forces operate, or ones enriched by independent civic action? NGOs represent organized compassion, structured dissent, and collective responsibility beyond national borders.

In an era marked by polarization and suspicion, defending NGOs is ultimately about defending the idea that ordinary people can organize to solve shared problems without waiting for permission from political leaders. That idea is uncomfortable for authoritarian instincts, but essential for democratic resilience.

World NGO Day reminds us that civil society is not an obstacle to democracy. It is one of its last lines of defence.