ABSTRACT
Given the dramatic rise of peacebuilding over the past 15 years, accompanied by the increase in the number and roles of NGOs, it should not come as a surprise that there has been an associated growth in academic attention paid to the subject. To this point the focus has been on the development of literatures on peacebuilding, demonstrating the ways in which both the academic and policy literatures have drawn on liberal thought. In particular it was illustrated how this has led to civil society promotion as a core tool in addressing the causes of conflict. As peacebuilding has incorporated humanitarianism, as well as development narratives and practices, there has been a commensurate increase in the importance of NGOs. While the ways in which NGOs have come to act as the vanguard of civil society and have received broad support from across the political spectrum was explored in the last chapter, there is a growing critical literature that is challenging the efficacy and value of NGO-centric policies. It would be a gross simplification to assert that NGOs in peacebuilding have received little academic or policy scrutiny. In fact, as this chapter demonstrates, there have been numerous critiques levelled against NGOs’ roles in peacebuilding and development.
