Wikipedia has noted that “foreign funding of NGOs (non-government organizations) is a controversial issue in some countries”. There has understandably been a pushback against foreign funding of national NGOs. Interestingly, both the United States and the Russian Federation have “foreign agent” registration legislation. The largest alliance of international NGOs and partners in the United States, InterAction, has noted that the American legislation’s “broad definition of ‘foreign principal’ currently includes not just foreign governments, but foreign individuals, foundations, nonprofits, companies, or other entities. Under the Act, one can become an ‘agent’ of a foreign principal not just by acting under a foreign principal’s ‘direction or control,’ but simply at their ‘request.’ Activities covered under the legislation are also extensive and include soliciting or dispensing funds and engaging in advocacy, of any kind, in the interests of a foreign principal.” Yet, the American government is the first to criticise any such legislation when introduced by any other state.

The World’s largest democracy, India, has also challenged both the foreign funding of NGOs as well as the activities of international NGOs in India. In January 2022, over 12,000 NGOs in India were reported to have had their foreign funding licences refused. A number of African states have introduced similar laws, some directly accusing foreign-funded national NGOs and “civil society” of pursuing foreign agendas and being unaccountable to their own people. In the past 30 years many countries have sought to legislate, on the grounds of national sovereignty and national security, against foreign funding of NGOs. In 2013, the Journal of Democracy published a study of 98 countries and found that “51 either prohibit (12) or restrict (39) foreign funding of civil society”. In 2018, CIVUCUS reported that 111 countries had “restricted” the “civic space” of NGOs. In 2019, a Social Forces study found that over 60 countries had restricted foreign funding of national civil society organisations.  A number of African states, including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zambia, Tunisia, Algeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Egypt, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Angola, Nigeria, Congo-Brazzaville, and Zimbabwe are amongst those countries that have pushed back for various reasons and in varying degrees against unaccountable foreign funding of domestic NGOs.  

The questions aired on this website should be on the shelf of any academic, student, NGO activist or politician with an interest in aid and NGO issues.