Peter van Tuijl

In the following viewpoint, Peter van Tuijl, a senior adviser with the Netherlands Organisation for International Development Cooperation, asserts that nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play an important role in the promotion of human rights. According to van Tuijl, NGOs have helped establish a variety of international human rights treaties and conventions and have also supported efforts by the United Nations to develop a global system of human rights. However, he argues that in order for nongovernmental organizations to become more effective, they must improve their own accountability to the people they serve.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What are some of the issues with which nongovernmental organizations have been involved, according to van Tuijl?
2. As stated by the author, what are the three ways NGOs support the development of the...