War on Want

War on Want
Name	War on Want
Formation	1951
Founder	James Robertson
Type	Non-governmental organisation
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Region served	International
Leader title	Director
Leader name	N/A
Website	N/A

War on Want is a London-based international non-governmental organisation founded in 1951 that campaigns for global social justice, poverty alleviation, and human rights. It works with grassroots movements, trade unions, and development organisations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East to challenge corporate power, promote trade union rights, and resist structural inequality. The organisation engages in advocacy, research, solidarity partnerships, and public campaigns aimed at influencing policy in institutions such as the United Nations, European Union, and Parliament of the United Kingdom.

History

War on Want was established in the post-Second World War era, amid debates surrounding reconstruction led by figures associated with the Labour Party (UK), the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, and the early United Nations development apparatus. Early founders and supporters included individuals who had worked with the International Labour Organization, the British Council, and relief efforts in the aftermath of the Korean War and decolonisation movements linked to Indian independence and the end of the British Empire. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s it forged alliances with solidarity networks focused on struggles such as anti-apartheid campaigns against South Africa, anti-colonial movements in Algeria, and land reform debates tied to the Cuban Revolution and agrarian struggles in Latin America. During the 1980s and 1990s War on Want aligned with civil society organisations involved in critiques of neoliberal policies promoted by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization, and partnered with community organisations in regions affected by structural adjustment and debt crises as seen in Ghana, Nigeria, and Jamaica.

Mission and Activities

The organisation’s stated mission emphasises solidarity with social movements and marginalised communities, echoing principles present in campaigns by groups such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Save the Children. Its activities include research reports, public education programmes, campaigning, and direct support to partner organisations similar to collaborations seen between Médecins Sans Frontières and local clinics, or between Greenpeace and environmental activists. War on Want conducts investigations into corporate practices, drawing on methods used by organisations like Corporate Accountability International and Global Witness, and engages with legislative processes in bodies such as the European Parliament and the House of Commons (UK) to influence trade, aid, and human rights policy. It maintains networks with labour organisations including the Trades Union Congress and international federations such as the International Trade Union Confederation.

Campaigns and Advocacy

Campaign themes have included anti-poverty work, debt cancellation campaigns similar to those led by Jubilee 2000, rights for informal workers alongside movements such as StreetNet International, and corporate accountability initiatives mirrored in campaigns by Clean Clothes Campaign. The organisation has run high-profile campaigns targeting multinational corporations operating in sectors like textiles, mining, and agriculture, linking to case studies in South Africa (post-apartheid), Peru (Shining Path era), and Indonesia (Suharto era). It has advocated for Palestinian rights in coordination with advocacy groups concerned with the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and has engaged with refugee and migrant rights consistent with work by organisations addressing crises such as the Syrian Civil War and the European migrant crisis. War on Want has participated in global days of action alongside networks that mobilised for events like the World Social Forum and international solidarity efforts during the Apartheid protests and anti-globalisation protests such as those at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999 in Seattle.

Funding and Governance

Funding models for the organisation have historically combined individual donations, grants, and institutional funding similar to patterns seen in charities such as ActionAid and Christian Aid. It has accepted support from philanthropic foundations, membership fees, and campaigning income generated through public engagement reminiscent of fundraising strategies used by Amnesty International and Oxfam GB. Governance structures include a board of trustees and leadership accountable under charity law in the United Kingdom Charity Commission framework and reporting standards comparable to those required of organisations like the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance. The organisation’s governance has intersected with trade union funding streams and collaborations with networks such as the Global Campaign on Military Spending and International Planned Parenthood Federation in programming and advocacy.

Controversies and Criticisms

Over its history the organisation has faced controversies including scrutiny over political positions taken on conflicts such as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and criticism from political figures associated with the Conservative Party (UK) and other parties opposed to its stances. Allegations have sometimes related to funding transparency, staff conduct, and governance comparable to disputes in other NGOs like Oxfam and Save the Children when public scrutiny intensified after widely reported scandals. Its campaigns targeting corporations have prompted legal pushback and lobbying responses from business groups such as the Confederation of British Industry and multinational legal teams with parallels to disputes involving Shell and Rio Tinto. Debates over freedom of expression, activism, and counterterrorism policy have intersected with its work in contexts shaped by legislation like the Terrorism Act 2000 and public order measures debated in the House of Commons.

Impact and Recognition

The organisation’s impact includes influencing public debates on debt relief, corporate responsibility, and trade justice alongside broader movements that produced policy shifts such as the Jubilee debt relief initiatives and changes in supply chain regulation influenced by campaigns like those against unsafe textile factories in Bangladesh and mining incidents in Marikana. It has been recognised by civil society peers and has collaborated with bodies including the United Nations Human Rights Council and European Commission on issues of human rights and trade. Academic researchers in fields of international development and social movements have cited its reports in scholarship addressing neoliberalism, globalisation, and labour rights in journals and monographs tracing activism from the 1968 protests to post-2000 anti-globalisation networks.

Category:Charities based in London Category:International development organizations