Al Jazeera, Swiss Media Confirm NGO Monitor Impact in Funding Cuts for Anti-Israel NGOs

In an Al Jazeera article about suspensions and investigations of NGO funding in a number of European countries , officials from Palestinian NGOs and Human Rights Watch blamed NGO Monitor research for bringing the issue to the attention of European governments.

Similarly, an article in the Swiss outlet RTS highlighted NGO Monitor’s impact in Switzerland, where the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) froze its financial support for 11 NGOs, pending a review. Though critical of the FDFA’s decision, the piece references NGO Monitor’s reports, meetings with government officials and constructive engagement leading to the suspension.

This comes a few weeks after NGO Monitor Senior Researcher Shaun Sacks visited Switzerland, discussing with decision makers our analyses regarding the harmful impacts of Swiss NGO funding.

The RTS article quoted NGO Monitor President Gerald Steinberg: “I must say that the change in Switzerland was a surprise because we thought that Switzerland and its bureaucracy funded the same organizations year after year without public discussion or oversight. So such rapid change was not expected.”

Other Swiss media platforms, Le Temps and 20min, referenced the RTS article and attributed the FDFA decision to NGO Monitor’s detailed research.