Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) worldwide have grown tremendously in the last several decades and play an increasing role in international politics. Through the consultative status granted to NGOs at the United Nations (UN), and through the UN global conferences beginning in the 1970s, more NGOs were created. By the turn of the century, NGOs had begun to use the strategy of forming coalitions, increasingly influencing international politics and women's lives.

NGOs are not a homogenous group. They can be local, national, or international; international NGOs are often referred to as INGOs. While the term NGOs is sometimes used interchangeably with “grassroots organizations,” “social movements,” and “civil society,” NGOs differ from these. Grassroots organizations are generally locally organized groups of individuals that have spring up to empower ...