OECD Civil Society Newsletter

Civil society plays a vital role in development. Participants in the 2011 Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (Busan, Korea) agreed on the need to enable CSOs to exercise their roles as independent development actors. The Istanbul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness, in parallel, commit CSOs to becoming more predictable, transparent, driven by results and accountable. Yet while all OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member countries work with CSOs and despite obvious advantages, working together is often challenging. Navigating and understanding the complex world of civil society, and finding the right balance between respecting CSO independence and attaching conditions to funding, are difficult for OECD governments. CSOs have problems with donor conditionality and a lack of meaningful dialogue. Partnering with civil society identifies common ground for dialogue and action, focusing on how DAC members and CSOs can create stronger, balanced partnerships to reach common development goals; it represents the first-ever DAC publication on donor partnerships with CSOs, which is remarkable given that at least 16% of total ODA (USD 18 billion) was spent by CSOs in 2010. The lessons will be used as good practice benchmarks in forthcoming DAC peer reviews. More information. For a copy of the publication, please contact Melissa Sander.

New OECD Network of Foundations

Network of Foundations Working for Development

Despite foundations' growing investment in and impact on development, the global policy debate rarely takes account of their knowledge and experience. The OECD Development Centre has just launched a global 'Network of Foundations Working for Development' (netFWD) which will fill this gap, offering an innovative and informal forum for continuous policy dialogue and knowledge sharing. On 3 October, former President of Nigeria Olesegun Obasanjo gave the keynote address for the Network's launch, highlighting the timeliness of this initiative, which surfaces as foundations are emerging as pivotal players in the development arena.
At the meeting, members agreed that the value added of netFWD lies in its ability to influence the policy agenda while allowing foundations to share what works and what doesn't on issues ranging from how to support youth employment to new models of venture philanthropy. Former President Obasanjo, who has just created the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation (set up to help advance human security for all in Africa) has become an honorary member of netFWD.

OECD Secretary-General addresses CSOs

On 31 October OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría addressed international civil society leaders at the 2012 Global Perspectives Conference, organised by the Berlin Civil Society Center, a platform for international CSOs. In his opening keynote address, Mr. Gurría stressed the importance of engaging civil society across the board of public policy. He also presented to CSOs the ongoing OECD initiative "New Approaches to Economic Challenges", which aims at overhauling the OECD's analytical framework in order to identify a renewed strategic policy agenda for inclusive growth and well-being, and shared the OECD's views on a successor framework to the Millennium Development Goals.

BEPS – A holistic approach to international corporate tax issues

Civil society and media have recently been very vocal about corporate tax affairs. From the front pages of newspapers, we have now moved to political support for action, with the G20 Leaders welcoming the work the OECD has undertaken on the problem of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). BEPS is looking at whether, and if so why, some MNEs' taxable profits are being allocated to locations different from those where the actual business activity takes place. Based on the findings of this environment scan, the OECD will implement an integrated and holistic approach to improve the concrete tools it has to address base erosion and profit shifting, e.g. in the area of tax policy analyses, tax treaties, transfer pricing, aggressive tax planning, harmful tax practices, tax transparency and tax & development. The aim is to provide comprehensive, balanced and effective strategies for countries concerned with base erosion and profit shifting. An interim report is expected for the February 2013 meeting of the G20. .

Multi-stakeholder consultation on the Review of the 2002 OECD Security Guidelines

The OECD is launching a broad multi-stakeholder consultation to review its 2002 Guidelines for the Security of Information Systems and Networks: Towards a Culture of Security (Security Guidelines). According to the Terms of Reference adopted in November 2012, the review will assess whether the high level principles of the 2002 Guidelines are still sufficient to help participants address security challenges posed to the further development of the Internet economy. This review is carried out by the OECD Working Party on Information Security and Privacy (WPISP) for the Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP). The first phase of the review consists in a one year consultation during which an expert group will develop and discuss proposals for revising the Guidelines, to inform the formal review process. The group includes policy experts from: governments, business, civil society, the Internet technical community and the academia. For information and contact details visit http://oe.cd/security-guidelines-review.

Non-governmental perspectives on cybersecurity

Civil society groups have contributed substantially to a recent OECD report on the latest generation of national cybersecurity strategies. The report examines how governments are aiming to protect cyberspace-reliant societies against online threats while also preserving the openness of the Internet as a platform for economic and social innovation. It highlights suggestions by business, civil society organisations and the Internet technical community, which are also captured in this separate paper. Their feedback is that multi-stakeholder collaboration is the best means to develop effective security policies which respect the fundamentally global, open and interoperable nature of the Internet. For more information see: http://oe.cd/cybersecurity-strategies

Civil Society and OECD - recent meetings

Several meetings involving civil society have taken place since September. You can find more details here.

OECD Forum Partner events

Find more details about OECD Forum Partner events here.

SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS

December 2012
17	OECD Gender Forum - Closing the Gender Gap: Act Now! (Paris) Young women are now better educated than young men in OECD countries and they live longer. But women still earn less, have fewer seats in parliament, run hardly any major companies, and still do most household and family-related work. Why is this, why should this change, and how can we change it? What role can public policy and private initiatives play in unleashing the full potential of women? Share your ideas and experience and join the debate at the OECD Gender Forum on 17 December 2012 at the OECD in Paris, where OECD will also be presenting its new report Closing the Gender Gap: Act Now on gender equality in education, employment and entrepreneurship. For more information on the event, consult: http://www.oecd.org/gender/forum2012.htm
January 2013
9-10	OECD Mexico Forum (Mexico DF) Public Policies for Inclusive Development, organised by the OECD, ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America), International Development Bank and the World Bank.
16-17	Aid for Trade Policy Dialogue (Paris) The Aid for Trade Policy Dialogue will bring together a wide range of stakeholders from developing and developed countries to discuss how to continue delivering aid for trade results in a changing international environment for trade and development. This dialogue is organised by the OECD, in collaboration with the Government of Sweden and the Overseas Development Institute, with the support of the European Commission. OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría will open the meeting with keynote addresses following by Karel de Gucht, EU Trade Commissioner and Pascal Lamy, Director General of the WTO. The Dialogue is an open meeting, however all participants must register in advance. More information.
March 2013
26-27	9th Annual Meeting of the OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance (Dublin-Kilkenny, Ireland) Organised by the OECD LEED Programme in co-operation with the Irish Departments of Environment, Community and Local Government, Social Protection, Children and Youth Affairs and Pobal, and also organised as part of the Irish Presidency of the European Union.
May 2013
28-29	OECD Forum 2013 Save the date for the 2013 OECD Forum!

RECENT OECD PUBLICATIONS


Business Integrity & Anti-Bribery Legislation in 20 African Countries	OECD Internet Economy Outlook 2012	OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2012	Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Lives

Women in Business - MENA Region	Improving International Support to Peace Processes	Connecting with Emigrants	Linking Renewable Energy to Rural Development

World Energy Outlook 2012	Health at a Glance: Europe 2012	Post-Secondary Vocational Education and Training	Restoring Public Finances, 2012 Update

This Newsletter has been prepared by the Public Affairs Division of the OECD for the purpose of informing the public of OECD co-operation with civil society. The Public Affairs Division acts as a clearing house for information about OECD dialogue with civil society. OECD staff who are in contact with civil society through consultations, workshops or other activities contribute to this newsletter. Contact us at: civilsociety@oecd.org