This
Newsletter has been prepared by the Public Affairs
Division of the OECD for the purpose of informing the
public of OECD cooperation 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. |
| Civil society’s role in generating political will |
Meetings will be held in 2009 in Asia-Pacific, and Eastern and Central Asia, as well as in Latin America to follow-up successful 2008 Conferences:
- Fighting Corruption in Asia-Pacific: Strategies for Business, Government and Civil Society, 6th Regional Anti-Corruption Conference for Asia-Pacific, Singapore, November 2008 (www.oecd.org/corruption/asiapacific)
- Latin-American Regional Conference: Commitment and Co-operation in the Fight Against Corruption and Transnational Bribery, Mexico City, September 2008
- The Role of Civil Society in the fight against corruption discussed at the 7th Meeting of the Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Georgia, June 2008
(www.oecd.org/corruption/acn)
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| What does progress mean for our societies? What are the new paradigms to measure progress? How can better policies within these new paradigms foster the progress of our societies? |
For 60 years Gross Domestic Product has been the dominant way in which the world has measured and understood progress. This approach has failed to explain several factors that impact most on people’s lives. Over the last decade a large amount of work has been carried out to understand and measure the world’s progress. The Global Project is the first systematic global effort to go “beyond GDP” by enabling and promoting new ways to measure societal progress. The series of World Forums on “Statistics, Knowledge, Policy” are a important part of our work.
In June 2007, three years after its first World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy held in Italy, the OECD, in collaboration with other international organisations, ran the second World Forum in Istanbul on Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies. Some 1200 people, from over 130 countries attended. Presidents and Ministers mixed with senior statisticians and civil society leaders, captains of industry met the heads of charitable foundations and leading academics. They all shared a common interest in wanting to develop better measures of how the world is progressing.
The Conference led to the Istanbul Declaration, signed by the European Commission, the OECD, the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the World Bank, UNICEF, UNESCO, the United Nations Fund for Partnerships, and many other organisations. It calls for action to identify what “progress” means in the 21st century and to stimulate international debate, based on solid statistical data and indicators, on both global issues of societal progress and how societies compare. |
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The 3rd OECD World Forum in October 2009, Busan, South Korea, organised by the OECD and the Government of Korean (Korean National Statistical Office) with contributions from many other international and regional organisations, is being run as part of the Global Project on Measuring the Progress of Societies. As a “network of networks” the Global Project is bringing together, thousands of individuals from different organisations around the world. Working in a range of different disciplines these individuals want to exchange ideas and best practices to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of understanding, measuring and promoting progress using evidence. The European Commission, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, the African Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank are just some of the organisations who are collaborating with the OECD on this truly global work. |
The 3rd OECD World Forum will focus on three big questions: What does progress mean for our societies; What are the new paradigms to measure progress?; and How can better policies within these new paradigms foster the progress of our societies? It will attract some 1500 high level participants with a mixture of politicians and policy makers, opinion leaders, Nobel laureates, statisticians, academics, journalists and representatives of civil society from all regions of the world. In some countries, civil societies are taking the lead in calling for – even building – sets of progress measures, while governments are seeking new ways to collaborate with civil societies to gain legitimacy for their role. The selection of key indicators is a political process and needs to be carried out in a democratic way, i.e. with the involvement of all components of the society (government, opposition, trade unions, business associations, civil society, etc.), to provide legitimacy to the indicators set, a necessary condition to have it trusted by citizens and recognised as shared knowledge.
It is vital that civil society becomes involved in this work. Their views on progress, and its measurement, are important to ensuring the project remains relevant to all sectors of society and we hope many organisations will be represented in Busan.
Attendance is free but by invitation only. If you are interested in attending please visit our website www.oecd.org/progress or contact Suzanna Grant-Kéjaïri at suzanna.grant-kejairi@oecd.org. |
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The Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) National Workshop and Community Visit:
An Opportunity for International Insight and Exchange The Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC), an international group of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), explores ways of ensuring an effective dialogue among stakeholders - defined as anyone with a role to play or an interest in the process of deciding about radioactive waste management. With its National Workshops and Community Visits, the FSC provides a setting for direct exchange among stakeholders of many backgrounds, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and learning. |
What is the FSC?
The Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) is first and foremost a learning organisation. The FSC is stimulating a new approach to radioactive waste management and decision making. Through the FSC, members improve themselves as responsive actors in the governance of radioactive waste, and their involvement is helping to promote a cultural change in their home organisations. The FSC includes government policy and regulatory officials, R&D specialists, implementers and industry representatives from 16 countries: Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The FSC was established by the NEA Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) in the year 2000. It fosters learning about stakeholder dialogue, reflection about improving decision making processes, and the search for ways to develop shared societal confidence, consent and approval of management solutions.
What is an FSC National Workshop and Community Visit?
The FSC has held National Workshops and Community Visits in six countries and local communities therein according to its own well tested approach. The Workshop is hosted by an FSC member organisation, in cooperation with other stakeholders from the national, regional and local level – including those who host the Community Visit.
In each country, a principal theme and case studies are chosen for intensive discussion over the course of two to three days. The Workshop and Visit help international FSC delegates come to understand the history and practice of radioactive waste management in the host country. In return, country-based stakeholders have an opportunity to present and analyse their own experience and to get international feedback.
FSC National Workshops and Community Visits provide insight into the factors that influence public confidence in the area of radioactive waste management.
Who participates?
On-site participants include: the waste management agency, national safety authorities and policy makers, as well as non-governmental organisations and representatives of local communities and members of the public concerned by radioactive waste management decisions. The FSC works with the host organisation to ensure that the full range of stakeholders is represented at the Workshop and that each point of view can be expressed.
Particularly important are those who host the half-day Community Visit. This community (a township or region) is identified according to the theme or cases to be discussed at the Workshop. Local leaders and interested residents should participate. In the past, the FSC has had the opportunity to meet and talk with elected officials, school teachers, entrepreneurs, activists, and citizen members of local radioactive waste management partnerships.
What is the benefit of participating in the FSC National Workshop and Community Visit?
FSC Workshops have proven to be constructive in fostering national dialogue and helping frame the issues that stakeholders wish to be considered. Hosting the international learning group is appreciated by stakeholders as a means for dialogue and competence building.
Here are some of the reasons why FSC members have chosen to host a Workshop
• Get all stakeholder categories under a single roof
• Record views of each without privileging one or the other
• Help new or less-organised actors integrate the process
• Kick-start a new national phase with its new stakeholder organisations and configurations
• Give local stakeholders the possibility to speak to international FSC members and share experience
The FSC publishes proceedings after the Workshop and Visit. This publication, which includes stakeholder speeches and the outcomes of discussion, benchmarks best practices and archives history and progress to date. It serves as a useful document for hosts to distribute when receiving queries about the radioactive waste management programme. A summary is posted online at the NEA website [http://www.nea.fr/html/rwm/fsc.html]. In this way, all participating stakeholders get broader exposure for their views.
Those who speak at the Workshop, too, remain regularly informed of the FSC’s new publications.
Who organises the National Workshop and Community Visit?
The host forms a programme committee including diverse institutional and local actors and a member of the NEA Secretariat. They refine the Workshop objectives and the principle theme and case studies for discussion. They suggest speakers for each theme: stakeholders who can give firsthand input. They agree on the Community Visit destination, and encourage their own stakeholder network to attend the Workshop.
The gathering is not a technical colloquium but rather, a chance to gather new insight on different perspectives and views of waste management governance. The 2 ½ - 3 day Workshop includes a background session, a Community Visit, two to three thematic sessions followed by roundtable discussions, and finally observations by rapporteurs.
At the Workshop and Visit, each participant cooperates as an equal. All speakers strive to correctly represent their stakeholder group. Delegates sitting together at discussion roundtables share their views and listen to each other with curiosity and respect.
Where will the next FSC National Workshop and Community Visit take place?
The next event will be held in April 2009 in the east of France, in the Meuse/Haute Marne region. This area hosts the Bure underground laboratory (created by French law as a means of pursuing research avenues for the management of high-level and long-lived radioactive wastes). Tomorrow the region will host a geologic repository facility (as decided by the legislator). The title of the workshop is proposed to be “Repository Project and Territories”, reflecting the diversity of the potential host communities and the questions and reflections raised when communities do envision such a project. The Workshop will be hosted locally by the CLIs, or Local Committee for Information and Monitoring, a major actor in the French framework, representing and informing all of civil society in the area. Logistic and financial support will be provided by Andra, the national waste management agency, a permanent member of the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence.
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Recent or Upcoming OECD Publications of interest to civil society
Nuclear Energy Outlook To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency launched its first Nuclear Energy Outlook (NEO), on 16 October 2008. It responds to the changing dynamics and renewed interest in nuclear energy and arrives at a moment when energy security, climate change and the cost of energy have become priorities in both short-term and long-term energy policies.
Using the most current data and statistics available, the NEO provides projections up to 2050 to consider growth scenarios and potential implications on the future use of nuclear energy. It also offers unique analyses and recommendations on the possible challenges that lie ahead.
| Calendar of recent and coming OECD events involving civil society
October 2008
23 October 2008, Paris: OECD Roundtable on Consumer Product Safety featured discussions with representatives from regulators and other stakeholders, including consumer organisations, to identify problems in existing domestic and international consumer product safety frameworks. Within the next biennium, the CCP will further collaborate with non-member economies and international bodies, such as the International Consumer product Safety Caucus (ICPSC) and the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organisation (ICPHSO), to work towards an improved international information sharing system on consumer product safety challenges. For more detailed information, see: www.oecd.org/sti/consumer-policy.
24 October 2008, Paris: OECD Conference on Consumer Education organised jointly with the United Nations Marrakech Taskforce and the United Nations Environment Programme. Governments representatives of the civil society and the business community discussed current and emerging consumer education challenges and good practices. In 2009, the CCP will develop recommendations to assist policy makers in developing effective consumer education policies and programmes. For more detailed information, see: www.oecd.org/sti/consumer-policy/education.
November 2008
10-12, Guadalajara, Mexico: Transport and Environment in a Globalising World. Several civil society organisations contributed to the discussions. Although the Global Forum made clear that transport activity is growing fast as part of the global economy (as are the environmental effects associated with that growth), there is every reason to be optimistic about opportunities to develop cost-effective policies aimed at reconciling transport mobility with environmental protection in the years ahead. For more information on the Global Forum can be found at www.oecd.org/env/transport/gfsd.
26-28, Singapore: Fighting Corruption in Asia-Pacific: Strategies for Business, Government and Civil Society, 6th Regional Anti-Corruption Conference for Asia-Pacific
December 2008
3-6, Hyderabad, India: 3rd Internet Governance Forum
• Open Forum on the Outcomes of the OECD Ministerial meeting on “The Future of the Internet Economy". The event discussed the main outcomes from the OECD Ministerial Meeting and Forums, where they relate to the themes of the Internet Governance Forum. In respect to governance this included a discussion of the multi-stakeholder participation in public policy processes as developed in the context of the OECD Ministerial. The panel includes representatives from all the stakeholder groups that came together for the Ministerial. For more information see: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/.
• OECD Workshop on Digital Content Strategies and Policies at the Governments, representatives of the consumer organisations and the business community discussed digital broadband content developments and strategies and associated policies. Policy principles have been developed by the OECD to underpin digital content development, access and use, and to provide and inform the context for policy discussion, analysis, review and development. The work of the OECD on digital content can be found at www.oecd.org/sti/digitalcontent. For more detailed information see: http://igf2008.in.
4, Poznan,Poland: UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - OECD/IEA Annex I Expert Group: enhancing climate change mitigation post-2012. New AIXG analysis was presented on differentiating countries in terms of mitigation commitments, actions and support; ensuring the measurability, reportability and verifiability of GHG mitigation actions; and broadening participation via sectoral approaches.
8, Paris: The Role of Intermediaries in Foreign Bribery: Typology meeting. The Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions – which prohibits giving, offering and promising bribes to foreign public officials – is concerned with the use of intermediaries. The Working Group on Bribery engaged in a typology exercise to bring information on this topic to light. This typology began with a meeting to discuss case material as well as research work. The meeting brought together policy makers, law enforcement practitioners and non-government representatives.
11, Poznan,Poland:UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - OECD analysis of the economics of climate change policies. Both the costs of climate change and the costs of action are expected to be large and unevenly distributed. The OECD presents new analysis focusing on policy mixes that can help keep costs of action low, incentivize clean technology, and generate the necessary financing and investment flows.
April 2009
France, Meuse/Haute Marne: FSC National Workshop and Community Visit. This area hosts the Bure underground laboratory (created by French law as a means of pursuing research avenues for the management of high-level and long-lived radioactive wastes). Tomorrow the region will host a geologic repository facility (as decided by the legislator). The title of the workshop is proposed to be “Repository Project and Territories”, reflecting the diversity of the potential host communities and the questions and reflections raised when communities do envision such a project. The Workshop will be hosted locally by the CLIs, or Local Committee for Information and Monitoring, a major actor in the French framework, representing and informing all of civil society in the area. Logistic and financial support will be provided by Andra, the national waste management agency, a permanent member of the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence.
Spring 2009
Italy(date to be confirmed): APF,Pre-G8 meeting - for further information about past and future meetings check the Africa Partnership Forum website.
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Recent or Upcoming OECD Publications of interest to civil society
Nuclear Energy Outlook To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency launched its first Nuclear Energy Outlook (NEO), on 16 October 2008. It responds to the changing dynamics and renewed interest in nuclear energy and arrives at a moment when energy security, climate change and the cost of energy have become priorities in both short-term and long-term energy policies.
Using the most current data and statistics available, the NEO provides projections up to 2050 to consider growth scenarios and potential implications on the future use of nuclear energy. It also offers unique analyses and recommendations on the possible challenges that lie ahead.
Corruption: Glossary of International Criminal Standards
This Glossary explains the key elements required to classify corruption as a criminal act, according to three major international conventions:
the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions;
the Council of Europe’s Criminal Law Convention on Corruption;
the United Nation’s Convention against Corruption.
Fighting Bribery in Public Procurement in Asia and the Pacific
Asian-Pacific countries have made significant efforts to address weaknesses in their procurement frameworks and practices. To support these efforts and to assist the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative’s 28 member countries in strengthening their public-procurement mechanisms, the Initiative conducted a Regional Seminar on Fighting Bribery in Public Procurement in November 2007. This volume compiles the experience that experts from Asian and Pacific countries – as well as beyond the region – shared during the seminar. It is addressed to policy makers and experts who wish to learn from other countries’ experiences in strengthening frameworks to protect public procurement from bribery and corruption risks.
Asset Recovery and Mutual Legal Assistance in Asia and the Pacific
To strengthen regional cooperation and help improve practices for mutual legal assistance and asset recovery, the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific convened 170 policy makers, experts and practitioners from the region and beyond to exchange experiences on how to implement international standards for asset recovery and MLA, and how to overcome current shortcomings.
The presentations, analyses, and discussions among experts at the regional seminar in September 2007 are compiled in this publication. It is addressed to policy makers, practitioners, and experts who wish to learn from the experiences of other countries in strengthening frameworks and practices for mutual legal assistance and the recovery of assets.
Managing Conflict of Interest in Asia and the Pacific This publication aims to serve as a resource for both practitioners and policy makers to support the development of new frameworks, tools, and instruments for detecting and manage COIs in order to curb corruption in the Asia and Pacific region.
Specialised Anti-Corruption Institutions: Review of ModelsThe book analyses the main functions of prevention and combating corruption and discusses practical ways necessary to ensure independence, specialisation and resources of anti-corruption bodies.
Fighting corruption in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: the Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan, Progress and Challenges
Country Reports on Implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention
Country Reports for the Anti-Corruption Network
Since its creation,
the OECD has had co-operative activities with civil
society, principally through the Business and Industry
Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC). Over the last decade, this co-operation has
been complemented by increasing activities with other
civil society organisations.
For
further information about OECD cooperation with civil
society, see the OECD
civil society web page or
contact: CivilSociety@oecd.org
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