The 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.

News flash: OECD countries appoint Angel Gurria as new Secretary-General of the OECD from June 2006

I. Feature Article: International Organisations and Civil Society

By Margaret G. Wachenfeld, Consultant 

Set out below is a short summary of a recent presentation that I made to a group of OECD staff 

Nothing is taken for granted anymore….

International organisations are being challenged intellectually, democratically and politically by civil society organisations (CSOs) who question conventional thinking about international economic rules and architecture.  They are highlighting the “democratic deficit” in global governance institutions and a sharp decline in trust in public institutions.   There is a shift from street protests to a more nuanced and informed challenge from a range of CSOs based on more sophisticated research and arguments.  CSOs continue to use the channels for interaction offered by international organisations, but also create their own forums, such as the World Social Forums. 

You can’t just ignore it…

Each one may be carefully feeling its way, but international organisations are no long asking themselves “why should we engage?” but rather “how do we go about organising dialogue with CSOs?” The trend is for international organisations to have more of, and better, engagement with civil society:  more formalised channels of communications are replacing ad hoc meetings with civil society; the staff handling these relations is more professional; institutions are now taking multifaceted, often creative approaches to consultations which have become more open and inclusive.  They are providing multiple sources of information and making efforts to explain their decision-making process and why comments received were or were not reflected, rather than just announcing a final decision. At the same time, they are becoming more proactive in seeking out those representatives of civil society who can make a real contribution.

Do’s and Don’ts for Consultations…

Consultations are a technique, not an end in themselves, and should be treated as a way-point in building longer-term relations with civil society.  Dialogues should be ongoing and permanent and focus on building trust while at the same time, being effective.  The governing principles for dialogue must be the same for all parties to the dialogue:  openness, good faith dialogue, and responsiveness (explanations for decisions taken and not taken).

Consultations are most successful when international organisations acknowledge the diversity of CSOs, respect the CSOs own way of working, enter into the dialogue with an open mind, and allocate the resources necessary for interacting with CSOs.  After all, many CSOs are working very hard to understand the way that markets – and the institutions that govern them -- function.  

Other roles for civil society

CSOs can also play an active roll in implementing and monitoring instruments of international organisations such as the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises and the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention. They and the public at large are increasingly interested in process at international organisations.  Improving transparency and accountability are major challenges not only for companies, increasingly required to report on their activities, but also for international organisations funded by taxpayers.  

Challenges remain for both sides

International organisations are under pressure to include CSOs into decision-making rather than just using outputs from separate civil society consultations as inputs into a closed decision-making process.  After relying on personal relationships, the next step is to build trust at an institutional level. Once institutions have gained confidence in their ability to interact effectively with civil society, they can become more proactive, reaching out to the most representative interlocutors.  To do so, international organisations must be willing to commit the necessary resources and staff must be given the appropriate incentives to work with civil society. 

CSOs themselves are under pressure to demonstrate their own accountability even though transparency and disclosure can be heavy burdens for sparsely funded or small CSOs.  They must achieve credibility, understanding the “do as I do, not just do as I say” lesson for their own business model.  They face increasingly heavy competition for funding, and as a result some of the bigger CSOs are even starting to focus on brand management.  Preserving their independence can be a challenge where government or international institutions are the major source of funding.

The full power point presentation can be viewed at:  www.oecd.org/civilsociety
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II. OECD Ministerial meeting on Governance

Rotterdam 24 November

“There can be no higher priority for any democratic government than maintaining the trust of its citizens,” said OECD Secretary-General Donald Johnston, kicking off the one-day OECD ministerial conference on "Strengthening Trust in Government: What Role for Government in the 21st Century".  Ministers and senior officials from more than 30 OECD and non-OECD countries attended this meeting which was jointly organised by OECD and the Netherlands Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. 

The object of the meeting was to review ways to bolster public confidence, in particular by improving communications with citizens, continuing to modernise the public sector, and improving the quality of public policies and services.  

One of the key messages that emerged from the meeting, according to Chairman Alexander Pechtold, Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations, is the need for governments to “be better at engaging with citizens.”

He pointed out that OECD countries have implemented many consultation mechanisms -- user surveys and polling; soliciting feedback from users of government services through the Internet or call centers; citizens’ charters; public hearings; inclusive consultation panels for policy development; and petitions and referendum.  But governments have to demonstrate to citizens how they use their input or why they decide not to do so.  Otherwise, the mechanisms will only “foster cynicism”.  

III. Bulletin Board: coming and recent events with civil society

October 2005

-3 Paris: The OECD Working Party on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees (ECG) and the Participants to the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits met with CSOs on 3 October 2005: a report of this meeting is available on the OECD Web site.

Further consultation meetings with stakeholders will be arranged for 2006 as part of the ECG's review of the OECD Recommendation on Common Approaches on Environment and Officially Supported Export Credits. For more information, please contact Xcred.Secretariat@oecd.org.

November 2005

 -21-23 - Hospitalet, Spain: This workshop was organised within the framework of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Forum on Stakeholder Confidence.  Participants, including the mayors of 70 Spanish municipalities in which nuclear power plants are located, examined the choice of site for a national interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. In the course of the three-day workshop the issues addressed included:

·        how to involve local populations in decision making;

·        the interplay between local and national level representatives and

·        the long-term sustainability of their decisions.

For more information on the workshop and the work of the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence, contact Claudio Pescatore or visit www.nea.fr/html/rwm/fsc.html.

-23 Paris: Close of the OECD Investment Committee's on-line consultation on a risk management tool for investors in weak governance zones. Responses can be viewed on the OECD Web site:  www.oecd.org/daf/investment/guidelines (then click on the item under What's New). The risk management tool will be finalised in Spring 2006. 

-24 Rotterdam: OECD ministerial conference on "Strengthening Trust in Government: What Role for Government in the 21st Century" (Details section II).

 -28-29 Paris: Annual plenary meeting of Bridge Initiative with participants from civil society, international finance organisations, and intergovernmental organisations. Themes of discussion during the two-day meeting included development issues, HIV AIDS, the reform of the United Nations, new types of media and information dissemination, 

December 2005

-7- Paris: one-half day seminar, A World Real-Estate Bubble?, jointly organised by CEPII and OECD, 9am to 1pm. Speakers include economists and experts from the OECD, CEPII, INSEE, the OFCE and the ECB.  Expressions of interest in participating in this meeting should be made to Meggan Dissly.

January 2006

-26-Paris:  The OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions will hold its annual consultations with business, trade unions and civil society in the context of its first annual plenary meeting.  

- Date to be announced:  OECD Investment Committee to launch on-line public consultation on the Policy Framework for Investment project [www.oecd.org/daf/investment/development], part of the recent OECD Initiative on Investment for Development intended to assist governments in creating a sound investment environment. The Framework is being developed through a partnership process involving OECD member and non-member governments in co-operation with civil society and other international organisations.

-30&31 Rome: OECD Conference on the Future Digital Economy: Digital Content Creation, Distribution and Access. Digital content is increasingly important across all media and publishing industries and is becoming pervasive in sectors not previously considered to be content producers or users and in the public sector. This conference will provide a forum for all stakeholders to discuss emerging issues and policy challenges. Speakers will include representatives from academia, consumer groups, and other civil society organisations. For further information on the conference and the registration procedure, please contact econtent@oecd.org and provide brief information on your background, expertise or interest in the field. See also www.oecd.org/sti/digitalcontent/conference.

February 2006

-Date to be announced Paris: OECD Round Table discussion on Enhancing access to key infrastructure (Transport) with the participation of the OECD Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC).

June 2006

-Dates to be announced Paris: OECD Round Tables on Card Payment systems, Competition and the Environment and on Sanctions and Remedies with the participation of BIAC.

IV. Further reading: OECD Publications regarding civil society

            -Environment and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises – Corporate tools and approaches. This book provides an overview of the main tools and approaches available to enterprises wishing to put the Environment chapter of the OECD Guidelines into practice. Its numerous examples of companies’ experience with these tools show that sound environmental management is an integral part of sound business. ISBN 9264009396 143pp. Euros 21.

Evaluating Public Participation in Policy Making (2005) Paris:  OECD ISBN 92-64-00894-2  Euros 24

This book is a first step towards closing the “evaluation gap”.  It offers strategic guidance for policy makers and senior government officials responsible for using evaluations of public engagement.

Statistics, Knowledge and Policy: Key Indicators to Inform Decision Making (2005) OECD ISBN 9264009000 euros 95. 

This publication contains the proceedings of the World Forum on Key Indicators held in Palermo in November 2004 and includes a section on the role of Civil society.

MDGs, taxpayers and aid effectiveness:  Policy insights # 13 from the OECD Development Centre

Society and Nuclear Energy: Case Histories of Practical Communication Experiences
This study provides policy makers findings, guidance and recommendations on communication and consultation with civil society in connection with nuclear energy policy decisions. The processes used or intended to be used in member countries were mapped, and experiences reported on and analysed. The combined programmes of industry and government are also addressed.

Stakeholder Involvement Techniques - A Short Guide and Annotated Bibliography

      This publication offers a short guide to stakeholder involvement techniques and their selection. It includes an annotated bibliography pointing to easily accessible handbooks and other resources. While it approaches the topic from the point of view of radioactive waste management, it is intended for any person or organisation considering stakeholder involvement in decision making.  

S

OECD Observer

Interview with Peter Eigen, Founder of Transparency International

Articles related to the 24 Rotterdam: OECD ministerial conference on "Strengthening Trust in Government: What Role for Government in the 21st Century" (Details section II).

The 2005 Annual Report on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (forthcoming)

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:

Meggan Dissly

Civil Society Liaison Manager

Public Affairs Division

Tel + 33 1 45 24 80 94