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Steering Committee
The HAP Steering Committee is composed of the Sherpas, i.e. the leaders’ personal representatives. It has met five times since October 2007, to provide political guidance to the HAP Working Groups and to prepare documents for the Summits. The Chair of the Steering Committee rotates depending on the G8 Presidency. The function was held first by Germany, followed by Japan and most recently in 2009 by Italy.
At the first meeting of the Steering Committee, which took place in Berlin on 17 October 2007, the following principles were agreed:
- The Heiligendamm Process is a topic-driven dialogue, and not a negotiating process.
- The Dialogue is based on openness, transparency and partnership.
- The Heiligendamm Process should complement work in other multilateral or regional institutions and forums.
- The Steering Committee defines the activities of the Working Groups based on the mandate given by G8 and G5 leaders.
- The Working Groups will be chaired jointly by a G8 and a G5 Partner.
The Steering Committee meetings have provided guidance for the working groups. They have also served to prepare the draft Summit documents (Interim report, Concluding report and Agenda for the HAP).
In defining the agenda for the second phase, leaders gave the Steering Committee the flexibility to organize the actions to ensure the Process is results-oriented in the areas of common interest. The Steering Committee will take the necessary decisions, such as to maintain, modify, and/or end existing working groups. The Steering Committee will also have the mandate to create new ones to address emerging and/or cross-cutting issues which have an impact on global development efforts or on which potential for meaningful collective progress is foreseen. The next meeting of the Steering Committee will decide how best to organize and structure this work within the broad areas.
In this new phase the HAP Steering Committee will be co-chaired by a G8 and a G5 partner country and its meetings will be held alternately by a G8 and G5 partner country.
Working Groups
In the first phase of the dialogue there were four Working Groups, each covering one of the four political areas of the dialogue. The co-chairing of the Working Groups was equally distributed between G8 and G5 countries;
- Development (France and South Africa)
- Energy (Canada and India)
- Investment (United States and Mexico);
- Innovation / IPR (United Kingdom and India)
All groups agreed on a programme of work containing practical assignments that will be carried out either by member countries of the dialogue, groups of member countries, or the Support Unit. These provided a base for discussions in the next meetings.
For the second phase of the dialogue the Steering Committee will decide which of the specific topics will be carried forward. Possible themes are;
- Freedom of investment to mutual benefit.
- The role of innovation and technology in the process of sustainable and socio-economic development.
- A strategic approach to development and its social dimension.
- Assistance to vulnerable states.
- Food security and reform of relevant organisations.
- Energy.
Support Unit
In order to provide support to this dialogue process, the G8 agreed to ask the OECD to provide a platform, along with the IEA (supporting in the field of energy efficiency) for this process in their 2007 Summit declaration. On 12 July 2007, the OECD Council confirmed the establishment of the Support Unit in the OECD for an initial two-year period and on 16th July 2009 the Council extended this agreement up to the French Summit in 2011.
The HAP Support Unit, is charged with the preparation of the Steering Committee and Working Group meetings, and operates under the direct supervision of the OECD Secretary General and the guidance of the Steering Committee. The Support Unit co-operates closely with OECD directorates and takes advantage of the OECD's vast expertise and knowledge. In order to ensure information sharing among all OECD countries, an informal Working Group with the participation of OECD delegations has been set up to facilitate timely and comprehensive information flows and feedback.
The HDP Support Unit is staffed from both G8 and G5 Partners as well as other OECD countries. In addition, the HDP welcomed trainees from China, France, Germany, and Mexico in the first phase.
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