Towards Responsible Lobbying - AccountAbility

Lobbying at the crossroads
Box 3:. Lobbying under the spotlight in Brazil
In Brazil, businesses are now involved in public policy-making as
never before. They are a key delivery mechanism for the ambitious
Zero Hunger initiative, and are also being drawn in to projects to
help deliver the Millennium Development Goals at the local level.
One example is the Fórum Empresarial de Apoio ao Município – a
business forum designed to support local government. The initiative
was launched by Instituto Ethos, the country’s leading organization
for business and social responsibility, in March 2005.
Each forum is based on four key concepts: a) ethics and transparency;
b) credibility and visibility; c) benefits for town and
population; and d) buy-in from stakeholders. To date, there are
forums in three municipalities: São Paulo (SP), Grande ABC (SP),
and Jaraguá do Sul (SC).
At the same time, there is a lively debate on ‘good’ and ‘bad’
lobbying. Lobbying is unregulated and has negative connotations to
many observers in Brazil. But with 140 professional lobbying groups
now active in Brasilia, there are calls from outside and within the
profession to clean up lobbying practices. Some believe that voluntary
standards will work. "Credibility and trust are fundamental in
our profession,’ says Guilherme Farhat Ferraz, head of Semprel, ‘we
cannot put that at risk’.
Others argue for regulation. "Our work is very different from that of
the obscure professional that works on the mobile and trafficks influence
to survive. We have addresses and identity numbers’, says
Eduardo Carlos Ricardo, founder and director of lobby shop Patri,
‘and we want to see regulations on this activity.’
Senator Marco Maciel has tabled proposed regulations on lobbying
in the National Congress, although for the time being these
proposals are stalled in the Chamber of Deputies.
[Source: Exame, June 2005; Instituto Ethos].
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