Intergovernmental Negotiations And Decision Making At The - NGLS

IntroductionXIgovernments have readily or in some cases consistently embraced awider role for civil society. Strict rules protect governmentprerogatives and procedures, while the guidelines for NGO accessremain fairly general, which allow for differing interpretations acrossdifferent forums. Depending on how they have been accredited,NGOs can also be held accountable to abide by certain stipulations,such as filing reports confirming the relevance of their work tothe UN.In the 2000 Millennium Declaration, Member States agreed to givegreater opportunities to the private sector, NGOs and civil society tocontribute to realizing UN goals and programmes. Two years later,UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his report on reforming theUN, addressed a number of issues that have arisen as a result of the“explosive growth” of civil society involvement, including physicalresources and accreditation procedures. To achieve “greatercoherence, consistency and predictability” in policies and proceduresgoverning civil society interaction, the Secretary-General set up ahigh-level panel of eminent persons to discuss practicalrecommendations. The panel (commonly known as the “CardosoPanel”) reaffirmed the United Nations role as a convener of diverseconstituencies—with civil society being an important aspect. WhileMember States have not taken any formal action on the report, anumber of actions have been taken such as the strengthened capacityof UN resident coordinator’s ability to engage with local civicgroups and to the establishment of a Trust Fund to support UNcountry teams work with civil society is underway.Recent reform efforts throughout the UN system – including theestablishment of the Human Rights Council (A/RES/60/251) and thePeacebuilding Commission (A/RES/60/180 and Security CouncilResolution 1645)—have included negotiations to determine the