Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations-Civil Society Relations
Work Program of the Panel
The Panel’s work program from June 2003 through April 2004 will include the following activities and steps:
Broad Consultations
Survey
End of June through the end of 2003: A brief survey will be disseminated widely to civil society, private sector, parliamentarians and others to gather views on experiences with UN bodies, programmes and funds both in terms of practical arrangements and the greater context of the changes in global governance. The survey will collect information on lessons learned, barriers to meaningful exchange or partnership, and ideas for overcoming the barriers. The responses will be monitored for geographic balance. In some cases, the survey responses may be followed up by personal interviews.
Regional and other consultation meetings
From July 2003 through January 2004: For purposes of cost efficiency, existing regional and international meetings that are likely to involve large numbers of civil society actors with important experience of relevance to the Panel will be targeted; if it is possible for one or more Panel members to participate, these will be used for consultations about this experience and lessons that derive from it. Two regional consultations in Africa and the Middle East will be organized to make up for lack of sufficient numbers of opportunities from existing meetings. The two Panel-organized regional meetings are expected to take place in October-November 2003 period.
Targeted Consultations
Interviews with individuals or organizations of expertise
July 2003 through January 2004: Panel members as well as the Secretariat will undertake in-depth interviews with individuals or organizations with particular expertise in UN-civil society relations. The findings will be fed into the on-going collection of ideas for building the recommendations.
Small meetings with sector stakeholders
August through December 2003: meetings with small groups from particular civil society sectors will be organized for more in depth discussions and exploration of ideas. The priority list of these sectors includes parliaments, local authorities, private sector, and foundations. Panel members will take the lead in setting up these consultations, with assistance from a network from the sector and the secretariat.
Commissioned Papers
As needed, the Panel may commission papers on issues that need further clarification and conceptual or analytical inputs from experts.
Second Panel Meeting
Mid December 2003 (Geneva)
Third and last Panel meeting
Late February 2003 (venue to be determined)
Presentation of the final report of the Panel to the Secretary-General
April 2004