OECD paper explores good practices in global civil society engagement

From climate change to digital transition, from preparedness for pandemics to trade relations, many of the complex challenges that governments are facing – and that affect the everyday life of citizens – are supranational in nature. As international organisations, alliances and partnerships address them, the need to incorporate diverse perspectives into their decision-making processes has consistently grown in importance.

Civil society engagement at the international level has increased over the years and has become a common practice in many international entities to reach the groups directly affected by their decisions and policies. However, recent global calls for more meaningful and structured participation by civil society and individual citizens have highlighted that challenges remain in ensuring such participation is systematic, impactful, and inclusive.

A new OECD working paper on civil society participation at the international level provides recommendations that can help international policymakers better incorporate civil society perspectives into their work. The study, which is part of the OECD Public Governance Directorate’s work on open governance, builds on a comparative analysis of over 25 international mechanisms and dozens of interviews of international officials and civil society organizations (CSOs).

The working paper underlines that civil society participation at the international level can enhance the legitimacy of decision-making processes, foster citizens’ trust, lead to better quality international decision-making and more widely supported outcomes. Results of a 2024 OECD survey on the drivers of trust in public institutions showed that trust in international organisations stands at 44%, which is lower than local governments and the police, and confirms that participation is a key driver of citizens’ confidence in government.

Models of engagement

Our paper finds that international organisations use a range of models to engage civil society. One is the inclusion of stakeholders as full participants or observers in official meetings. For example, civil society is represented on equal terms with governments on the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee, while the major groups and other stakeholders at the UN High-Level Political Forum are observers with various rights of participation. At the Council of Europe, accredited CSOs enjoy participatory status in several official processes.

Another model is the establishment of separate advisory bodies. For instance, the Consultative Committee of the Cariforum-EU EPA channels civil society input into policymaking. Similarly, the African Union’s ECOSOCC provides an advisory platform for African CSOs.

There are also bodies with mixed authority and stakeholder representation. The Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism of the UN Committee on World Food Security includes stakeholders both in the committee plenary and the advisory group. The UN Democracy Fund’s Advisory Board brings together member states, international CSOs and individual experts.

Other approaches include consultations ahead of large events or on specific policy documents, such as those conducted at the Africa-Europe Week and the Civil Society Forum of the fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries. Finally, participatory platforms and citizen assemblies have emerged, such as the Conference on the Future of Europe and the Escazú Agreement, which includes elected citizen representatives in official meetings.

Preconditions of effective participation

Effective civil society participation at the international level requires certain legal and policy preconditions. These include establishing strong legal and policy frameworks enshrining transparency and participation, and providing for engagement mechanisms. A protected civic space is also vital, as it ensures that CSOs have the freedom to operate, obtain sustainable funding, and participate openly in public discussions. Moreover, high-level commitment and a well-defined engagement strategy that clarifies the objectives, methodology, and expectations of the process are a necessary foundation for participation.

An inclusive and transparent stakeholder selection process that actively reaches out to underrepresented groups, taking into account diversity, expertise and the principle of civil society’s self-selection, can make a major difference in the perceived legitimacy of the engagement process and ownership of the results.

Institutionalising engagement by embedding it within formal structures helps sustain participation over the long term, moving away from ad hoc consultation. Successful engagement mechanisms rely on sustainable funding and support structures that facilitate coordination and the effective formulation of civil society input. A monitoring and evaluation framework is also important to analyse how the engagement mechanism works and propose adjustments over time.

These recommendations, to be tailored to the nature and objectives of international organisations and entities, can help both officials and CSOs conceive, design and manage mechanisms for meaningful engagement.