A/HRC/42/48 also reportedly a lack of continuity and consistency between the practices of each presidency in producing these reports.76 Furthermore, civil society does not have the right to reply with respect to these accountability reports, or any follow-up discussion. 72. At the BRICS level, there is no institutionalized accountability mechanism. The country holding the presidency is reportedly in charge of following up on the commitments made when preparing the agenda for the summit. Independent initiatives, such as the University of Toronto and the BRICS Information Centre, to keep track of implementation through the communiqués are more of an exception. The World Economic Forum, for its part, relies on its constituents to document their own impact, which is a challenge since the Forum does not have the capacity to measure that impact. 73. Many civil society actors from different engagement groups voiced their frustration at what appeared to be mere political pronouncements, and the following illustrative example was brought to the attention of the Independent Expert. During the German G7 presidency in 2015, G7 committed to lifting 150 million people out of hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Despite repeated requests, civil society has not been informed how this commitment will be fulfilled, including how the 150 million people are identified and what benchmark the G7 member States will use to achieve the goal. Furthermore, civil society lacks funding to monitor the implementation of the commitments made. In this regard, the Independent Expert stresses that one of the fundamental contributions of civil society to a democratic and equitable international order, and to the promotion and protection of human rights in general, is its responsibility to hold Governments accountable. The capacity of civil society should therefore be adequately enhanced to fulfil this important task effectively. 74. The Independent Expert holds the view that, in order to increase leverage in ensuring implementation of the commitments made and ultimately ensure a democratic and equitable international order, the commitments could be linked to United Nations and regional human rights mechanisms, including the universal periodic review and special procedures. For instance, the commitments could be reflected in the work of special procedure mandate holders when preparing their thematic reports or in the context of their country visits, whenever relevant. In turn, this input could be reflected in the compilation of United Nations information and summary of stakeholders’ submissions in the framework of the universal periodic review, and subsequently raised during the review of the State concerned. IV. Conclusions and recommendations 75. The proliferation of global governance spaces on the geopolitical, economic and financial scenes over the years, outside the traditional United Nations system, is a phenomenon that has undeniably had a considerable impact on the framing and functioning of the international order. 76. In a number of global governance spaces, there have been efforts to increase consultations with the different sections of society whose lives and livelihoods are affected by the decisions taken. However, it appears that this participation has been at times tokenistic, while other spaces remain simply inaccessible. The ability to influence the decision-making processes of global governance spaces primarily depends on how open and receptive each Government is to civil society engagement and, as a result, how important it views public participation to be in decision-making processes. 77. It is essential that global governance spaces take public participation seriously: participation not only enhances the transparency, legitimacy and credibility of these spaces, but also contributes significantly to the fulfilment of their goals in an effective, sustainable and inclusive manner. Importantly, the voices and concerns of marginalized groups need to be heard and duly taken into consideration in these 76 See the submission by Transparency International. 17