A/HRC/42/48 (d) The International Conference on “National, regional and international mechanisms to combat impunity and ensure accountability under international law”, organized by the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the European Parliament, in Doha (14 and 15 April 2019); (e) The high-level regional Conference on Justice and Good Governance in the Great Lakes region, convened by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region and OHCHR, Nairobi (13–15 May 2019); (f) The twenty-sixth annual meeting of special procedure mandate holders, Geneva (16–21 June 2019); (g) A consultation organized by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation on the role of United Nations human rights mechanisms in the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, Geneva (22 June 2019). 9. The Independent Expert issued 14 communications 7 and five press releases jointly with fellow special procedure mandate holders. 8 He intends to increasingly utilize these tools in the course of his mandate. The Independent Expert also issued two newsletters about the various activities undertaken in executing his mandate. 9 III. Public participation and decision-making in global governance spaces A. Overall impact of the economic and financial policies of global governance spaces on a democratic and equitable international order 10. The influence of global governance forums on the international order is widely recognized. From setting global economic priorities to coordinating responses to transnational challenges such as global migration, fair trade, global peace and security, climate change, terrorism and corruption, decisions taken by intergovernmental, multisectoral and private groupings affect not only their members and those who engage with them, but also populations outside of their territories. For instance, G20 countries alone reportedly constitute two thirds of the world’s population, represent more than 80 per cent of global gross domestic product and account for three quarters of international trade.10 As such, agreements made by G20 members will undoubtedly affect how equitable the world becomes. 11. Global governance forums will also have added importance given the increasingly cross-border nature of the world’s political and economic challenges. Take, for example, the issue of corruption. News reports have disclosed international bribery scandals, national assets hidden in foreign jurisdictions and the scope of corporate tax evasion, demonstrating that national approaches to these phenomena cannot address all components of the problem. In an era of interconnected financial, political and cultural systems, it is primarily through global governance forums – both traditional and non-traditional – that Governments and other stakeholders reach common solutions. G20, for example, has attempted to coordinate responses to corruption, including by establishing a working group on the topic and developing documents to outline potential policy responses. 11 It has also adopted, jointly 7 8 9 10 11 4 Available at https://spcommreports.ohchr.org. The newsletters will be made available at www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/ Pages/NewsSearch.aspx?MID=IE_Int_Order. Available at www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IntOrder/Pages/Newsletters.aspx. See the submission by Amnesty International. See the submission by Transparency International.