A/HRC/42/48
spaces’ decision-making processes. A democratic and equitable international order
can be achieved only if global governance spaces consent to becoming, first and
foremost, people-centred.
78.
In the spirit of continuing the constructive dialogue that he has held with
various stakeholders since the beginning of his tenure, echoing the OHCHR guidelines
on the effective implementation of the right to participate in public affairs, and with
reference to the additional findings contained in his thematic report to the General
Assembly on the same topic, the Independent Expert recommends that global
governance spaces and their respective member States and non-State members:
(a)
Allow and proactively encourage public participation in all relevant
stages of the discussions and decision-making processes of global governance spaces;
(b)
Acknowledge the importance of public participation in a charter or
similar document;
(c)
Provide access to global governance spaces without discrimination of any
kind;
(d)
Ensure that engagement with civil society is diverse and inclusive, in
particular in relation to individuals and groups that are marginalized or
discriminated against, including women, children, youth, older persons, persons with
disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, members of
minorities, indigenous peoples, migrants and refugees, and treat all engagement
groups equally;
(e)
Ensure respect for the independence of civil society actors engaging in
the processes;
(f)
Undertake wide outreach on in-person and online participation by civil
society in decision-making processes;
(g)
Develop and make widely available a clear and transparent set of
policies and procedures on participation in order to make access more consistent and
reliable;
(h)
Make publicly available a list of high-level diplomatic officials
(“sherpas”) and other key officials in charge of the processes at the national level;
(i)
Appoint information officers or contact persons in global governance
spaces who are charged with facilitating the flow of information;
(j)
Give greater visibility and means to existing civil society teams within
global governance spaces and member States;
(k)
Establish funding pools that are managed independently of member
States and reserved for participants from organizations with modest financial means,
in particular those working on behalf of individuals and groups that are marginalized
or discriminated against, and allocate funds on the basis of the principles of equity
and fairness;
(l)
Strengthen the capacity of the public to participate meaningfully in
global governance spaces, in particular those who are less familiar with procedures
governing participation at the international level, such as grass-roots and local civil
society organizations working with individuals or groups that are marginalized or
discriminated against;
(m) Create a permanent official website containing information related to
decision-making processes, through the use of information and communications
technology or other appropriate means, in a timely manner and in all official
languages of the global governance spaces concerned, and keep the website up to date;
(n)
Use information and communications technology to foster greater and
more diverse participation by civil society;
18
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