Provisional Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society in Meetings of the Peacebuilding Commission*

I. General Guiding Principles

In conformity with General Assembly resolution 60/180 and Security Council resolution 1645 (2005), and as envisaged in the Rules of Procedure of the Peacebuilding Commission;

1. The Commission recognizes the important contribution of civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to all stages of peacebuilding efforts, as one of the main purposes of the Commission is to bring together all relevant actors, in particular national stakeholders.
2. The Commission reaffirms the important role of women and women’s organizations in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacebuilding and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all relevant peacebuilding efforts.
3. The Commission, in consultation with the government of the countries under consideration, shall encourage and ensure greater participation of civil society organizations and representatives from the countries under consideration.
4. Bearing in mind that circumstances are specific to each country under consideration, and also that there is no one model for organizing meetings in country-specific configurations, this process should be transparent, flexible and inclusive to all relevant parties.
5. In recognition of the intergovernmental nature of the Commission, active participation of civil society organizations and representatives therein, while welcome, does not entail a negotiating role.

II. Modalities of Attendance and Participation

Attendance and participation of civil society organizations and representatives in the world of the Commission would be through different modalities, as follows:

A. Formal Meetings of the Peacebuilding Commission

1. The Chairperson of the Organizational Committee or the Coordinator of the respective configuration, in consultation with the members of the Organizational Committee, shall invite representatives of civil society organizations which are actively engaged in peacebuilding activities, to make oral statements and provide information, as may be needed, that would contribute to the work of the Commission on specific matters within the scope of their activities pertaining to integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding.

2. Prior to extending invitations, the Chairperson or the Coordinator shall circulate to the members of the Organizational Committee the names of civil society organizations and representatives proposed to participate, together with available background information on the basis of the elements contained in Annex 1.

3. The inclusion of civil society organizations and representatives on the list of participants shall be in accordance with the principles provided for in Annex 2. Should a member raise an objection to the participation of a given organization or representatives, the Chairperson shall engage in consultations with the aim of reaching consensus on the final list no later than one week before the meeting. The list shall include self-selected civil society representatives from the respective country under consideration.

4. In this regard, the Commission shall encourage civil society organizations from the country under consideration to nominate its representatives through a local independent self-selecting process, to be included on the list of participants, and shall encourage the participation of these representatives in the national delegation.

B. Informal Meetings of the Peacebuilding Commission

1. The Chairperson shall encourage relevant actors to interact and provide input to technical-level informal discussions of specific sectoral areas or thematic topics that may be organized outside the formal country-specific configuration.

2. Prior to formal meetings of country-specific configurations, the Chairperson, in consultation with members of the Organizational Committee, shall convene public informal meetings with representatives of civil society organizations to exchange views on peacebuilding issues relevant to the country under consideration. The Chairperson shall prepare a summary of the discussion for submission to the respective country-specific configuration.

3. Following formal meetings of country-specific configurations, the Chairperson, in consultation with members of the Organizational Committee, may convene public informal briefings with representatives of civil society organizations engaged in peacebuilding activities in the country under consideration in order to further exchange views on possible areas of contribution of those organizations in the implementation and follow-up of the recommendations of the formal meetings of the respective country-specific configuration. The Chairperson shall prepare a summary of the discussions for submission to the respective country-specific configuration.

C. Submission of Written Documents

The Chairperson may receive written comments, observations, or statements, and, with the support of the Coordinator of the respective configuration and the Peacebuilding Support Office, shall make best efforts to have the written submissions relevant to the work of the Commission available to the members of the respective configuration no later than one week prior to meetings on the subject under review.

III. Review

The guidelines contained in this document shall be subject to review and evaluation after six months from the date of their adoption by the Organizational Committee with a view to explore the possibility of their further development in light of the progress in the work and function of the Commission.

ANNEX 1

For the purpose of reaching consensus on the list of participants, the Chairperson, with the support of the Coordinator of the respective configuration and the Peacebuilding Support Office, shall also circulate to the members of the Organizational Committee available background information on the following:

1. An overview of the organization, its purpose, constitution and/or mission statement, or similar documents;

2. Summary of the present programmes and the activities of the organization undertaken in areas relevant to the work of the Commission and the country or countries in which they are carried out during the previous year;

3. The Organization’s sources of funding

4. Members of the governing body of the organization and their nationalities, including a brief biography of the organization’s representatives.

ANNEX 2

The inclusion of civil society organizations and representatives on the list of participants shall be guided by the following principles:

1. The organization shall have a democratic and transparent decision-making process, and operate in accordance with the laws regulating the activities of civil society in the countries of origin and in the country under consideration where appropriate.

2. The organization and representative shall be active in areas that are of direct relevance to the work of the Commission and can provide specific expertise and experience in peacebuilding upon which the Commission may wish to draw in consultations.

3. The aims and purposes of the organization shall be in conformity with the spirit, purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

* These guidelines apply to meetings of the Peacebuilding Commission other than in the Organizational Committee configuration. The guidelines are not meant to create a precedent for other organs of the United Nations.