Recommendations for enhanced participation of associations in public decision-making processes launched at OSCE/ODIHR event
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) released a set of civil society recommendations aimed at promoting the greater involvement of associations in public decision making on 22 September 2015, during the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.
The Recommendations on Enhancing the Participation of Associations in Public Decision-Making Processes present practical guidance on creating an environment enabling associations to participate in public decision-making processes in an effective, transparent, impartial and non-discriminatory manner.
“Creating an environment that enables associations to participate in public affairs, including policy- and law-making is mutually beneficial for both states and civil society,” said Alice Thomas, Chief of ODIHR’s Legislative Support Unit. “This, in turn, helps improve the quality of policy and legislative decisions, and ultimately ensures their proper implementation.”
Ambassador Maria Leissner, Secretary General of the Community of Democracies, said: “The voice of civil society is absolutely vital to a democracy. Every government, and parliament, needs to engage with civil society to ensure that citizens' concern are addressed and that draft legislation is scrutinized by those affected by it. The OSCE guidelines and recommendations on government dialogue with civil society are not only very useful, but also much more advanced than in any other region. However, what we need to focus on is the how. What models for civil society dialogue and influence exist today? How can we help introduce such mechanisms? And how do we take these efforts from OSCE to the global level?”
The recommendations were developed by expert participants in a Civil Society Forum organized by ODIHR on 15 and 16 April 2015 in Vienna, ahead of the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association.