<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>To add a comment on NGO accountability (not synonym for transparency), and to support Parminder's point</div><div>and putting my <i>Top 500 NGOs</i>' hat on:</div><div>- INGO accountability Charter has a rather limited list of participants (large INGOs) precisely for the reason it is a paid "stamp". When looking in details, this charter has very limited constraints. The non-profit sector has clearly not endorsed it. For some good reasons. Listed corporations that do rely on public investment are under legal obligations in terms of accountability and transparency, and still, we do know that they are far away from being as transparent in terms of governance, interests and influence (lobbying politics, governments, trade unions, and civil society).</div><div>- There is no UN binding law, obligation or regulation, or whatever official request from NGOs listed as ECOSOC accredited by the UN. NGOs are basically free to provide info or not, and upload it within the database where one can find links related to NGOs accredited. The UN has no legal authority over NGO/NPO accountability or transparency. Once again, an ECOSOC accreditation is a simple ticket to provide NGOs with a possibility to join, listen, and sometime express within some of the UN forums/agencies/programs...</div><div><br></div><div>As we rank NGOs/NPOs/SocEnt/PPPs (with a public interest orientation) since 2012, we have been into many of these issues, and so far governments and listed corporations have a much greater degree of public accountability obligation than the non-profit sector. The non-profit sector obeys more on a voluntary basis, some of them providing, sometime, a good level of public data and information. There is room for progress. That would benefit the non-profit sector, and the IG sub non-profit sector could lead on this issue.</div><div><br></div><div>JC</div><div><br></div>
<br><div><div>Le 7 juin 2015 à 08:18, parminder a écrit :</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">
  
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    <br>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On Sunday 07 June 2015 10:30 AM,
      Roberto Bissio wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote cite="mid:CAArNAf5aCPH5HcxbjSd0ZFSOJER6Ag=UaBG7F7qQKiw2qB5MtA@mail.gmail.com" type="cite">
      <div dir="ltr">
        <div>Dear Parminder,</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>There are many mechanisms for CSO accountability.</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>NGOS accredited to the UN have to regularly report on
          funding, bilaws, authorities and activities.</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        Further, an INGO accountability charter exists: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.ingoaccountabilitycharter.org/">http://www.ingoaccountabilitycharter.org/</a>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>Social Watch was a member, until we could not afford the
          membership fee, which is unfairly burdensome on poorer
          organizations from the South. </div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>Some fee is required if you are to assess the reporting of
          the organizations. Otherwise everybody declares what it wants
          and the transparency is meaningless.</div>
      </div>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
    Roberto<br>
    <br>
    This is the reason that what is sought is a simple no cost statement
    of voluntary declaration of (1) interests, and (2) objectives and
    (3) funding sources, very much on the lines of the basic requirement
    that you mention below, and I would add as per your note
    "affiliations to networks or institutions "  (somewhat like the<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/homePage.do">
      EU transparency register</a> .)   And this with no fee or costs to
    those who enter the register -- the project should be run on
    independent funding by whoever runs it, and I have offered to help
    raise resources. And it being an online activity, the project
    requires very little resources. <br>
    <br>
    While in any case required for civil society, such a practise
    becomes even more important in the IG space where (1) there is a
    special - even 'equal footing' - claim to be on policy tables ,  and
    (2) where the geo-political investments  as well as corporate
    investments into CS spaces by far exceed any other area.   Funding
    sources of both JNC and BestBits have been publicly questioned in
    the recent past, on these very lists. What better way to go forward
    than having basic transparency declarations instituted to that there
    is a better basis for minimum cooperation and working together as we
    go forward. In this regard, it is important to recognise that for
    good or bad, or maybe that is just some unique characteristics of a
    civil society space which is both in the making in some way, and
    otherwise unique in some other ways, political divisions have been
    especially deep within the IG civil society space. (The reasons for
    this are structural, although repeated efforts are made to lay the
    blame on individual behavioural causes, and thus escape the real
    political basis of the differences .)  I know that these things are
    not unknown in other areas, but still - stated very roughly - a
    better mainstream conception of civil society is generally
    obtainable in other areas. All these characteristics of the IG civil
    society space make instituting some basic transparency guidelines -
    on a voluntary basis - important for healthy development of civil
    society in the IG area, whose political role in the emerging
    digitally-mediated society is going to be extremly important. This
    should be a common commitment to ourselves, in all humility with
    regard to the increasingly important political role that civil
    society in the IG space plays.<br>
    <br>
    parminder  <br>
    <br>
    <blockquote cite="mid:CAArNAf5aCPH5HcxbjSd0ZFSOJER6Ag=UaBG7F7qQKiw2qB5MtA@mail.gmail.com" type="cite">
      <div dir="ltr">
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>While it makes sense to demand accountability from
          organizations involved in the top levl of international
          advocacy, there are too many situations in the world where
          this could mean another additional and unfair request, on top
          of the many requests of regular reports that most countries
          have to grant incorporation. Demanding more from CSOs when
          neither governments nor corporations have to meet similar
          requirements seems unfair to me. But maybe it makes sense to
          have a list explaining wether the members are incporprated,
          where and under what title (for profit, non-profit, etc) and
          affilitiaons to networks or institutions they want to declare
          or wether it is an individual or an informal grouping. Do
          remember that it is an human right (right to association) to
          form groups of any kind, and they are (or should be) deemed as
          "innocent" until proven guilty. Too many states turn the table
          around and presume that associations are illegal until they
          register and demonstrate they are "clean". We should not
          unwillingly support that trend.</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>best,</div>
        <div>Roberto</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
        <div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Jun 7, 2015 at 4:20 AM, Michael
          Gurstein <span dir="ltr"><<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:gurstein@gmail.com" target="_blank">gurstein@gmail.com</a>></span>
          wrote:<br>
          <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
            .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
            <div bgcolor="white" link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-CA">
              <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">Ian
                    and all,</span></p><div><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">The
                    reason why there is a request for disclosure is so
                    as to know the background or context from which
                    opinions/positions/actions emerge.  It is the same
                    argument I think, as that concerning real identity
                    vs. anonymity as per the current Facebook
                    controversy. It is an extremely useful and in some
                    cases essential item of information to know who (the
                    identity) it is that one is interacting with. </span></p><div><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">My
                    own feeling on the issue is that unless there are
                    strong and persuasive arguments in favour of
                    anonymity then knowing the “identity” of who (or
                    what) ever one is interacting with is a basic
                    requirement. I don’t know that it has ever been an
                    issue in our various IG discussions but if it did
                    arise my guess is that most would opt for people
                    using their “real” names/identities for their
                    contributions.</span></p><div><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">If
                    the above is the case then I think that by extension
                    we can give some content to what we mean by “real
                    identity”.  </span></p><div><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">To
                    some degree the components of the “real identity”
                    required for effective communication/interaction
                    will vary from context to context—for romantic
                    purposes age, appearance, gender would likely be
                    necessary; for financial contexts formal elements as
                    might be required or contracts such as citizenship,
                    financial and credit information are part of that
                    “real identify”.  </span></p><div><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">I
                    would argue that in our IG context “real identity”
                    should include a knowledge of the
                    financial/contractual contexts (i.e. who is paying
                    the piper) from which individual participation is
                    being presented.</span></p><div><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">M</span></p><div><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                <div>
                  <div style="border:none;border-top:solid #e1e1e1
                    1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext" lang="EN-US">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext" lang="EN-US"> <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:bestbits-request@lists.bestbits.net" target="_blank">bestbits-request@lists.bestbits.net</a>
                        [mailto:<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:bestbits-request@lists.bestbits.net" target="_blank">bestbits-request@lists.bestbits.net</a>]
                        <b>On Behalf Of </b>Ian Peter<br>
                        <b>Sent:</b> June 7, 2015 6:03 AM<br>
                        <b>To:</b> parminder; <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org" target="_blank">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a>;
                        BestBitsList; Forum@Justnetcoalition. Org; A
                        general information sharing space for the APC
                        Community.<br>
                        <b>Subject:</b> Re: [bestbits] [governance]
                        Civil society transparency</span></p>
                  </div>
                </div>
                <div>
                  <div class="h5"><div> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                    <div>
                      <div>
                        <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Hi
                              Parminder,</span></p>
                        </div>
                        <div><div><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                        </div>
                        <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Following
                              from the discussion, here is what I think
                              is possible and realistic in this space.</span></p>
                        </div>
                        <div><div><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                        </div>
                        <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Firstly,
                              I think the question of transparency and
                              disclosure of conflicts of interest is
                              important.</span></p>
                        </div>
                        <div><div><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                        </div>
                        <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">However,
                              I don’t think people need to declare
                              interests to involve themselves in
                              discussion here or in any of our open
                              mailing lists, and the real concerns start
                              to arise only when people are seeking
                              office as civil society representatives.</span></p>
                        </div>
                        <div><div><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                        </div>
                        <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Here,
                              most of the office bearing exists in the
                              various coalitions – APC, Best Bits, JNC,
                              NCSG, IGC. I would urge each of these
                              groups, when holding elections, to require
                              candidates to register any conflicts of
                              interest. I know Best Bits is moving to
                              elections for its Steering Committee again
                              soon, perhaps it could formulate some sort
                              of basic disclosure requirement for its
                              purposes? And I guess JNC must be moving
                              towards holding its first elections for SC
                              replenishment soon?  And IGC could easily
                              add such a requirement for its candidates
                              for co cordinator elections (presumably
                              late this year).</span></p>
                        </div>
                        <div><div><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                        </div>
                        <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">But
                              these are requirements for individual
                              groups, and the form of such is for each
                              group to determine. I think however that
                              such a requirement would be a good idea.</span></p>
                        </div>
                        <div><div><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                        </div>
                        <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">As
                              regards CSCG – our calls for candidates
                              are for appointments to outside bodies,
                              and I agree that some form of disclosure
                              of any conflicts of interest would be a
                              good idea. Currently it would appear that
                              our next task would be MAG replenishment
                              (and a small one at that), probably early
                              next year. I will suggest to the members
                              that we should require some sort of basic
                              disclosure statement. But that of course
                              is up to the members (APC, BB, JNC, NCSG,
                              IGC) to determine.</span></p>
                        </div>
                        <div><div><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                        </div>
                        <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">I’m
                              not sure we can go much further. But if
                              some work can be done on a simple model of
                              a form of disclosure, that would be good.</span></p>
                        </div>
                        <div><div><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                        </div>
                        <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Ian
                              Peter</span></p>
                        </div>
                        <div>
                          <div>
                            <div><div><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
                            </div>
                            <div>
                              <div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:whitesmoke"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"> <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:parminder@itforchange.net" title="parminder@itforchange.net" target="_blank">parminder</a> </span></p>
                              </div>
                              <div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:whitesmoke"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Sent:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">
                                    Sunday, May 24, 2015 5:31 PM</span></p>
                              </div>
                              <div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:whitesmoke"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">To:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"> <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:ian.peter@ianpeter.com" title="ian.peter@ianpeter.com" target="_blank">Ian Peter</a> ; <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org" title="governance@lists.igcaucus.org" target="_blank">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a>
                                    ; <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:bestbits@lists.bestbits.net" title="bestbits@lists.bestbits.net" target="_blank">BestBitsList</a> ; <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:forum@justnetcoalition.org" title="forum@justnetcoalition.org" target="_blank">mailto:forum@justnetcoalition.org</a>
                                    ; <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:apc.forum@lists.apc.org" title="apc.forum@lists.apc.org" target="_blank">A general
                                      information sharing space for the
                                      APC Community.</a> </span></p>
                              </div>
                              <div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:whitesmoke"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Subject:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">
                                    [governance] Civil society
                                    transparency</span></p>
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                          <div><div><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
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                        <div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Ian,
                              and reps of civil society networks on the
                              Civil Society Coordination Group (CSCG) ,<br>
                              <br>
                              I propose that CSCG sets up a civil
                              society transparency project, somewhat on
                              the lines of the EU Transparency Register,
                              pl see <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/homePage.do" target="_blank">http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/homePage.do</a>
                              .<br>
                              <br>
                              It should in fact go beyond the EU
                              initiative which is a general one for all
                              lobbying groups, whereas we here are
                              concerned with civil society which should
                              set the highest example of transparency
                              and accountability. The 'register' can
                              have self filled information on objectives
                              of an organisation, principles followed by
                              it, if any, its funding, partners, and so
                              on.... <br>
                              <br>
                              This is at present just my proposal, but I
                              hope one or more civil society networks in
                              the IG space can own it and push it...
                              CSCG would be well placed to run this
                              project as a neutral space so that there
                              is no accusation of bias that any such
                              initiative is being employed for partisan
                              purposes. In any case, a simple initiative
                              for openness, transparency and
                              accountability can hardly be partisan.<br>
                              <br>
                              The register can have optional higher
                              level features whereby a group/ org can
                              declare its means of public
                              accountability, whether and how its
                              internal governance is done, how matters
                              can be taken by with their oversight
                              bodies, like board etc, and whether they
                              have any means whereby they respond to
                              public question on their work, etc.<br>
                              <br>
                              For such genuine cases where such
                              transparency can harm an organisations
                              work, or security, such organisations, and
                              only such organisations, can be exempted
                              employing a clear process and set of
                              criteria.<br>
                              <br>
                              Remember, both the UN report on
                              improvements to the IGF and the NetMundial
                              Statement highlight the issue of
                              transparency. I also recently read in
                              these lists how we should make bridges
                              with the OpenGov movement which is almost
                              wholly about this one thing. Time we begin
                              practising what we preach. <br>
                              <br>
                              I look forward to hear responses to this
                              proposal..<br>
                              <br>
                              parminder </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
                          <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">
                              <hr align="center" size="2" width="100%"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">____________________________________________________________<br>
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