“If we want the Code of Good Practice to be an effective tool for both civil society and local authorities today, we need to improve the efficiency of the participatory process and make sure it is accessible to all citizens”, stated rapporteur Thomas Andersson (Sweden, ILDG), presenting the revised version of the “Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in the Decision-making Process”, prepared by a joint working group formed by the Congress and the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe, at the 37th Congress Session in Strasbourg, France.
Adopted by the Conference in 2009, the Code defines means to strengthen civil participation and mechanisms for NGO participation in the decision-making process. Its revision, which aims at adapting the Code to the social and technological changes that have occurred since, was adopted in parallel by the Congress and by the Conference on 30 October 2019. “It is essential for citizens’ views to be taken into account at every level of the decision-making process”, explained Anna Rurka, President of the Conference of INGOs.
In particular, the revised Code proposes to create a "toolkit" - a repertoire of good practices - which will provide guidelines based on the experience of dialogue with citizens and cooperation with NGOs.
The work on the new Code, which highlights the principles of transparency, accessibility, non-discrimination, inclusiveness and accountability, contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDGs 11 and 16.
See also:
** 37th Session of the Congress **
File 37th Session - Agenda - Videos and photos – Mediabox interviews
