A new guidance note is available to foster civil society participation in the intergovernmental work of the Council of Europe.

The document proposes practical ways in which the Council of Europe could strengthen its working methods and internal rules and practices to ensure that civil society organisations (CSOs) can contribute to the work of its intergovernmental committees which gather experts from the organisation’s 46 member states. The guidance note builds on existing best practices across different committees. It emphasises the need to continue enhancing a transparent, diverse, effective and sustainable participation of CSOs as they offer a wealth of knowledge which is key for developing impactful policy making. In turn, civil society should expect consistency in the way Council of Europe bodies interact with them.

Therefore, the internal bodies and structures of the Council of Europe should consider facilitating access to information, encourage engagement via different modalities of dialogue and participation, ensuring that procedures for participation are accessible, open and inclusive and be mindful of contextual risks and unique protection needs faced by different groups, thus upholding the principle of confidentiality and “do no harm”.