Livingstone Sewanyana, the second Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, has made the transparency, participation and accountability of multilateral organizations one of his five top priorities.
He outlined his priorities in a Sept. 10 report. Sewanyana is the founder and executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), a Ugandan civil society organization.
“The mandate that has been entrusted to me requires a holistic approach, ensuring that all rights are promoted and protected in an environment that gives due recognition to participation, inclusion and transparency,” he states in his initial report.
Separately, a resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on July 6, 2018, concerning “Civil society space: engagement with international and regional organizations” states in part that the Council
Urges States and strongly encourages international and regional organizations to adopt and implement robust policies on access to information, in compliance with relevant international law;
Sewanyana to Look at Global Institutions
Concerning multilateral organizations, Sewanyana states, “The right to participate in decision-making is not restricted to local affairs but extends to global institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, IMF and WTO, where the right to be heard should be upheld.”
He says he “intends to examine how the right to participate in public affairs could be better realized in multilateral forums.”
“At present, for example,” he said, “the General Assembly is composed of government representatives, with limited space for civil society.” Sewanyana also mentions the disproportionately low number of women in the General Assembly
He says he would like to engage stakeholders about global public opinion polling and the establishment of a United Nations parliamentary assembly.
“Whereas multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, WTO and the Bretton Woods institutions have shaped the international economic system, more needs to be done to make them more responsive and inclusive; this is critical to enable these agencies to address current global challenges,” according to the report.
Sewanyana says he “would like to build on previous work in these areas and engage stakeholders on the progress made in promoting inclusive multilateral institutions, with a consequent look at how that has affected a democratic and equitable international order.”
“The Independent Expert proposes to address a number of thematic priorities over the course of his tenure, namely: (a) forms and practice of democracy; (b) public participation and decision-making in multilateral institutions; (c) corruption and open government; (d) the emergence of global governance forums; (e) global economic challenges; and (f) youth facing fragility and violence as well as opportunity,” according to the report.
