National Governing Body/Technical Agencies

Another opportunity for civil society to maximize engagement in a country's national APR process is to access the key national decision making bodies or technical agencies responsible for conducting the governance research for the country. As has already been stated, each country has the right to shape and design its own processes and structures for self-assessment, and these may or may not include the use of technical agencies to conduct detailed research for the final report. However, experiences in the countries which have already undertaken peer review suggest that there are two opportunities for civil society to place non-government actors in key positions, namely: in the country's national governing body, and for CSOs, the opportunity to be nominated as technical research agencies to conduct research on the four areas of governance under review in the APRM.

Early country experiences suggest that the APR Panel have strongly encouraged governments to ensure that regardless of the form the country's national governing body takes, civil society is guaranteed adequate representation in the body. Whilst the composition of the national body varies from country to country, the presence on this body of civil society representatives is another opportunity for all civil society organizations and individuals to directly access the key national decision makers regarding the APRM.

Furthermore, in instances where a country decides to make use of technical review agencies to conduct and collate surveys and other materials, civil society organizations are most often the preferred candidates to conduct this type of work. This again provides civil society organizations with an additional avenue through which to engage and make submissions into the national process.