Proposed Plan for Governance of the Washington Group

1. Proposed Plan for Governance of the Washington Group Prepared by: Jennifer Madans, Barbara Altman, Beth Rasch (USA); Renée Langlois (Canada); Elena DePalma, and Roberta Crialesi (Italy) 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

2. Introduction • In accordance with the UN guidelines, city groups determine their own mechanism of work. • It is timely for the WG to formalize a plan to govern its structure and operation due to the: • size of the group; • need for the outcomes of the group’s work; • external pressure to perform the work quickly; • nature of the work. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

3. Outline: major topics • Membership • Organizational structure III. Operating principles 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

4. MembershipA. Composition • Representatives from national statistical offices (NSO) of nation-states belonging to the UN. • Members are selected by their NSO. • One or more persons from an NSO can represent each nation-state, however, one person should be named as the primary representative. • Membership in the WG is voluntary. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

5. MembershipA. Composition • Well-recognized international organizations are invited to participate in all WG activities (setting meeting agendas, participating in discussions and workgroup activities). • The WG will strive for consensus when making decisions. If consensus is not possible and balloting is necessary, each member-state will have one vote. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

6. MembershipB. Responsibilities • Members must contribute substantively to the work of the WG through: • workgroup participation; • individual or group contribution of position papers or activity reports; • formal commentary; • participation in other product-oriented work identified by the WG. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

7. MembershipB. Responsibilities • Each representative is expected to fund his or her participation in the group. • Limited funding may be available for a small number of members to attend the annual meeting. • It is the member’s responsibility to notify the secretariat of the need for funding well in advance of the meeting. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

8. II. Organizational structure • Secretariat / Steering Committee • Composition and responsibilities • Workgroups • Composition and responsibilities • Meeting Host / Planning Committee • Composition and responsibilities 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

9. II. Organizational structureA. Secretariat / steering committee • Composition • Secretariat and steering committee positions are voluntary. • For now, the secretariat will be a standing position in order to facilitate continuity and consistency of communication. • Volunteers for the secretariat position will be accepted at this meeting and will be selected by the full WG membership. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

10. II. Organizational structureA. Secretariat / steering committee • Composition • The steering committee will include 7 representatives of member nations, including planning committee chairs (hosts) from the last 3 major meetings and representatives from each major geographical region of the world. • Steering committee members will be selected / replaced at the annual WG meeting by the full membership. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

11. II. Organizational structureA. Secretariat / steering committee • Composition • Steering committee members will serve 3-year terms with the option to complete a second term if committee members agree. • The steering committee will be a rotating body. No more than 3 members will be replaced yearly. The 1st committee selected will have terms varying from 1-3 years that will be assigned randomly upon selection. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

12. II. Organizational structureA. Secretariat / steering committee • Responsibilities of the executive secretariat • The secretariat serves as the central contact for communications with the full WG membership, will address external inquiries, and will maintain and regularly update the membership list. • The secretariat will maintain the WG website and will provide annual updates to the UNSD City Group website. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

13. II. Organizational structureA. Secretariat / steering committee • Responsibilities of secretariat • The secretariat will draft annual and interim reports to the UN statistical commission for approval by the steering committee. • Prior to each annual meeting, the secretariat will solicit volunteers to host the meeting for the next year. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

14. II. Organizational structureA. Secretariat / steering committee • Responsibilities of secretariat • The secretariat will be the point-of-contact for workgroups and will provide a semi-annual report of their progress to the steering committee. • The secretariat will maintain a list of opportunities for funding for members to attend annual meetings, along with a list of members requesting funding. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

15. II. Organizational structureA. Secretariat / steering committee • Responsibilities of steering committee • The steering committee will select the annual meeting hosts, sites, and dates, and will establish the planning group for each annual meeting of the WG. • The steering committee will approve interim and annual reports to the UN. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

16. II. Organizational structureA. Secretariat / steering committee • Responsibilities of steering committee • The steering committee will be advisory to workgroups to coordinate work between groups and provide recommendations about timeframe, form, and content of work products, etc. • Countries / organizations that provide funding for meeting attendance to WG members can select the recipients of the funds with input from the steering committee and information provided by the secretariat. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

17. II. Organizational structureB. Workgroups • Composition • Workgroup membership is voluntary. • Workgroups will be self-selected based on interest and expertise in the topical work of the group. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

18. II. Organizational structureB. Workgroups • Composition • Each workgroup will designate a leader as the primary contact for the workgroup and the secretariat. • Persons external to the WG with recognized expertise in one of the workgroup topics can be invited to participate on an ad hoc basis by the group leader. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

19. II. Organizational structureB. Workgroups • Formation and disbanding • Workgroups will be formed each time that a major work topic is identified and agreed upon at annual meetings. • When the specific task of the workgroup is completed, the group will disband and have the opportunity to participate in new topical areas. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

20. II. Organizational structureB. Workgroups • Responsibilities • Workgroups will be responsible for preparing and presenting position papers / activity reports at annual meetings on agreed upon topics. • Workgroup leaders will solicit comments on position papers / activity reports from the full WG membership via the secretariat. • Workgroup leaders will provide a brief, semi-annual report of progress to the secretariat. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

21. II. Organizational structureC. Meeting host / planning committee • Composition • The planning committee will be selected by the steering committee and will include the meeting host and leaders from the workgroups that will be participating in the meeting. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

22. II. Organizational structureC. Meeting host / planning committee • Responsibilities of the meeting host • The host will secure the meeting facilities. • The host will identify a meeting hotel or local hotels to assist WG membership with travel arrangements. • The host will provide a map of the local area, a list of local restaurants and attractions, and a list of transportation options to meeting participants. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

23. II. Organizational structureC. Meeting host / planning committee • Responsibilities of the meeting host • The host will collect, copy, and distribute materials for presentation and discussion at the meeting. • The host will moderate the meeting, provide introductory and summary statements, and will lead balloting. • The host will present the WG report at the annual UN Statistical Commission meeting in March. • If the host will not be attending the meeting, they will be responsible for designating another WG member to present the report. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

24. II. Organizational structureC. Meeting host / planning committee • Joint responsibilities • The planning committee and host will plan the meeting agenda and schedule, and assist in identifying potential commentators for scheduled presentations. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

25. III. Operating principlesA. Content of annual meetings • Annual meetings will be organized around topical position papers and activity reports prepared by small workgroups. • Papers will include discrete “next steps” with a plan and timeline for accomplishing those steps. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

26. III. Operating principlesA. Content of annual meetings • Major work topics will emanate from work presented at annual meetings. • WG members may suggest work topics that are related to WG objectives with deliverable outcomes. • Major work topics for future years will be identified at annual meetings. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

27. III. Operating principlesA. Content of annual meetings • At annual meetings, workgroups will be designated around work topics. • The secretariat and steering committee members will be selected. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

28. III. Operating principlesB. Meeting schedule • The WG will meet annually, in advance of the deadline for the report to the annual UN Statistical Commission meeting in March. • The report deadline is the preceding November. • Before each annual meeting, the secretariat will solicit volunteers to be potential meeting hosts for the following annual meeting. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

29. III. Operating principlesC. Communication • The primary means of communication will be through the WG website. • The membership list will be updated through annual email correspondence with WG members to determine who would like to continue to be involved. • Workgroup leaders will be responsible for communication among the workgroup members and with the secretariat. 3rd WG meeting, Brussels

30. Commentaries 3rd WG meeting, Brussels