THE 'PREHISTORY' OF Social Watch

12 - The Foundation of Social Watch

Many nice ideas have seen the light, but few of those are actually implemented. Novib played a crucial role in enabling the actual foundation of Social Watch. By playing this role, it also created problems that contradicted the essence of the Watch.

The effectiveness of the 'Quality Benchmark' as a mobilising and influencing tool had been its shared ownership, in its creation jointly by many organisations over the Internet. The Benchmark was not associated with any-one particular organisation, or even one caucus. Each organisation could use it as its own tool for its own advocacy purposes in its own context.

The launch of the proposal to establish a Social Watch as a Novib initiative undermined an important principle of the original concept, that the instrument created should not be identified as a mechanism controlled by a single organisation. As the Benchmark, the idea had been that it should promote participation and plurality of views and methods of working.

12.1 - From Copenhagen to Beijing …

In Novib's view Social Watch should reflect the link established between Copenhagen and Beijing. During the Beijing conference a workshop was organised to further discuss the Social Watch initiative, and place it properly in the context of the 1995 UN Conference on Women.

12.2 - .. to Soesterberg …

In November 1995 Novib organised a meeting in Soesterberg with a number of the partners (the "reference group'" with which it had worked in the Social Summit process to discuss follow-up mechanisms. During this meeting Social Watch was formally established and ITeM was asked to propose mechanisms for implementing the initiative. ITeM was initially very hesitant to accept the request to host Social Watch.

ITeM finally accepted to facilitate a secretariat for Social Watch, which would facilitate the production of annual reports monitoring the implementation of the Social Summit. In Soesterberg provisionally a task force was mandated with ITeM as editor, Novib as secretariat, the Freedom for Debt Coalition, the Coordinator of the Beijing process for Latin America and the Caribbean and Third World Network Africa. A Northern American representative was later added as well. The role of Novib as a secretariat for Social Watch was not defined.

In order to make an impact at the first Commission on Social Development after the 1995 Summit a fast-track arrangement was agreed for a zero-issue of a Report of Social Watch to be prepared by early 1996.60 An unusual funding arrangement made this possible in which Novib generously provided the financial resources while the project proposal was being prepared by ITeM. By doing so Novib solidly ensured that the momentum in the founding of Social Watch was maintained. The trial issue was published in March 1996 and was divided into two sections. The first one introducing the idea of Social Watch and the second part included NGO reports from 13 countries.

It should also be noted that the appropriation by Novib of an idea that had naturally evolved of a process of co-operation among the NGOs in the Development Caucus almost destroyed the initiative. Novib assumed full responsibility over the Social Watch initiative and secured initial funding. This also appeared to be an obstacle to raise funds and participation from a much broader base - as the ownership was identified with Novib. Also in political terms participation from a broad base was initially hindered by Novib's political and practical hold on the project, and created difficulty for Social Watch to establish itself in its own right.

12.3 - ... to Montevideo...

ITeM agreed to the 'fast-track option' to produce a book in three months provided it was mandated with full editorial authority. The initial task force was transformed into a coordinating committee mandated with the political thrust of the project. The secretariat of Social Watch was moved to Montevideo, which facilitated the establishment of Social Watch and the publication of the reports. The reference group and coordinating committee met in 1996 to review the demo publication, to discuss the content of the next report and to decide on the organisational structure of Social Watch.

The project proposal setting out the Social Watch Programme of Action from 1996-1999 identifies that it was agreed that the coordinating committee would ensure the transparency of the initiative and define lobbying activities at the international level. This committee would be politically responsible for the edition of the report and would encourage national and regional contributions. It would foster the establishment of national NGO Committees within their regions, so that the reports could be jointly developed.

The task of the secretariat in Montevideo was mandated with the tasks to assist the coordinating committee, ensure communications, record activities, promote networking, compile the information and facilitate its analysis, publish the annual report and disseminate all relevant information about the follow-up of the Social Summit and the Beijing Conference.61

It was further agreed that national Social Watch platforms would become members of the "reference group", which could in this way develop with the evolvement of Social Watch. It was also agreed that the funding of the activities of the national coordinating committees and other reporting NGOs and networks would be their own responsibility, and not that of the Social Watch coordinating committee. The decision to publish their report in the context of Social Watch is made without the interference of any other benefits. The participation of national groups in Social Watch can, therefore, be seen as a measure of its 'added value' to national organisations.62

The 1996-1999 Programme defined the following objective:

"Social Watch aims to contribute to the social development and to the improvement of women's conditions by watching the fulfilment of the World Summit for Social Development and World Conference on Women Commitments. Since those commitments are not binding, Social Watch aims to strengthen citizen's movement at the local, national and international levels, promoting governmental accountability through an ongoing monitoring."63

More specifically Social Watch aimed to:

1) Publish annually a Social Watch Report;

2) Disseminate information on the commitments' follow-up;

3) Promote lobby and advocacy activities at the national, regional and international levels, fostering Social Watch national coordinations, strengthening networking and participating in different follow-up events.

12.4. .. to Cyberspace

Social Watch has created a global network in which social development can be monitored from day to day, and changes and updates can be provided in an interactive process at any moment in time. It has established a new way of relating to international negotiations and diplomatic processes. It does not exist in any particular place, it is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Most importantly it has established a process in which the local actuality and the international reality are connected in a very real sense. Hence Social Watch is as good as its network, as good as its ability to engender communications between any people - wherever they are, interested in promoting social development.