CONCORD Europe Policy Forum - PDF document

1 CONCORD Europe Policy Forum – Term
CONCORD Europe Policy Forum – Terms of Reference Background T he decision to re - establish the Policy Forum was one of the o utcomes of CONCORD Europe ’s Mid - Term Review (MTR) of its Strategy. For a period of 3 years , the Policy Forum was replaced by the Policy Direction Committee . H owever , during the MTR consultations , members of the C onfederation expressed strong preference for the Policy Forum format. Purpose The aim of Policy Forum (PoFo) is to discu ss and shar e poli cy intelligence and to coordinat e CONCORD’s policy work in order to effectively advise and support CONCORD ’s membership and management . It should act as a space for information exchange between CONCORD work streams and communities of practice , i ncluding projects such as the Presidency Project, to ensure that all members are aware of the work being done across CONCORD structures . The PoFo should create links between different working structures as well as enhancing consistency and coherence betwee n policy areas. Scope • S hare information and intelligence amongst the membership of the Policy Forum, represented by the National Platforms and the Networks as well as the representatives of CONCORD w orkstreams and c ommunities of p ractice . • P rovide an over view of CONCORD ’s policy engagement and ensure that the non - Brussels - based members in particular are able to follow the complex policy agendas pursued across the Confederation. • E nsure coordination and synergy of policy work and support coherence of policy positions across CONCORD. • E nhance CONCORD’s capacity to articulate policies and boost its political profile. • P ropose and coordinate joint actions carried out at national and Brussels level . • Enable policy and advocacy monitoring, impact assessment and learning. Composition Policy Forum members include representatives of all National Platforms, Networks, CONCORD w orkstreams and c ommunities of p ractice as well as members not eng aged in any of the working

2 structures and communities. The member
structures and communities. The members attend the Policy Forum meetings as fully mandated representatives of their respective constituency. P articipation is limited to one representative from each National Platform and from each Network and one representative of the leading groups of CONCORD ’s working structures. Members of PoFo must be able to follow this structure in a regular manner, to dedicate time to it and to engage in the processes. Members are responsible for preparing themselves for the Policy Forum meetings and for ensuring that their constituencies are duly consulted and kept informed of the work in the Policy Forum. Ways o f Working The Policy Forum will hold at least 1 meeting per year (Spring or Autumn). The m eeting will normally last one full day, but may be held back - to - back with an additional half - day of in - depth discussion on a topic or a half - day capacity - building session, to be decided on an ‘as n eeded' basis. Members of the Policy Forum may be asked to complete preparatory questionnaires before the Policy Forum in order to share political intelligence/information External experts and policy - makers may be invited to the Policy Forum to give pres entations on specific topics to complement the expertise within the Confederation. Decision - making: w he n issues are included on the agenda for which decision s need to be made, or processes to be finalised, members will be expected to have already conduct ed a consultation process prior to the Policy Forum meeting. Role of CONCORD Secretariat CONCORD Secretariat’s Head of Policy and Advocacy will designate a contact person who will: ● Coordinate and facilitate the work of the Policy Forum ● Be the contact for chairs for logistical, financial and communication aspects of the Policy Forum ● Update the extranet page of the group , including the registration form for meetings, documents, calendars and briefings ● Monitor member s’ participation in Policy Foru m activities