Home Introduction Our Work Who We Are Glossary Links Contact Us	Accountability. An organisation can be considered accountable when it accounts to its stakeholders regarding material issues (transparency), responds to stakeholders regarding these issues (responsiveness) on an ongoing basis, and complies with standards to which it is voluntarily committed, and with rules and regulations that it must comply with for statutory reasons (compliance) (AccountAbility et al, 2005, p135). Brokering partnerships means facilitating the development of concrete collaborations between different organisations, often from various stakeholder groups. In the context of sustainable development, partnerships have been hailed as an important tool for implementing international agreements on environment and development issues. Brokering partnerships is increasingly recognized as a crucial skill, and is often described as an 'art' as much as a 'science'. Civil Society is a term that is debated as much as it is used. It can be defined as 1) a state of society: based on the concept of responsible freedom of individuals, a civil society is characterised by openness and by diversity of expression which ranges from the small and individualised to the large and aggregated; or 2) a space in (or part of ) society: the place where a range of groups, associations, clubs, guilds, syndicates, federations, unions and parties come together, providing a buffer between state and citizen. Corporate Governance procedures and structures are manifesting the corporate response to expectations, demands and potential contributions from stakeholders. "Corporate Governance is concerned with holding the balance between economic and social goals and between individual and communal goals. The corporate governance framework is there to encourage the efficient use of resources and equally to require accountability for the stewardship of those resources. The aim is to align as nearly as possible the interests of individuals, corporations and society" (Sir Adrian Cadbury in 'Global Corporate Governance Forum', World Bank, 2000). "The corporate governance framework should recognise the rights of stakeholders established by law or through mutual agreements and encourage active co-operation between corporations and stakeholders in creating wealth, jobs, and the sustainability of financially sound enterprises" (OECD Principles of Corporate Governance, 2004, p21). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), or Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility (CSER), is a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interactions with their stakeholders. Other terms used to refer to the same or similar concepts include Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Responsibility. Non-government Organisations (NGOs) are self-organised entities of people who care about certain issues and join forces to achieve desired changes. The NGO sector is very heterogeneous in most societies. NGOs vary in size (from a few people to several thousand), work on different issues (human rights, peace, environment, sustainable development, governance, women's rights, etc), and at different levels (local, national, international). NGOs focus on different areas of work such as research, policy, implementation and their combinations. Many governments support their work and coordinate activities through and with NGOs. NGOs operate various models of financing, membership and governance. Stakeholders are those who have an interest in a particular decision, either as individuals or representatives of a group. This includes people who influence a decision, or can influence it, as well as those affected by it (Hemmati, M 2002, Earthscan, London, p4). Healthy societies display an effective mix of regulatory bodies, small, medium and large businesses and a range of civil society organisations. It is important to recognize the diversity within these sectors. For example, civil society includes human rights activists, environmental groups, women's rights networks, indigenous peoples lobbyists, and others who do not always share opinions and interests. Companies tend to perceive "stakeholders" as external, i.e. as groups and organisations outside the company. However, most corporations also include a variety of internal stakeholders, e.g. differentdepartments, regions and countries, functions and hierarchical levels. When considering "stakeholder engagement", it is important to keep in mind that stakeholders can be internal as well as external to the company. Stakeholder dynamics embraces the interplay between an organisation's stakeholders, reflecting the pressures, influence and power relationships at any one time as well as the extent and speed of change in any of these factors. Stakeholder engagement refers to a variety of ways in which a company can interact with its stakeholders. The term is mostly used to describe interaction with external stakeholders. Sustainable Development, as defined by the Brundtland Commission in the 1980s, means development that allows to "meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". A Tripartite, or Tri-Sector Approach divides societies into three distinct sectors: government, business (private sector) and civil society. The concept is often used in debates on participation in decision-making. Drawbacks include the fact that the wide variety of civil society is 'squeezed' into one 'sector', which makes it difficult to represent the diversity of interests. In addition, business is implicitly labelled "non-civil".