The partnership, hosted by the OECD, started in 2014 as a voluntary platform to share practices and identify areas to improve international rules and standards as critical pillars of international regulatory co-operation across countries. It has since then become increasingly relevant, with some 50 international organisations joining their efforts to improve the quality and relevance of international rules and standards. This initiative aims to foster peer learning among international organisations and their constituency to promote greater quality, effectiveness and impact of international rules, by focusing on the rule-making practices of international organisations.
In the past decades, the interconnectedness of countries and the integration of the world economy have increased drastically, partly due to the many technical revolutions of the past 30 years. The rapid flow of goods, services, people and finance across borders is not least testing the effectiveness and the capacity of domestic regulatory frameworks. In order to overcome the shortcomings of domestic regulatory measures, countries are increasingly co-ordinating their approaches to achieve shared public interest objectives at lower costs. The role of international organisations in supporting countries to set effective and relevant rules and standards and building a fair and inclusive international system is crucial.
The collective exercise led by the partnership seeks to develop a common understanding of international instruments and build greater confidence of domestic regulators and legislators in international rules and support greater uptake of good quality international instruments in national legislation, by working towards the development and implementation of transparent, evidence-based and inclusive international instruments. Since 2014, the partnership of international organisations has developed analytical work on the governance modalities and rule-making practices of international organisations, which led to the launch of a cross-cutting report on International regulatory co-operation: the role of international organisations in fostering better rules of globalisation, in November 2016. Through its annual meetings, evidence-based analysis, and broad network of international organisations and academics, the partnership offers a unique opportunity for peer learning and exchange to better tailor the specific needs of international organisations.
