As indicated in the Secretary-General's report (A/58/351), the Panel of Eminent persons on United Nations Relations with Civil Society was established in February 2003 under the Chairmanship of former President of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardos, “to formulate recommendations on how to enhance the interaction between the Organization and civil society.” (para.50) The panel, whose task is “to review existing guidelines, decisions and practices regarding civil society organizations' access to and participation in United Nations deliberations and processes; to identify best practices in the United Nations system and in other international organizations; to examine how participation of civil society actors from developing countries can be facilitated; and to review how the Secretariat is organized to facilitate, manage, share experiences and evaluate the United Nations relationship with civil society and to share experiences in this regard” (para.
Comme le Secrétaire général l'indique dans son rapport (A/58/351), le Groupe de personnalités éminentes sur les relations entre l'ONU et la société civile a été constitué en février 2003 et placé sous la présidence de l'ancien Président du Brésil, M. Fernando Henrique Cardoso.