Governance Briefing — May 18, 2021
OECD member countries adopted a refreshed Recommendation on Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying and Influence, widening disclosure expectations for policymakers, public bodies, and interest representatives.
Executive briefing: On 18 May 2021 the OECD Council adopted the Recommendation on Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying and Influence. The instrument updates the 2010 standard to address indirect influence, third-party advocacy, and digital campaigning, providing governments with governance benchmarks for managing lobbying risks.
Key governance signals
- Broader coverage. The recommendation extends integrity safeguards to advisory boards, public-private partnerships, and outsourced policy research, prompting public bodies to document engagement with consultants and nonprofits.
- Disclosure expectations. Governments are encouraged to require timely publication of lobbying activities, beneficiaries, and financial outlays, creating comparable registers across sectors.
- Enforcement and oversight. The standard calls for independent monitoring mechanisms, sanctions, and regular evaluations of lobbying regimes, driving audit committees to map compliance controls.
Action checklist
- Assess lobbying registers, conflicts-of-interest policies, and whistleblowing channels against OECD integrity criteria.
- Document oversight roles for audit, ethics, or governance committees covering government relations, trade associations, and nonprofit advocacy spend.
- Implement monitoring dashboards capturing lobbying engagements, consultants, and post-employment restrictions for public officials.
Sources
- OECD Recommendation on Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying and Influence
- OECD lobbying and influence resource centre
Zeph Tech works with public bodies, state-owned enterprises, and nonprofits to operationalise lobbying transparency dashboards aligned with the 2021 OECD recommendation.