As we approach the third UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, it is now firmly on the annual calendar of events for many corporations, governments and civil society organizations.  One of the biggest difficulties in arranging large gatherings designed to generate maximum interaction is the development of easy means of communication, awareness raising, and sharing of ideas.

At ESCR-Net, we have struggled with this on a smaller scale through the running of our annual Peoples’ Forum on Human Rights and Business - this year co-hosted with Dejusticia (ESCR-Net member) in Bogotá, Colombia in October. We wanted to foster dialogue between as many groups as possible at any one time, including those who interact remotely from their home country. To facilitate this we developed easy methods for anyone anywhere to follow and participate in the interactive online dialogues.  

In 2013, we started #UNForumWatch and piloted these methods at the second UN Forum on Business and Human Rights with great success. #UNForumWatch established an online space where those not present at the Forum could stay informed of the proceedings (including side-events) in Geneva in real time. It also allowed those present to track discussions in parallel side-events and to present alternate points of view. We did this through a website which allowed anyone to quickly post blogs and events, and through the #UNForumWatch twitter hashtag.

The increasing capacity to harness social media in conferences has heightened the expectations and demands that attendees of gatherings have for these events to generate ever greater interaction and value. At the same time, the capacity to harness social media to be more interactive in conferences has also upturned the earlier models of binary communication flows which has hitherto been the norm at large gatherings.  Where historically participants would sit passively listening while experts and leaders presented to them, social media can elevate the status of the average participant, such that all involved – presenters and participants, in person and online – possess the agency to actively contribute to the discussions, shaping the outcome of the debates

#UNForumWatch is back for the third annual Forum and we hope to build on the success of last year. We are looking forward to live updates, insightful commentaries, and increased collaboration.

So please make the most of #UNForumWatch to tweet, post and publish responsibly, while enjoying sharing and debating the views and wisdom of others throughout this year’s UN Forum – wherever you may be!