Each BGD project includes a workshop to encourage interregional, intercultural, interdisclipinary, ideologically plural, and action-oriented discussion on the topic at hand. The Civil Society and Accountable Global Governance project convened its workshop on 13-15 June 2007 at the School of Global Studies of Gothenburg University in Sweden.

The 65 workshop participants from 28 countries included 12 authors, 22 discussants from civil society and official agencies, 15 chairs from academic and practitioner circles, and 16 other contributors, including activists and journalists from the city of Gothenburg itself.

The workshop proceedings began with an extended and searching discussion of accountability as it relates to global governance. Then a dozen sessions each addressed one of the draft case studies of civil society engagement of a particular global governance institution. In what has become the BGD programme model, it was the practitioner discussants rather than the researchers who presented the papers. General themes of civil society and accountability in global governance were revisited both in a 'taking stock' session midway through the dozen case studies and at the end of the workshop.

Participant feedback on the workshop through written questionnaires was highly positive. The event was felt to have been a strong learning experience for all invloved. The format of practitioner-researcher exchanges was found to be particularly innovative and helpful. The emphasis on discussion, based on an advance circulation of papers, was also appreciated. The main cricitism was of overload, as so much information and ideas were packed into two and a half days. Certain suggestions about the venue and process will also be taken forward to refine the approach in future Building Global Democracy workshops.

Participant comments included:

"I learned a lot; it was an excellent experience and an occasion for me to exchange ideas and to learn more about the topic and its challenges."

"It was very useful to have members of global governance institutions, civil society representatives and academics discussing the issues."

"Thank you for your wonderful hospitality and genuine engagement throughout."

"The workshop format was innovative and contributed to open and lively debate."