Oxfam International was welcomed as a new participant, and the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) as a new observer to the process. Human Rights First rejoined the process.
During the session, the Information Working Group was recast as the Communications Working Group, as its mandate was expanded to include outreach to potential participants and to champions of the process.
The Communications Working Group presented a report highlighting the findings of two surveys it had conducted -- one on the successes of and challenges for companies implementing the Voluntary Principles, and the other on in-country implementation efforts. The 5-year review of company implementation efforts detailed company perceptions, successes, lessons learned and challenges associated with implementing the Voluntary Principles over the initiative's initial years of existence.
A series of proposals drafted by the Governance Working Group framed discussions on the governance of the Voluntary Principles process. The proposals addressed the overall aim of governance reform and set out specific changes to the current arrangements.
The composition of the Steering Committee for 2006 was set, consisting of International Alert, Human Rights Watch, Newmont Mining, Statoil, the governments of the UK and the Netherlands. The US government will host the plenary in 2007, and will therefore also take part as necessary.