Governments can provide the framework in the form of intergovernmental arenas but it is the social actors who give it life, relevance and dynamism. The main actors are the NGOs, the business community, the academic community and the labour movement. It is only when the organisations of civil society begin to work together, communicate with one another that the processes of integration and co-operation will actually begin to work. Official meetings can sometimes get bogged down in procedural matters with the risk of losing sight of the bigger picture. It is true that social sector concerns don't fall within the ambit of the ACS Work Programme directly, but many aspects of the work programme have social implications.
Examples are trade, tourism and the management of natural disasters.