Download available
Download available
Download available
Download available
Download available
This paper summarises Save the Children UK's experience in facilitating children and young people's participation in PRSP (Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers) processes, highlighting in particular the experiences of Vietnam and Honduras, and drawing on insights from Lesotho, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the work of a Guyanese NGO. It discusses the effectiveness of a range of approaches, highlights challenges, outlines learning points, and raises questions about the impact and cost-benefit trade-off of children and young people's participation in PRSPs. It explores the difficulties and challenges of involving children, and argues that children and young people can make a significant contribution to developing effective strategies to tackle poverty within PRSP processes. Some lessons learnt include: Children and young people need to be well informed about the opportunities for influencing PRSPs, the challenges, the process, its aims, their role, the time required, the channels of decision-making and the context of PRSPs; Effective participation takes considerable time; Feedback needs to be given to the children involved; The most marginalised children need to be included; Consideration needs to be given to compensating children for the cost of their involvement; Adults should be involved too, such as local decision-makers, family members, teachers etc.; Partnerships need to be developed to share expertise; International organisations should work with indigenous civil society organisations, or local officials, on participatory initiatives to increase their access to PRSP decision-making processes, rather than undercutting their role.
Download available
This report presents preliminary findings and recommendations from research on natural resources in decentralisation efforts around the world. The findings derive from WRI's (World Resources Institute) Accountability, Decentralisation, and Environment Comparative Research Project in Africa, and cases presented at the WRI-organised Conference on Decentralisation and Environment in Bellagio, Italy in February 2002. The Africa-wide research project conducted field studies in Cameroon, Mali, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe in 2000 and 2001. The papers presented were based on WRI's African research project, WRI's Resources Policy Support Initiative in South East Asia, plus case studies from Bolivia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Thailand. This report evaluates the degree to which natural resource decentralisations have taken place and their measurable social and environmental outcomes. Most of the cases focus on forestry, while a few explore wildlife and water management. The report highlights key issues within natural resource management and democratic decentralisation. The main recommendations from the report are: work with democratic local institutions as a first priority; transfer sufficient and appropriate powers; transfer powers as secure rights; support equity and justice; establish minimum environmental standards; establish fair and accessible adjudication; support local civic education; give decentralisation time; and develop indicators for monitoring and evaluating decentralisation and its outcomes.
Download available
Download available
This paper surveys public participation policies across a range of international institutions and environmental agreements to better understand whether opportunities exist for meaningful participation in international decisions that affect the environment. It examines the implementation of Principle 10 in the Rio Declaration, supported by the Aarhus convention which details measures countries must take to ensure that citizens have access to information, participation, and justice in decisions that affect the environment. It looks specifically on how Multilateral Development Banks, Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and trade regimes and regional economic bodies have lived up to these goals. Co-produced by WRIÆs (World Resources Institute) International Financial Flows and the Environment Program (IFFE) and The Access Initiative (TAI), the survey concludes that: Policies on public participation are quickly becoming the norm; Public participation at the national level is uniformly weak; domestic stakeholders have limited ability to influence international decisions that affect their environment; Institutions and agreements subject to the greatest public scrutiny have the most advanced public participation policy frameworks; A common methodology is needed to assess the implementation and practice of public participation. This analysis provides the reader with an overview of where multilateral institutions are contributing to the development of effective public participation, and the extent to which opportunities exist in domestic and international political spheres for affected parties and the interested public to incorporate sustainability concerns in multilateral decision-making processes.
Download available
This publication has been produced to improve the chances of success of Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) by showing policy makers how strategic communication can help them achieve their objectives and by giving technocrats and officials guidance on best practices and lessons learnt from a community of practice spread around the world. Strategic communications is the active seeking of the perspectives and contributions of citizens so that they can help to shape policy. It also means ensuring that mechanisms are in place for a two-way flow of information and ideas between the government and citizens to contribute to building support for the national development strategy. Some of the main issues confronting strategic communications include: lack of information about strategies; lack of trust and confidence about the process; so-called participatory exercises are still too often mere public information campaigns; and too often the communications processes come to an end once the PRSP is finalised. The report is structured into four main parts: strategic communication in PRSPs: an overview; country case studies (Ghana, Moldova, Tanzania) and lessons learnt; short case studies (Bolivia, Cambodia, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan and Rwanda); and Appendices of additional material.
Download available
This guide looks at why addressing men and women's different life experiences is an essential part of any participatory work. It is based on an actual gendered participatory appraisal in Wales, UK, and takes the reader through a process that is gendered throughoutùthat is, it takes account of the different perspectives of men and women. It offers a range of tools, and explains how to analyse and collate qualitative information with a gender perspective. The guide is divided into 6 main sections: introduction; what is participatory appraisal?; a section outlining the different stages of participatory appraisal; a "tools" section describing specific activities and methods; lessons learned; and suggestions for further reading.
Download available
This publication documents Reflect experiences in two countries: Nigeria (where a range of projects are supported by ActionAid Nigeria) and South Africa (where a specific project is implemented by Idasa, the Institute for Democracy and South Africaùa national NGO which receives no funding from ActionAid). These experiences were chosen because of their focus on issues of rights and governance. Both experiences contain rich learning, targeting three main audiences: Reflect practitioners, ActionAid staff and partners, and other people engaging with grassroots activists in working to influence governance and rights issues at a national and local level. The report is structured into four main sections: an introduction looking at Reflect, governance, and connections between governance and rights; the Nigeria experiences; the South Africa experience; and a concluding section that looks at key issues in Reflect, rights and governance.
Download available
Download available
This report looks at participatory appraisal (PA) methodology that is designed to involve people, particularly from communities that are socially excluded, in decisions that affect their lives. PA was originally developed with rural communities overseas, and has only recently started being used in the UK. This report summarises the findings from an evaluation of the use PA in a series of workshops looking at health issues in Scotland. It also introduces PA and looks at what it is, is not, and what it can achieve. Taking examples from the projects themselves, and using the voices of those involved in the processes, the report demonstrates how PA can be used in community and agency decision-making. It also shows what is learned by the community, by the organisations involved, and by decision-makers. The report is grouped into 9 key areas: Scotland, health and poverty; introduction; what is participatory appraisal; PA in action in an urban setting; what difference does PA make; good practiceùit is didn't work, then it wasn't PA; ways forward; useful contacts; and a checklist for communities, organisations and decision-makers.
Download available
Based on experiences in Walsall, UK, this report looks at participatory appraisal (PA) as a way of working with communities to involve them in decision-making. No two PAs are ever the sameùthe approach is ever-changing as people adapt its tools to their different situations in education, or health, or working with young people. Since PA was first used in a small project working with young people in 1997, it has become the basis for a network of 40 partners in Walsall. This network, the Walsall Participatory Appraisal Network, is the focus of this report, which examines where and why people in so many different walks of life have found PA useful. It also looks at how PA has contributed to local strategic partnerships and development. The report is divided into nine sections: taking a risk, why PA in Walsall; What is participatory appraisal; the Walsall context; the Walsall PA Network; Using PA in the Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership; the impact of PA work; what made the Walsall PA Network work; conclusions and recommendations; and further reading and contact information.
Download available
This resource pack is designed for anyone interested in poverty reduction in a context characterised by inequality and exclusion. DFID has focused on the political dynamics of poverty in Peru in order to address the underlying causes of inequality and exclusion. This has meant engaging with political processes, supporting new spaces for dialogue and participation, and working with and building alliances between state, society and the international community. This resource pack includes a book of reflections from DFID, its partners and other local and international voices highlighting lessons and key issues; a DVD looking at DFIDÆs work to strengthen accountability, build citizenship and institutionalise rights in Peru; and a CD-ROM containing a selection of material on DFIDÆs experience such as the book, a series of papers prepared for DFID on state-society relations, and key corporate documents e.g. DFIDÆs target strategy papers. Some of the main recommendations raised include issues for donors, such as addressing poor people as citizens with rights and responsibilities as a key means of tackling inequality and exclusion; working systematically with both the state and wider society to achieve more inclusive development; investing in alliances between those individuals and institutions that are committed to pro-poor reform; and acting openly, transparently and accountably in tackling this more political agenda.