In development cooperation, it has become very fashionable these days to speak of participation. But what do we at MISEREOR mean when we talk about 'participation'? Participation by whom?

We use the term 'participation' in a specific sense. What we mean is the kind of participation by the poor and disadvantaged that has to be first negotiated and fought for, and then defended, not only in dialogue between state and civil society actors, but also in the context of the complex interplay of different economic and political interests, and international frameworks. How this process can be best managed varies from country to country. We would be interested to hear more about your experiences in this context, so that we can incorporate the lessons you have learned into our own learning processes for our work both in the South, and here in Germany. Because while placing participation high on the agenda may be one thing, implementing it effectively is another. This results from the fact that, to date, it has largely been those in power who have dictated whether and how the poor participate. Therefore, our aim should not be to create new playing fields or 'islands of participation', but to pursue effective democratisation and poverty reduction. And finally we also need to address the issue of what we – meaning MISEREOR and our partners in the South – ought to be improving ourselves, both in our cooperation, and within our respective organisations.

For MISEREOR and our partners in the South, promoting civil society participation is an exciting learning curve. Through this weblog (among other platforms), MISEREOR would therefore like to create a forum for continuous dialogue in partnership. We would be interested to discover which approaches prove particularly promising in which situations. We would like to know whether the existing range of promotion instruments is sufficient and appropriate, or whether new instruments need to be developed. Finally, it is also important to us that MISEREOR and its partners be perceived as more credible promoters of participation. Would it for instance be conceivable and desirable that partners participate more actively in MISEREOR's decision-making processes? Can this participation be strengthened, where are the limits? And how much value is attached to participation within our partners' structures?

The remarks on participation contained in these pages should therefore not be seen as MISEREOR's final position on the topic, but rather as a reflection of the current state of an ongoing debate. MISEREOR's in-house thematic group on participation are interested in exploring further the issues raised, and would therefore be delighted to receive feedback of any kind, including helpful suggestions and constructive criticism.

Contact

Dr. Ulrich Dornberg