When we at MISEREOR speak of participation, we mean the options for participation by the poor. Decisions that affect the poor should not be taken above their heads. The poor should rather be given opportunities to articulate their interests, and to share in the shaping of the decision-making processes concerned.

These decision-making processes may involve direct material interests of the poor (land issues, protection against displacement for slum-dwellers, health care, schools and education), and may be manifested at various levels (municipal policy, regional development planning, budget distribution etc.). Participation (as understood in the context of a broader notion of poverty) is thus part of the efforts made by poor sections of the population to realise their economic, social and cultural human rights. Conversely, though, it is also part of their efforts to realise and protect their political and civil human rights. Because the better the nutritional, health and educational status of the poor population in a country, and the higher their degree of self-organisation, the more participation can flourish. A large proportion of the projects supported by MISEREOR are therefore (even though this is not always expressed explicitly) relevant to improving the scope for participation by the poor. We believe it is especially important to better document the effectiveness of these links between civil society participation and sustainable improvement of the concrete life situation of poor population groups.

Contact

Claudio Moser