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Consultation and Participation - NGOs - Global policy Forum Consultation and Participation
By Jenny Ross
BOND
October 2002
In November 1998 the Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector signed up to the Compact - 'Getting it right together'. The Compact acknowledges the contribution of the voluntary sector and the added value for Government and civil society organisations in working in partnership towards common aims and objectives. In signing up to the Compact, the Government and the sector made a commitment to core principles and to draw up and implement codes of good practice including guidelines on consultation and policy appraisal, published in May 2000.
But, four years since the introduction of the Compact, many civil society organisations working in international development and many Government officials are still unaware of the principles that are supposed to be guiding their relationship. Jenny Ross, BOND’s Advocacy Officer outlines the principles of good consultation.
As with the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) processes in developing countries the application of the Compact has depended very much on political will. Lack of clarity about expectations of the process of engagement and a failure to uphold the principles of the compact can affect the relationship profoundly.
Poor consultation practice can lead to the perception that the concerns of civil society organisations are being excluded or ignored in the policy making process. The value of effective consultation is recognised in the code of practice: it
· enables others to contribute to the policy making process;
· symbolises Government's commitment to be open and accountable;
· leads to more realistic and robust policy that better reflects people's needs and wishes;
· can create a working partnership and mutual understanding with those consulted;
· identifies problems quickly enabling matters to be put right before they escalate.
Consultation practice in relation to international development issues remains inconsistent - lack of transparency creating the perception that input and consultation is valued when both sides agree but where there is no shared analysis organisations will be called to meetings to be informed about Government policy, particularly in relation to international trade policy.
Government Departments and individual officials have legitimate concerns about the burden that a constant process of structured consultation would have, but better consultation doesn't necessarily mean more consultation. For example, if meetings are called at the last minute, civil society organisations cannot consult their stakeholders and cannot coordinate their responses. If the same organisations are 'chosen' to be consulted all the time, Government Departments may not be hearing an accurate reflection of the concerns of civil society.
BONDs advice on effective consultation outlined on DFIDs intranet, includes the following consultation practice recommendations:
· Clarity about terms of reference Both parties need to be clear about what the consultation is about, what form the process will take and what difference CSO input might make to the process.
· Joint ownership of the process This can be achieved by agreement between DFID and CSOs about how the process should work and by working to develop a common understanding of terms used.
· Independence from funding relationships Funding relationships have a distorting influence on open and honest dialogue. This does not mean that consultation is not possible if a funding relationship also exists; but it must be made clear that funding is not dependent on what is said in a consultation meeting.
· Allocation of sufficient time There should be sufficient time for meaningful consultation. On many topics, UK NGOs need time to consult their southern partners and others - consulting through a network may require time.
· Clear documents Papers from Government Departments (including the terms of reference) should be in clear and appropriate language. Where necessary there should be shorter versions and translations of consultation documents, and careful consideration of whether concepts are shared North to South or whether they risk being misunderstood.
· Feedback Any consultation process must have a mechanism for explaining where input from civil society has made a difference, and if not, why the views or ideas put forward were not accepted.
· Structure for ongoing consultation mechanisms The structure needs to be clear as to the regularity and frequency of meetings. There should also be room for flexibility and regular evaluation as to whether the structure meets the needs of both parties.
· Wide circulation A wide range of organisations should be invited to consultations, using the sectors networks.
· Rich consultations Consultations tend to be much richer if the participants on both sides of the dialogue already have an established relationship. Regular dialogue develops mutual understanding, and makes contributions to discussions more pertinent.
The key to maintaining a healthy relationship remains clarity and transparency in consultation practice and a genuine commitment to policy dialogue, with discussions in areas where Government and the sector disagree as well as where they agree.
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