From Political Won’t to Political Will: Building Support for Participatory Governance

1. From Political Won’t to Political Will:Building Support for Participatory Governance A presentation by Carmen Malena, CIVICUS at UNDP, New York, 13 April 2010

2. Why a book on building political will for participatory governance? • Growing consensus that governance is key and that good governance is participatory governance (PG). • Lack of political will is identified as a key obstacle (and remains largely unanalyzed and unaddressed). • Paying attention to issues of political will has critical operational implications.

3. The book analyzes a rich and diverse range of successful PG practices

4. Understanding political will • Political will can be defined simply as a credible intent to act. • Political will found to be critical to achieving real and sustainable impact. • Little guidance available on how to understand and address lack of political will.

5. Understanding Political WillThe book finds that political will…. • Depends on the three key elements of: • Political want • Political can • Political must • Is influenced by a range of factors at: • Individual level • Institutional level • Relational level • Societal level

6. A framework for analyzing political will

7. Some key reasons for “political won’t”

8. Key strategies for building “political will” • Political Want • Nurture constructive state-CSO relationships & mutual respect • Build on political self-interests • Political Must • Empower and mobilize citizens (pressure from below) • Influence top leadership (pressure from above) • Political Can • Capacity development (for all concerned stakeholders)

9. KEY MESSAGES To build political will, we must… • Adopt approaches that simultaneously address political want, can and must • Many current initiatives focus on only one of these elements • Important to create both incentives and sanctions, focus on establishing positive working relations but applying public pressure as necessary • Particular need to strengthen political want • Requires “balanced” approaches, creative coalitions and strategic thinking

10. KEY MESSAGES To build political will, we must… • 2. Focus on citizen/CS-state interface • Where are the spaces for productive interaction? • How are they created and managed? • Who participates? Who controls? • What are the terms of engagement? • Support is needed to enhance the quantity and quality of these interactions.

11. KEY MESSAGES To build political will, we must… • Build consensus (and skills) for the legitimate “political” role of civil society • Essential to establish a middle ground of “critical collaboration” between gov’t & CSOs • Requires professionalism and a shift from opposing to proposing on the part of CSOs • Evidence-based and grassroots-supported approaches are key

12. Political will does not just happen, we collectively make it happen….UNDP is uniquely well-placed to help governments of the world make the transition from “political won’t” to “political will”. So, over to you! THANK YOU