Democratic dialogue

"This Handbook, sponsored jointly by International IDEA, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), offers a comprehensive overview of the use of dialogue processes to address societal challenges in an inclusive, democratic way that engages a broad range of actors in bringing about positive change. It is addressed to people actively or potentially engaged in doing dialogue work--organizing, sponsoring, promoting, or facilitating dialogue processes within their institutions and societies. Most importantly, it is thoroughly grounded in the experience of dialogue practitioners from around the world. The Handbook provides a conceptual framework that speaks to critical questions: 'Why dialogue?', 'What is dialogue?' and 'How does dialogue contribute to positive change?'. It offers a detailed guide to putting these concepts into practice, offering practical guidance and concrete examples from the field for each step: exploring whether a dialogue process is appropriate in the context; designing and then implementing a dialogue process; and conducting a meaningful process of monitoring and evaluation throughout. A third major part of the book anchors all of this information in the reality of three fully developed case studies showing different approaches in different regions--Latin America, Africa and Asia. In two appendices, the Handbook also provides a comparative overview of more than 30 cases and a guide to the rich array of dialogue processes and process tools that practitioners can consider for use, or just for inspiration."--P. 4 of cover.

The handbook is the result of a joint initiative (Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the Organization of American States, CIDA and UNDP) to provide decision-makers and practitioners with a practical guide on how to design, facilitate and implement dialogue processes.