In June, July, and September, 2006, the GDP will host three “E-dialogues
on Dialogue,” to explore challenges and opportunities in the use
of dialogue to bring about societal change. Information on the dialogues
will be posted on the GDP website as they take place.
Four
organizations: the GDP, the
National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD); the Division
for Social Policy and Development of the United Nations Department of Economic
and Social Affairs (UNDESA) ; the Democratic Dialogue
Project of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) are sponsoring
the E-dialogues. The E-dialogues will provide a unique opportunity for
participating practitioners to establish connections with peers across
the diverse and widely dispersed networks represented by the four sponsoring
organizations.
There will be three consecutive E-dialogue sessions, on different topics,
each running for about three weeks. Each session will launch with a teleconference
in which a subset of the E-dialogue participants will discuss a specific
case focused on the session topic. Key points from that discussion,
along with the case material, will help to provide seed ideas for the E-dialogue. A
moderator will help to keep the sessions lively and focused, provide a
weekly overview during each session, and produce a report at the end.
The three topics are the following:
- Dealing with power imbalances (June 19-July7). The
goal of inclusiveness often creates situations in which dialogue groups
mirror the structural imbalances in power within the stakeholder system. This
is a common pattern, for example, in dialogues on global issues that
bring together actors across sectors and from different regions of the
world, having very uneven access to resources or influence within the
global system. We launched this E-dialogue with a case provided
by Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, executive director of the International
Center for Trade and Sustainable Development, an organization that organizes
and runs regional dialogues on trade issues, linked to negotiations within
the WTO. “We struggle with this on a daily basis,” says Meléndez.
- Assessing the impact of dialogue processes (July 12-August
2, tentative). How do we show
that dialogue “works?” Making the case for the
use of dialogue to address societal challenges requires marshalling
evidence of its effectiveness in different contexts. This E-dialogue
will address key issues and challenges in this critical aspect of
dialogue work. We launched this E-dialogue with a case on Jamaica
by UNDP Program Advisor Marc-André Franche.
Read the case and the launch teleconference notes.
- Making dialogue accessible to the skeptical, reluctant,
or unconvinced (September 11-29, tentative). Another
key challenge for the field is to get beyond “preaching to
the converted” in advocating for and organizing dialogues. This
means developing concepts and language that are inviting and convincing
to people who, for various reasons, may respond negatively to the
current framing and jargon of the field. This E-dialogue will
explore the various hurdles to be surmounted and create a space for
reflecting on how to do so.
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