Ifda dossier 47, May/June 1985

5. It is open to those who wish to join in partnership.
6. Emphasis is on partnership, not membership. It is a network of indi-
viduals and small groups which remain autonomous in themselves.
7. It is participatory and democratic; it is against domination of any
one group.
8. It is people-oriented and people-based, especially among the poor.
9. It promotes "living structures", or organizations rooted in people
and responsive to their needs.
10. Its approach is personal and long-termed.
11. It reaches decisions by consensus.
One of CENDHRRA's unique characteristics is that partners deal more on
the level of person-to-person relationships. On this matter, an issue
was raised: Instead of relating on a purely personal basis, should
CENDHRRA not try to elevate this bond to the level of common issues and
goals to which partners can address and commit themselves? That CENDHRRA
does not link up institutions as such may have disadvantages, like slow-
ing down its work or limiting its resources base, but on the other hand,
the person-to-person linkage is an important means for catalytic action
in any institution in which this person is found.
ON THE ROLE OF CENDHRRA SECRETIATE
It must first be clarified that the CENDHRRA Secretariate was never con-
ceived to be an "umbrella" or superstructure coordinating the DHRRA
national or country committees. Its functions, in fact, could be assumed
by any one of the country DHRRAs, and phased out. But the Secretariate
serves as service arm. The CENDHRRA Secretariate has been likened to the
"hub" of a wheel, servicing the different DHRRAs, bringing about their
unity and solidarity (as was its mandate when it was established). The
DHRRAs, as the "spokes", connect to the Center, and their communication
system holds the "rim". Together, this CENDHRRA Wheel - in one piece -
moves in a certain direction of human development.
The Secretariate has two main priority functions: (1) to service the
DHRRAs and their local partners, and (2) to help set up an Asian inte-
grated information system. These two tasks are interrelated, and mutally
supportive and dependent. Information from the DHRRAs and their partners
could be fed into and analyzed within the information system, and this
information could in turn provide the data needs of the various DHRKAs
and other groups as well. All the other routing tasks, such as publica-
tions, arranging for workshops, seminars, funding, linkage work, docu-
mentation, come as a consequence of the two above functions.
There are two other tasks on the network level, or joint action pro-
grammes, that blend the two above functions. The first is that of the
Special Project, wherein the different country DHRRAs select a
particular project (e.g. cooperatives, rice banks) as the subject of a
special study. Progress of such project would be monitored and docu-
mented by the Secretariate and respective country DHRRA, to pave the way
for an evaluation/analysis of the development process related to this
project. These special projects could then serve as practical models for
others along the same line.