Dialogue in Pursuit of Development - Are you looking for one of ...

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parameters, which together should make up the joint understanding and
contract between the parties on policy-, program- or project level on how
to interact.
Both parties in an aid relationship bring a multitude of background variables
when they meet. These variables stems both from the development
agenda of the countries concerned but also from all kinds of other domestic
agendas such as domestic agricultural interests, trade interests, etc. Dialogue
in pursuit of development needs, therefore, to take into account the fact
that many other forces/interests than development co-operation influence
and drive development. What has become more evident during the 1990s
is that optimising the needs of development co-operation only, does not
suffice. Development takes place in a context – political, economic, social
and cultural. All these dimensions reinforce or create obstacles to change.
The parties might also have prepared themselves in different ways. On the
donor side the preparation can take the form of country analyses, sector strategies
and project/program documents for internal decisions. On the recipient
side it can take the form of development plans, annual budget discussions,
public expenditure reviews, poverty assessment programs etc. Good preparation
is important but can also be an impediment to compromise – a requirement,
shall the dialogue lead to a result acceptable to both parties. Real problems
arise if the parties are unequally much prepared. Many times the recipient
does not have as ample of resources for preparations as the donor.
An added problem in the aid relationship is the notion of aid being only
a relation between two parties – the donor and the recipient – which is a
simplification of a considerably more complex reality.
On both sides there is a wide range of actors who communicate with each
other at different levels and in ways that are not always clear and logical. In
the recipient country we find actors, they can be private or public, at four
different levels: the community, the district, the province/region and the
national level. They can be a community council or a women’s group, a
district and/or provincial council and at the national level a Ministry of External
Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Development Planning or any other line
ministry. On the donor side you will have an equally diverse set of actors,
such as consultants involved in studies or in implementation, the embassy
in the recipient country, the aid agency itself and the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs or a specialised Ministry of Development Co-operation (Carlsson
and Wohlgemuth, 2000).
The word dialogue in itself carries no message. In a dialogue severe criticism
can be brought forward, likewise there may be total agreement. Dialogue
is pursued in order to achieve changes. This dialogue must be based
on a number of values. These values relate to fundamental questions such as
mutual respect human rights, the equal right and value of every person,
democratic principles, a preference for equity and equality etc.
Having pointed out all the complications, it is supposed that dialogue