Growing the Wealth of the Poor - World Resources Institute

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S : A D V A N C I N G E N T E R P R I S E A N D R E S I L I E N C E4. Facilitate Community Participation.Participatory processes have well-known benefits but requireresources and support in order to bring maximum benefitsand inclusion. In providing this support, an important goal isto change the power dynamics of participation so that theinterests of the poor are adequately represented—an evolutionthat is both challenging and bound to be gradual.■ Provide technical support for communityresource appraisals. This can include mapping andwork on geographic information systems, as well as government-or donor-led training in monitoring protocols forlong-term resource tracking.■ Encourage representation of marginalizedgroups on management committees. Governmentmandates for formal inclusion of groups such aswomen or the landless on resource management or executivecommittees can begin the process of acceptance andtrue representation of these individuals.■ Encourage the formation of self-help groups.Informal associations can be powerful mechanisms forempowerment through capacity development and politicalorganization, helping marginalized groups articulate theirconcerns within the larger group of resource users.■ Provide impartial facilitation services forcommunity planning processes. NGOs are oftenwell placed to help communities engage in productivedialogue, visioning, and planning exercises that must bebased on a foundation of trust.■ Educate agency officials to respect communityparticipation processes. Government officialsthemselves often require training in how to elicit communityparticipation, how to incorporate input they receivefrom communities in government plans, and how to determinewhat support services the state can offer. Incentivesare also required to help officials put into action what theyhave learned and to catalyze a change in agency culture.■ Support community enforcement efforts.Resource management involves rule enforcement. This isbest done by the community itself whenever possible. Butwhere the area to be managed is large or contains highvaluebut widely dispersed resources like wildlife or fish,enforcement may strain the capacity of the community.The state can provide a service by training local communitymembers in enforcement techniques and providing logisticalsupport when needed.Developing the Capacityof Local Organizations1. Foster the Developmentof Intermediary Support Organizations.Developing the capacity of local organizations involvesconnecting them with financial and organizational resources,exposing them to new technical and business skills, and helpingthem improve their inclusiveness and accountability to localpeople. ISOs are often the most critical actors in this capacitybuildingprocess and therefore are key to helping localorganizations scale up their ecosystem-focused enterprises.Supporting the formation of ISOs and helping them meetthe many challenges they face should thus be a top priorityfor governments and donors. The main challenges they faceinclude obtaining a sustainable funding supply, balancingtheir different roles and relationships, culturing leadership,communicating and disseminating successes and lessonslearned, maintaining a learning culture that is flexible andadaptable, and maintaining downward accountability tolocal citizens. In recognition of the special importance thisreport places on ISOs, actions that donors and governmentscan take to promote the growth and maturation ofISOs are broken out below, as well as some steps that ISOsthemselves can take to aid in their own development.Donors can:■ Provide sustained funding. This funding shouldallow ISOs the flexibility to deploy funds as opportunitiesarise, realizing that the best ISOs are innovative andopportunistic.■ Support leadership training. Providing fundingand opportunities for off-site training can encourageleadership development. Secondments are one very effectivemeans to accomplish this. This can also includeseconding staff from a funder to the ISO.■ Require accountability for outputs. This shouldinclude regular reporting not just to donors but to citizensto encourage downward accountability to and feedbackfrom local organizations.■ Recognize achievement with awards. Awardssuch as the Equator Initiative prizes can raise the profileand credibility of successful ISOs in national and internationalcircles.195