FEM 3335

Stakeholders And Sustainability

Assoc Prof Dr Sharifah Norazizan Syed Abd Rashid, APPM

Department of Social & Development Science

Faculty of Human Ecology

Universiti Putra Malaysia

sharifah@putra.upm.edu.my

Content

• The Stakeholders’ Roles in Sustainable Development

- The Meaning of Stakeholders

• Chapter 28 of Agenda 21 : The Local Governments Roles in Sustainability

• The Principles of Agenda 21 : The Rights for Community Participation

• The Roles of the NGOs, Private Sector

Introduction to Agenda 21

• The Earth Summit held in Rio De Janerio, Brazil was attended by 178 country leaders (including Malaysia) on June 1992. The Earth Summit provides world's action plan towards sustainable development. This action plan was known as Agenda 21 - an agenda to achieve sustainable development in the 21st century.

Agenda 21 is designed as a bridge

• between environment and development• between the public and private sectors• between governments and civil society• between global and national goals• between current and future generations• between knowledge and action• between developed and developing countries.

Agenda 21 Consists of 40 Chapters in 4 Sections as following :-

1. Social and Economic Dimension

2. Maintaining and managing resources

3. Strengthen the roles of dominant groups (the women, children, NGO,LAs)

4. Methods of Accomplishment

Agenda 21 focus on the social and environmental issues to improve the human living conditions for future generations. Under Section 3 of Agenda 21, dominant group such as the women, children, NGO, youth, employee, business and industrial sectors including aborigines hold major role implementing Agenda 21 towards sustainable development at local level. Thus, it was known as Local Agenda 21 - Local Action Plan towards sustainable development in 21st century.

LOCAL AGENDA 21 (LA 21)

• Local Agenda 21 is Agenda 21 at the local level.

• Agenda 21 is an action plan towards global sustainable development in the next millennium and was endorsed by more than 178 heads of state and ministers at UNCED.

• LA21 is a program to forge partnerships between local authorities and the communities, they serve to work together to plan and care for their surroundings towards sustainable development.

• Local communities with local authority, identify and analyze local sustainable development issues, formulate and implement action plans to address them.

• LA21 adopts a "bottom up" approach.

Chapter 28 of Agenda 21

• Chapter 28 of Agenda 21 also contains a direct call to all local governments to create their own action plans for sustainable development. These “Local Agenda 21” action plans translate the principles and mandates of Agenda 21 into concrete service strategies for each local community.

• Chapter 28 states that:

By 1996, most local authorities in each country should have undertaken a consultative process with their populations and achieved a consensus on a “Local Agenda 21” for the community.

Definition of Local Agenda 21

For the purposes of this assessment, Local Agenda 21 was defined as:

A participatory, multi-stakeholder process to achieve the goals of Agenda 21 at the local level through the preparation and implementation of a long-term, strategic plan that addresses priority local sustainable development concerns.

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LA 21 PRINCIPLES

• Holistic perpective in thinking and action among sectors

• Active participation from all partnership to create togetherness and love feeling

• Community thinking and action in lifecycle

• World perspective in local issues “think globally act locally”

• Long term perspective for local issues

Characteristics of LA 21

The following are some characteristics of an LA21 program:

• It addresses economic, social and ecological needs together. • It includes a consensus on a vision for a sustainable future. • It includes a participatory process with local residents. • It establishes a Stakeholders Group, Forum or equivalent

multi sectoral community group to oversee the process. • It contains an Action Plan with concrete long-term targets. • It has a monitoring and reporting framework. • It has indicators to monitor progress. • It has tangible activities and programs to actualize its Action

Plans.

LA 21 Process

• Organize / prepare local authority• Partnership and participation• Develop a vision• Identity problems and issues• Develop objectives / set priorities• Action plan• Implement• Monitor and evaluate

Local Agenda 21

Resource: http://www.kpkt.gov.my/jkt/la21

Definitions

Participation is defined as:

A process through which stakeholders influence and share control over development initiatives and the decisions and resources which affect them

(World Bank)

A Stakeholder can be defined as:

Any individual, community, group or organisation with an interest in the outcome of a programme/project, either as a result of being affected by it positively or negatively, or by being able to influence the activity in a positive (+) or negative (x) way

(DFID)

Stakeholders: Yet another term!

Stakeholders:

Those who have an interest in a particular decision, either as individuals or representatives of a group. This includes people who influence a decision, or can influence it, as well as those affected by it.

Stakeholder Participation

Stakeholder Participation is defined as:

The participation of all relevant stakeholders in the development process, including: the poor, Government, NGOs, private sector etc.) with an interest in outcomes

3 Main Types of Stakeholder

1. Key stakeholders – those who can significantly influence or are important to the success of an activity.

2. Primary stakeholders Those individuals and groups who are ultimately affected by an

activity, either as beneficiaries (positive impact) or dis-beneficiaries (negative impact).

3. Secondary stakeholders All other individuals or institutions with a stake, interest or

intermediary role in the activity.

NGOs, Civil Society, or Major Groups?

“Major Groups” is a term that was introduced in Agenda 21, agreed by governments at the Rio Earth Summit. It describes nine sectors of society identified as having a significant role in sustainable development:

• women • children and youth• indigenous people• NGOs• Local authorities• Workers and trade unions• business and industry• the scientific and technical

community• farmers

Deciding on a Strategy for Consultation

It is important to develop a consultation strategy not just a series of one-off events:

• A strategy helps planners obtain more of the information they need

• It helps educate stakeholders and planners so that it is easier to implement the completed plan

Questions that need to be asked:

• What information do I need to develop my Plan/strategy?• Who do I need to consult?• When do I need to consult them?• How or what methods can I use?

Principles to Apply

Ideally a stakeholder consultation strategy should:

• Begin early in the preparation of a plan/strategy• Be broadly representative• Continue throughout at multiple stages in the preparation

and implementation of the strategy• Be a two-way process (information exchange for all

parties including planners)• Include a right of reply• Include feedback from the planners to the stakeholders

Stakeholder Analysis

A tool used in the design and management of policy development programmes to identify:

• The interests of all stakeholders who may affect or be affected by a policy/ programme;

• Potential conflicts and risks that could jeopardise a programme;

• Opportunities and relationships to build upon in implementing a programme to help make it a success;

• The groups that should be encouraged to participate in different stages of the activity cycle

• Ways to improve the programme and reduce, or hopefully remove, negative impacts on vulnerable and disadvantaged groups

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Stakeholder Analysis for Participant

Role

What roles do they play and what contributions do they make?

Stake

Who is the stakeholder?

Capacity

Do they have the capacity?

Interest

Do they have the interest?

No

No

How to do it?

Three basic steps:

1.Identify the main stakeholders and the reasons for their interest in the policy or activity using a Stakeholder Table

2.Identify the influence and importance of each and show them in a matrix

3.Identify the risks that may affect policy or activity design and discuss how they can be addressed

How to do it?

A variety of techniques can be used to identify stakeholders, including:

• Workshops (one of the most successful)• Individual interviews• Focus groups

Whatever approach is used, the aim is to identify all key stakeholders and to be aware of their potential impact on the policy or activity

Stakeholder participation is important in plan-making because it helps

implementation Taking stakeholders’ views into account - particularly in relation to project/strategic

objectives and how they are to be achieved - helps in achieving the plan’s aim

Enhancing stakeholder participation aims to strengthen local ownership of a plan.

From a planners’ perspective, it increases the likelihood that plans will be effective and sustainable:• More effective – in drawing on a wide range of interested parties, the prospects for appropriate

project design and commitment are likely to be maximised

• More sustainable – people are more likely to be committed to carrying on an activity after aid stops and are more able to do so since participation builds their skills and confidence

Roles of Development Players

Sustainable Development

CIVIL SOCIETY•Advocacy•Represent the marginalized•Community enabler•Link to grassroots

Resource Providers/Devt Institutions•Financial assistance•Technical assistance

Government•Vision & direction•Enabling conditions•Set rules/regulations•Public services•Resources

Business•Create wealth•Set sustainability of production•Influence consumption patterns

Participant Roles

Community/CBOs • Set the agenda, development needs; set ground rules for

interaction and change; set pace of development• Knowledge, staff, other funding

Government• Create enabling environment, provide link to wider

development goals and planning, management, staff, funding

Private Sector• Funding, technical and managerial expertise, planning,

finance, training, skills, access to markets, wider network

Facilitator• create trust, build cultural bridges, provide capacity building,

training and education, access to wider network

Corporations as Partners in Strengthening Urban Communities

A Research Report by George E. Peterson and Dana R. Sundblad

Case studies of corporate-community partnerships show:

•the business rationale includes protecting existing interests, developing workforces and expanding markets •"comprehensive" strategies consider neighborhood life as a whole and solicit community input •initiatives are most effective when there is a strong sense of community ownership •short-term, tangible successes help communities commit fully to a strategic plan •advances in practical evaluation techniques are critical

Public Private Community Partnership

• The term PPP was initially used to describe activities that engaged both – public and private sectors, typically to fund public infrastructure.

• However, the term has given way to PPCP and is now used for other partnerships between Government and the private sector to operate social welfare activities, including involving the Community.

• Community partnerships involve joint decision making rather than principal-agent approach.

• It stresses on joint inputs for defining problem as well as solution.

Results of this initiative

Enhanced livelihood for about 3000 villagers

People’s participation, Functioning of village groups & civil

society institutions

Creation of social capital

• Health, Education and Employment generation

• Common property resources (Pond, Area covered under

Energy plantation)

Enhancement of Rural Livelihoods through Renewable Energy in a sustainable manner

Effective PPCP involves participation from…

• Government• Private Sector• NGOs• Community• Academic & Scientific Community

Tenets of a Successful Partnership

• Regular dialogue with the partners

• Trust and confidence in the private sector

• Clear demarcation of responsibilities

• Facilitation on policy issues

• Convergence of Government Schemes

• Modalities for Funding

• Participation from Community

• Expectations of outcome

• Time frame for achieving goals

Optimizing Participation of Stakeholders in Developing and Implementing Sustainability

Strategies

NGOs, Private Sector and the Government

Defining NGOs: What the UN Says

From the UN Department of Public Information: NGO refers to a non-profit citizens’ voluntary entity organized nationally or internationally. Thus, professional associations, foundations, trade unions, religious organizations, women’s and youth groups, cooperative associations, development and human rights associations, environmental protection groups, research institutes dealing with international affairs and associations of parliamentarians are considered NGOs.

How an NGO’s function in Community Development should be:

• They seek and identify the needs of communities for which there is widespread consensus

• Bring about an ‘inside out’ change rather then an ‘outside in’ approach to change

• OD makes organizations more effective whereas CD makes communities more responsible

• Project assessment done in conjunction with existing local groups

• Use of local paradigm in any change and facilitation that may take place

Role of Private Industry…

Get Industry involved in the Project Contribute towards resource generation Contribute vital cost effective technological and

management expertise Achieve higher accountability and transparency. More result oriented and provide long term value for

money Better administration and day-to-day coordination

Development community must create bigger role for private

sector• The development industry must work in a way that allows it to

be replaced by efficient local governments, by civil societies and by a vibrant private sector, said USAID Chief Rajiv Shah this week in a keynote speech at the Center for Global Development in Washington.

• In recent years, a growing number of corporations have joined government and community groups as partners in rebuilding neighborhoods. This commitment acknowledges that business is a stakeholder in the success or failure of our cities. The readings in this section explore the potential role that corporations can play in revitalizing cities and supporting neighborhood improvement efforts, as well as the challenges of corporate-community partnerships.

Role of Government…

• To provide a platform for corporate and community leaders to meet and exchange ideas

• To create synergies and a more proactive role in facilitating partnership projects and help in its success

• To encourage industry

• Quick decision making on policy

• Simplify procedures

• Convergence of government schemes

• Funding

• Solve Problems

The 5 Roles of Local Government

1. Leader, showing the way

2. Authority, regulator, planner, controller

3. Service provider, practical services, and also information/advice

4. Enterprise, consumer, end-user

5. Facilitator, development dynamo

How to use our roles? How to strengthen our function as a change agent for local SD?

Role of NGOs / other civil society organizations / Community

• Chance to work in a more structured environment

• Advise partners of requirements and needs

• Educating Community about govt. schemes and how to access

them

• Provide local communities support and give them confidence vis-

à-vis industry role

• Assist in capacity building

• NGOs / other civil society organizations may be well versed with

the problem and work at grassroots level. On the other hand

communities are the direct beneficiaries and hence get involved

for their own benefit.

Challenges and New Approaches

• Citizen involvement policies• Innovation for SD - business, social etc.• Awareness raising on SD and empowerment• The 5 roles of local government• The Local Agenda 21 Change Agent - facilitation skills

Thank You