The exercise of strategic foresight

Based on the visual information provided by the network graph and in line with the objectives set out in the Roadmap for Reform, those stakeholders that have played the most active role along the dialogue process will be invited to a strategic foresight workshop that will be facilitated by the Dialogue Host. The purpose of the workshop is to assess the state of implementation of the Roadmap and the potential impact of any new political developments that may have occurred since its approval, as well as to monitor any changes in the policy that could affect –positively or negatively– the commitments adopted by the wider group of stakeholders.

Among the topics that can be addressed in the strategic foresight workshop, one of the most important aspects is the identification of new connections among key stakeholders or the proposal of new means to strengthen the already existing ones. Considering that resources are often scarce, the fostering of synergies through sustained coordination, the pooling of resources and an optimal division of labour is paramount for the success of the policy reforms contained in the Roadmap. However, such a collective effort is to be conducted on an ongoing basis to adapt to the change of circumstances, either in the political context or within the stakeholders themselves (such as new appointments in the line ministries, or new opportunities of funding for the CSOs involved, to name just a couple of examples).

Consequently, the Policy Network Strategy is to remain adaptive so as to continuously react to –and even anticipate– changes in the policy landscape that could heavily affect the joint actions foreseen in the Roadmap. More importantly, it needs to identify and address those persisting needs and capacity gaps that would prevent the stakeholders from fulfilling their role in the policy reform or implementation, paving the way for the development of specific coalitions or partnerships to address the most pressing problems in the policy field. The resulting Multistakeholder Partnerships will thus be the result of a long-standing cooperation effort between their members, who will have already developed not only a shared understanding of the problems to be addressed, but a common approach towards their solution.