Access to decision-makers and exchanges of experiences

Purpose

The purpose is to secure buy-in by policy-makers at the highest political level by providing local project managers from the Hosting Structure with access to political figures that can publicly endorse the dialogue process as well as attract the interest of key stakeholders towards it.

EPD Community of Practice can help practitioners achieving high-level outreach missions.

EPD member World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid (CdM) gathers a network of democratically-elected former heads of state or government from over 60 countries with first-hand experience in leading policy reform from the very top. Thanks to their stature and network of contacts, the CdM members often enjoy direct access to decision-makers and other stakeholders. If properly briefed about the dialogue process and the objectives of their exchange with the political leadership of the country, they can be of great help, providing political leverage, summoning reluctant stakeholders or even unblocking gridlock in the dialogue process.

When selected carefully and according to the needs and political sensitivities of the target country, high-level peer-to-peer missions can help facilitators to achieve the following objectives, among others:

  • Provide access to high-level decision-makers, enabling the Hosting Structure to follow up on the outcomes of the dialogue;

  • Break stalemate, mediate conflict or help stakeholders in assessing the situation in less confrontational terms;

  • Inform decision-makers about the need for policy reform and/or the advantages of pursuing it through inclusive and participatory dialogue;

  • Persuade decision-makers of the relevance of the policy dialogue and the need for them to support the implementation of the final consensus or agreement;

  • Share good practices and provide the stakeholders with a non-partisan experience they can relate to;

  • Gather intelligence on the political factors and power relations that might hinder policy reform or make it possible. High-level CdM missions or other forms of peer-to-peer exchanges can be useful in any of the three phases of the Operating Model.

What is key for their success is that they are well planned and that the individuals that are sent to support the dialogue process are properly briefed about a) the local context, b) the stakeholders involved and c) the purpose of the high-level meetings that they are to hold and the ways in which they fit into the logic of the dialogue process.

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