Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Planned and effective communication and participation helps avoid concerns, mitigates risks, leads to improved outcomes, and promotes sustainable benefits.
Citation preview
January 2014 | Issue 52
Highlights
Regional | Governance
• A2012AsianDevelopmentBank(ADB)studyrevealedthat55%ofconcernsraisedbycivilsocietyregardingitsprojectsandprogramswererelatedtoinadequatecommunicationandparticipation.
• Tobuildgreaterstakeholdertrust,ADB'srevisedPublicCommunicationsPolicycallsformoreeffectivecommunicationinprojectoperations.
• Projectscanbetterengagecivilsocietybyinvestingincommunicationandparticipationfromthestart.Effectiveandplannedcommunicationhelpsavoidconcerns,mitigatesrisks,leadstoimprovedprojectoutcomes,andpromotessustainablebenefitstoprojectbeneficiaries.
Fostering Better Communication and Participation in Projects
Enhancing Engagement Processes for Project Success
Aconcernisagrievance(orissue)aboutaprojectreceiveddirectlybytheAsianDevelopmentBank(ADB)throughcorrespondence,orthroughprojectactivitiesorsystemssuchasconsultationsorgrievancemechanisms.Itmayrelatetoissuessuchasinadequatedisclosureorconsultation,noninclusivesocialdevelopment,orinadequatecompensation.Asinglegrievancemayconsistofseveralconcerns.
InJuly–September2012,theDepartmentofExternalRelationsandtheNGOandCivilSocietyCenter(NGOC)inADBconductedthestudyonCommunication and Participation in ADB-Supported Projects: Identifying and Closing Gaps for Project Success.Thestudyanalyzedrecentcivilsocietyconcerns1toidentifytrends.Itcovered76projects(and213new,associatedconcerns)withatotalvalueof$9.5billion,two-thirdsofwhichbelonginthetransportandenergyinfrastructuresectors.Theconcernsweredrawnfromthreesources:the2008–2011CivilSocietyConcernsBriefingPaperspublishedbyNGOC,thecomplaintsregistryofADB'sOfficeoftheSpecialProjectFacilitator,andthecompliancereviewreportsandannualreportsofADB'sComplianceReviewPanel.
Thestudyrevealedthat55%ofconcerns,or117,wererelatedtoinadequatecommunicationandparticipation,2highlightingtheimportanceofimprovingtheseareas.Thestudyexaminedeachconcerntodetermineifitwasdirectlyrelatedtodisclosure/consultation,asperthetaxonomymaintainedintheCivilSocietyConcernsBriefingPapers,butalsoexercisedjudgmentwhereitwasfeltthatsufficientcommunication,stakeholderengagement,andparticipatoryprocessescouldhavepreventedtheincidentorprojectfeatureofconcerntocivilsociety.
Thestudydeterminedthatwhilemostprojectshavegeneralcommunicationandparticipationobjectives,anenhancedstakeholderanalysisandaprojectcommunicationstrategywouldgenerateamoreextensivelistofcommunicationandparticipationobjectivestobetteraddressstakeholderinterestsandperceptionsofproblems,leveragestrengths,andsurmountbarriers.3Theseessentialinitialengagement
processeswillleadtotheadequatedesignofacommunicationandparticipationplanforcivilsocietyforprojectimplementationandmonitoring.
ADB Public Communications Policy
Civilsocietyisincreasinglyvibrantandinfluential.Itexpressesconcernsabouttheimpactsofprojectsontheirconstituencies.Giventhatinefficientand/orineffectiveprojectshavecosts,whicharebornebyADB'sborrowersandtheirstakeholders,theconcernsthatcivilsocietyraisescanprovidevaluableinsightsintoprojectelementsthatmayneedstrengthening.Therefore,focusingoncommunicationandparticipationtoallowtheirviewstobeheardcanmitigateprojectrisks,improveprojectoutcomes,andpromoteprojectsustainability.
___________________
1 BasedonNGOC'sCivilSocietyConcernsBriefingPapers,concernscanrelatetocapacity,compensation,constructionquality,disclosure/consultation,economicgrowth,education,environment,gender,governance/transparency,inclusivesocialdevelopment,indigenouspeoples,involuntaryresettlement,waterresourcesmanagement,andwatertariff/privatesector/waterservices.AsingleprojectmayhighlightagrievancewithmultipleconcernsandasinglecomplaintreceivedbytheOfficeoftheSpecialProjectFacilitatormayconsistofanumberofconcerns.
2 Communicationisunderstoodasone-wayandtwo-wayinformationsharingandgatheringthatpromotesknowledge,behaviorchange,participation,andinformeddecisionmakingamongstakeholders;participationistheprocessesthroughwhichstakeholdersinfluenceorcontributetodesigning,implementing,andmonitoringadevelopmentactivity.
3 Inthecaseofacommunity-basedwaterandsanitationproject,forexample,communicationandparticipationactivitiesusuallyoriginatefromapositiveperspectivewhereaffectedpeoplecanexpecttodirectlybenefitfromtheprojectintervention.Stakeholderparticipationinprojectdesignenhancesqualityandleadstoownershipandsustainability.Inthecaseofatransportproject,communicationandparticipationcanbeshapedbyadesiretomitigatedirectnegativeimpactstostakeholdersasidentifiedbyADB'senvironmentalandsocialsafeguards.Theseaffectedpeopleoftenhavenodirectprojectbenefits.
InvoluntaryResettlement
25%
Environment14%
Disclosure/Consultation
25%
Indigenous Peoples 7%
Compensation 2%
Inclusive SocialDevelopment 6%
Governance/Transparency 5%
Economic Growth 3%
Water Tariff/ Private Sector/ Water Services 4%
Water Resources Management 4%
Construction Quality 2%
Gender 2%
Education 1%
Figure 1: 2008–2011 Concerns Related to Communication and Participation Insu�ciences, by Category.
Source: Communication and Participation in ADB-Supported Projects: Identifying and Closing Gaps for Project Success.
Knowledge Showcases
©AsianDevelopmentBank PublicationStockNo.ARM146255-2
KNOWLEDGE CONTRIBUTORS
TheKnowledgeShowcasesSeries,aproductoftheKnowledgeSharingandServicesCenter,highlightsgoodpracticesandinnovativeideasfromADBtechnicalassistanceandotheroperationstopromotefurtherdiscussionandresearch.
www.adb.org/knowledgeshowcaseswww.adbknowledgeshowcases.org
TheAsianDevelopmentBank(ADB)isdedicatedtoreducingpovertyintheAsiaandPacificregion.
Theviewsexpressedinthispublicationarethoseoftheauthor(s)anddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsandpoliciesofADBoritsBoardofGovernorsorthegovernmentstheyrepresent.KNOWLEDGE
SHARING
Indeed,ADB'sPublicCommunicationsPolicyrecognizesthattransparencyandaccountabilityareessentialtodevelopmenteffectiveness.Itrecognizestherightofstakeholders,includingcivilsociety,toseek,access,andimpartinformationaboutADB'soperations.WhenadoptedinApril2005,thepolicywasdeemedattheforefrontofgoodpracticesamongmultilateraldevelopmentbanks:itbroughtaboutamajorculturalchangewithinADBsuchthatdisclosurebecamestandardoperatingprocedureforallADB-assistedprojects.
Movingforward,ADBiscommittedtodomoretoenhancestakeholders'trustandabilitytoengageinADB-assistedprojects.In2011,areviewofthepolicymaintainedthepresumptioninfavorofdisclosureasafundamentalprinciple.Italsomaderevisionstoexpandandspeedupaccesstoinformation.Undertherevisedpolicy,someimportantdecisionswereto(i)clarifythelistofexceptionstodisclosure,(ii)sharemoreinformation,(iii)releasedocumentsearlier,(iv)createanindependentappealspanel,and(v)strengthenprojectcommunications.
Giventhefindingsofthestudy,therevisionofthePublicCommunicationsPolicywashighlyrelevantandtimely.Theresearchhighlightedthepotentialimplicationsofcivilsocietyconcerns:thequantificationoftheirlikelyimpactswouldbearewardingexercise.Intuitively,theywouldspringfromprojectdelays,timeandresourcesspentforafter-the-factcommunicationandparticipationplanningandactivities,timeandresourcesspentonmodifyingprojectdesign,damagetoreputation,andpoorprojectoutcomes.
Next Steps
Consideringthegapsthestudyidentified,certainstepswouldfosterbettercommunicationandparticipationinprojectsandoffsetrisksbeforetheycometoroost:4
• EmbedmonitoringofconcernsasaroutinemanagementtoolwithineOps5anddevelopaprotocolfordepartmentalandcentralizedroutineanalysis.Institutionalizestandardizedterminologyinprojectconcernstrackingsystems.
• Makeadjustmentsto(i)theProjectAdministrationManual,toincludeanenhancedstakeholderanalysisanddetailedcommunicationandparticipationplansthatspecifyactions,notjuststrategies;(ii)eOps,torecordcommunicationandparticipationobjectivesandprogress.
• Undertakeacost–benefitanalysisstudyinafewprojectstoquantifyprojectlossescausedbyinadequatecommunicationandparticipation.
• Developadocumenttemplateforacombinedcommunicationandparticipationplan.
• Designasystemtoharvestcommunicationandparticipationexamplesandlessonslearned.
• Shareknowledgeofcommunicationandparticipationmethodsandtools.
• Identifynewmethodsandtools,e.g.,socialmedia,forimprovedcommunicationandparticipation.
• Issuetoolkitsfordevelopingcommunicationandparticipationplans,beginningwithresettlement.
• WorkwithprojectimplementerstobuildcommunicationandparticipationcapacityandwithADB-hostedcommunitiesofpracticetomainstreamadequatecommunicationandparticipationinprojectdesignandimplementation.
Related Links• ADB.2011. Public Communications Policy 2011: Dislcosure and
Exchange of Information. Manila.Available:www.adb.org/documents/pcp-2011
• ADB.2012.Communication and Participation in ADB-Supported Projects: Identifying and Closing Gaps for Project Success.Manila.Availableonrequest.
___________________
4 Thislistisexploratoryandnoncommittal.
5 eOpsisanADB-wideelectronicsystemthathelpsmanageallproject-relatedinformationanddocumentsandsupportsADB'sstreamlinedbusinessprocesses.
Charlotte Lapsansky ([email protected])isadevelopmentcommunicationsspecialistinADB'sDepartmentofExternalRelations.
Christopher Morris ([email protected])isheadoftheNGOandCivilSocietyCenterinADB'sRegionalandSustainableDevelopmentDepartment.
Olivier Serrat ([email protected])isaprincipalknowledgemanagementspecialistatADB’sRegionalandSustainableDevelopmentDepartment.
Kimberly Roseberry([email protected])isamultimediaconsultantwhohelpedconductthestudy.
Energy 26%
Transport 33%
Water 14%
Agriculture,Natural Resources 16%
Multi 8%
Education 2%
Emergency 1%
Figure 2: 2008–2011 Concerns Related to Communication and Participation Insu�ciencies, by Sector.
Source: Communication and Participation in ADB-Supported Projects: Identifying and Closing Gaps for Project Success.
