The first international training on effective stakeholder engagement for the 2030 agenda held by UNESCAP with IAP2 Indonesia on Monday to Wednesday, 06 until 08 August, 2018 which was held at SGPP Indonesia Sentul – Bogor, with the theme “Effective Stakeholder Engagement For The 2030 Agenda”. This international training is supported by SGPP Indonesia as the place provider.
Although stakeholder engagement is being viewed with renewed interest since the inception of the global goals, both systemic and capacity-related challenges slow the development of quality engagement in many countries. Despite some good practices, engagement processes can often be rushed, under-resourced and under-planned, leading to frustration on all sides. Basic questions such as “how do you choose the ‘right’ NGO to work with?” or “how do we reach out to the public?” are frequently raised, and there is a lack of an overview of the sheer diversity of stakeholder groups and constituencies who wish to be involved. Often the responsibility for stakeholder engagement is not properly defined or resourced, or low levels of trust reduce the space for constructive dialogue. Systematic, quality engagement is needed to respond to the fundamental objective of the the 2030 Agenda – that no one should be left behind. There is also need for innovation to deepen the levels of engagement, going beyond consultations to build trust, create a sense of ownership of the Agenda and develop coherent policies, integrating the perspectives of different stakeholders and information.
This training event relevant to Government officials with direct responsibility for stakeholder engagement for the 2030 Agenda and in other national policy or strategic planning contexts, Government officials involved in coordinating the integration of the SDGs into national
planning, monitoring and follow-up and review at national, provincial or local levels, Project staff and experienced or aspiring stakeholder engagement and facilitation professionals who have worked with government processes for the SDGs (or the MDGs), Members of civil society responsible for the engagement of their own constituencies in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
All the participants have the opportunity to work on their own projects and initiatives. The approach focuses on adult learning principles, making the delivery highly interactive, relevant to individual’s learning needs and using a range of learning materials. Video clips, smart-phone technology, case studies and creative processes all feature in our training approach. There were two trainers, Joel Levin and Michelle Feenan.
Joel has been a guest lecturer as part of the Masters Program in Organisational Psychology run by Curtin University and has provided numerous presentations at conferences and forums in Perth and the Eastern States. Joel is a licensed trainer for the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) and has conducted training for the Australian Institute for Company Directors and the Institute of Public Administration Australia. In 2015, Joel began working with the United Nations, exploring how they can use the engagement approach to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Michelle Feenan, is one of the most credentialed licensed trainers with International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) in Australia and one of three practitioners responsible for the development of IAP2’s contemporary Certificate in Engagement program.
Michelle has over 20 years’ experience in community engagement including facilitation, planning, team development and community development.
Michelle’s work experiences have included management, senior policy development, significant community development and capacity building in rural, remote and indigenous communities as well as special projects services for emerging social policy in Queensland and New South Wales contexts. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Behavioural Sciences and has undertaken post-graduate studies in Social Policy, Local Government Administration, Workplace Training and Human Resources. She is a trainer in the internationally recognised International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Foundations in Public Participation, Certificate in Engagement and Advanced Certificate in Engagement. Michelle is accredited in the Mercer CED Job Evaluation Methodology, Zing Enabled Technologies, the “The Art of Facilitation”, TMS Network’s Team Management Systems and in mediation through Queensland’s Dispute Resolution Centre.
All the participants invited to share a case study on stakeholder engagement from their own, or other initiatives, and to participate in other follow-up activities.
DAY 1
What is engagement?
Introduction to the context and aims of the training, What is stakeholder and community engagement?, and The foundations for quality stakeholder engagement practice.
Engagement for the 2030 Agenda context; Integration, inclusion and transformation, Whole of society, diverse sources of knowledge, Building trust and demonstrating transparency.
Engagement design and planning; Assessing the context and culture for engagement, Relating project planning and engagement planning, Defining a clear purpose, risks and opportunities, Stakeholder mapping and analysis – why and how?, Building the plan, Setting standards – indicators of a quality engagement process for the 2030 Agenda, Estimating resource requirements, dan Managing data collected from engagement.
DAY 2
Engagement design and planning; Continued from day 1 Methods for engagement and facilitation, Creating the right strategy and choosing the right methods: “whole of society”, VNR processes, integrated policy and action, advancing transformation, promoting inclusion and considering cultural contexts, Options for engaging online, Exploring facilitation approaches and tips, Monitoring participation.
DAY 3
Methods for engagement and facilitation; Continued from day 2
Institutionalizing engagement – leadership and governance; Linking engagement to governance, dan Exploring institutional cultures and attitudes towards engagement and inclusion.
Stakeholder engagement and partnerships are being viewed with renewed interest since the inception of the global goals, but countries in Asia and the Pacific, as in other regions, often lack enabling frameworks for public participation, guidelines for effective partnerships and technical capacity.
To fill this gap, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) are facilitating integrated planning and capacity building at the national and regional levels to enhance stakeholder engagement in the context of the 2030 Agenda. By building on tested methodologies, their efforts seek to improve participation in and ownership of planning, implementation and follow-up and review processes of the SDGs.
Friday, 24 August 2018 5:15 p.m.