Participation

About C & P

Consultation and other forms of participation (C&P) offer a people-centered approach to development. C&P respects the knowledge all people, whatever their socioeconomic status. It facilitates capacity development, conflict management, and social capital formation.

When well-applied, C&P has been shown to have a positive impact on poverty reduction. It does this by bringing disadvantaged groups into decision-making, and by promoting their involvement in project formulation. C&P can assist them in developing the attitudes needed to improve their situation and give them hope.

An early investment of time, energy, and resources into C&P can provide important payoffs in terms of fewer implementation problems, greater ownership by communities and governments, and better overall results.

ADB works on four different levels of C&P to engage groups that have an interest or stake in its operations:

• Information sharing is one-way communication often involving disseminating information about an intended ADB project, program, or strategy.



• Consultation means gaining stakeholder input on proposed or ongoing ADB activities.



• Collaborative decision-making means that ADB engages groups to jointly make decisions about development activities and resources that affect them.



• Empowerment, a deeper level of participation, is where beneficiaries and other key groups initiate action and take control over development decisions and resources.