A presentation on PRIA's strategic approaches over the last 3 decades by PRIA India Founder and President Dr. Rajesh Tandon and Martha Farell, Director. Presented at the Community Development Resource Association Cape Town, South Africa

1. Engaging State Institutions
PRIA’s Strategic Approaches over Three Decades
Presentation by
Dr. Rajesh Tandon
Ms. Martha Farrell
31 May 2012
at
Community Development Resource Association
Cape Town, South Africa
www.pria.org

2. Phase I : Systematizing Local Knowledge for
Empowerment (1981-86)
• Participatory methodologies
of community engagement
(DWCRA, Primary Health
Care, Literacy)
• Inputs to advocate
community participation
mechanisms (ICDS, NAEP)
• Training of frontline
government functionaries
(NAEP, ICDS, IRDP)

3. Phase II: Building Competencies as Change
Agents (1986-1991)
• Resisting governmental regulation of voluntary
action (code of conduct, VANI)
• Building capacities to ensure effective compliance
with regulation (finance, incorporation, governance)
• Deliberate interventions in national government’s
programme design & planning (CAPART’s Social
Animator’s, CSWB’s Women’s Empowerment, Labour
Ministry’s OHS, NLM, community forestry, NWDB)

4. Phase III: Institutional Strengthening of
Civil Society (1992-1996)
• Advocacy to integrate PR, community
participation and role of NGOs in
national social sector programmes
• Engaging with UN & WB to ensure global
policy for participation of primary
stakeholders (reflections in DPEP,
rehabilitation of displaced, watershed
development, RMK)
• Institutional reforms for registration,
funding & space for policy dialogues
with civil society (ministry & bilateral
funding windows for NGOs, reforms of
Society Registration Acts)

5. Phase IV: Accountable Panchayats
(1997-2001)
• Multi-faceted interventions by mobilizing civil
society to make panchayats effective and
accountable institutions of local self-
governance (CB of elected reps, micro-
planning, mobilization of Gram Sabha)
• Engaging provincial & national governments for
effective devolution of authority and resources
to panchayats (rural development, forestry,
education)
• Advocacy with International Development
Organisations to promote capacity
development of local NGOs (advocacy at
national levels with governments to create
enabling provisions & environment for capacity
enhancement)

6. Phase V: Governance from Below
(2002-2008)
• Engaging provincial & state
governments to finance voters’
awareness campaigns and
capacity building of local
governments by civil society
(PEVACs & PRJAs)
• Focus on enabling environment
for civil society (national policy,
regulatory framework, structures
of dialogues at all spheres of
governance)

7. Phase V: Governance from Below
(2002-2008) (contd.)
• Monitoring government policies and
programmes to strengthen local
governments (RTI and social
accountability efforts by citizens’
associations)
• Monitoring and advocacy of
national& provincial statutory and legal commissions (SEC, SFC,
Women, SC/ST, Human Rights)
• Simultaneous engagements in democratizing global
governance institutions (southern civil society voices in
UN, BWI,WTO, G8)

8. Phase VI: Multi-sectoral Engagements for
Deepening Democracy
(2008-2012)
• Convening multi-sectoral plat-
forms (between government,
civil society, academia, media,
etc) on National and District
Planning, professionalizing
social development education,
urban poverty & municipal
governance
• National conferences on
Citizenship & Governance as
multi-sectoral engagements —
academia, civil society &
governments

9. Phase VI: Multi-sectoral Engagements for
Deepening Democracy
(2008-2012) Contd….
• Engaging national government to
convene dialogues on Five Year
Plans, Annual Budgets, Gender
Policy & Budgeting, Regulation of
Civil Society, Community
Engagement of Higher Education
• Preparing civil society to become
an interlocutor of government
global policies and programmes
(of international aid, G20, IBSA,
BRICS, IMF/WB, security,
SAARC/ASEAN)

10. Multiple roles of
government:
• Regulatory
• Funding
• Policy-making
• National
development
planning &
implementation
Multiple spheres:
• Local/municipal
• Provincial
• National
• Trans-national

11. Multiple Agencies of the State
• Legislatures (and Standing Committees)
• Statutory Commissions
• Ministries/executive
• Para-statals
• Judiciary