Doing Dialogue: Using MSD processes as a tool to reduce conflict in the forest sector

Doing Dialogue: Using MSD processes as a tool to

reduce conflict in the forest sector

Gary Dunning Executive Director The Forests Dialogue ISTF Conference 25 January New Haven, USA

Overview • Origins of The

Forests Dialogue • Fundamentals of

Dialogue • Doing Dialogue • Key lessons • Roundtable

Discussions

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TFD – Born of conflict • Culture of forestry • Rio ‘92 Summit • Sustainable Forest

Management & Forest Certification

• The Seventh American Forest Congress

• World Bank CEOs Meeting

• Independent international platform and process

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TFD’s evolving mission PURPOSE: Better forests, improved livelihoods. To contribute to sustainable land and resource use, the conservation and sustainable management of forests, and improved livelihoods by helping people engage and explore difficult issues, find collaborative solutions, and make positive changes. MISSION: Dialoguing can bring change. To pursue our purpose through constructive dialogue processes among all key stakeholders, based on mutual trust, enhanced understanding and commitment to change. Our dialogues are designed to build relationships and to spur collaborative action on the highest priority issues facing the world’s forests.

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TFD’s Structure • Steering

Committee • Advisory

Groups • Local

Partners • Participants

network • Secretariat

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Key SFM Challenges 2000-2012

• SFM verification via forest certification

• Coming together to fight illegal logging

• Biodiversity conservation on production forests – Intensively managed planted

forests – Genetically modified trees

• Forests for livelihoods – Pro-poor commercial forestry – Investing in locally controlled

forestry • The role of forests in mitigating

climate change • Implementing Free, Prior,

and Informed Consent 6/13

Global Partners

Recent Donors

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What has dialogue accomplished?

• Built trust and created a network and resource for leaders

• Provided a credible neutral platform for all stakeholders, but particularly marginalized groups

• Catalyst for partnerships • Promoted policy leadership • Pushed for behavior change • Developed a large body

of information

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What dialogue does not/cannot do

• Conferences • Projects • Bring funding • Mediate or negotiate • Solve problems for you • Make change – but it

can catalyze, promote and support change

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Doing Dialogue

The Phased Approach 1. ‘ENGAGE’: Identify key issues, build trust, share perspectives and information. 2. ‘EXPLORE’: Seek consensus about challenges and opportunities to solve a forest-related ‘fracture-line’. 3 ‘CHANGE’: Promote and facilitate actions that lead to solutions, with impact in policy and on the ground.

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Doing Dialogue Typical steps • Issue identification and

clarification • Preparatory work and collation of

background papers • Invitation of stakeholders • Establishment of ground rules • Sharing experience • Exploration of views • Analysis and constructive

argument • Decisions and prioritization of

action steps or agreed recommendations 11/13

Lessons and Reflections • Don’t create a new organization

but find a neutral convenor • Define consensus • Language is key • Inclusion takes cash • Be independent

(however governments do not like “independent” processes

• Keep it simple • Stay with what you know • Pick the right partners • Define the process, but be

transparent, flexible and open • Maintain credibility

– MOST important!!

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Thanks!

The Forests Dialogue Secretariat Yale University

New Haven, CT, USA

+1 203 432 5966

[email protected] www.theforestsdialogue.org

TFD Documents and Publications Available electronically at: www.theforestsdialogue.org

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