Community Consultation: The Case of Darien
By Carlos César Perafán, Helí Nessim (02/01, IND-107, En, Es) See also Indigenous Peoples and Community Development
This paper describes the methodology and results of an innovative sociocultural diagnostic assessment and an extensive community consultation process undertaken to prepare the Darien Sustainable Development Program in Panama. Using this methodology, in combination with the more conventional geographic or organization based approaches, enabled the identification of traditional authorities and their inclusion in the consultation process to provide legitimacy to the commitments and agreements reached at the consultation workshops held in the region. The author explains the methodology used in conducting the workshops, which take advantage of the knowledge of local conditions and the ability of stakeholders to identify and prioritize solutions to their problems. Although there were some limitations in the application of this methodology in the context of the Darien project, the consultation process constituted the basis for active stakeholder participation during project execution and provided a model that can be replicated in similar projects throughout the region. The paper includes several maps, graphs and tables.
Last updated: 05/08/07
