The Short-cut

Accountability

Employing agreed, transparent, democratic mechanisms of engagement, position-finding, decision-making, implementation, monitoring, evaluation; making these mechanisms transparent to non-participating stakeholders and the general public

Effectiveness

Providing a tool for addressing urgent sustainability issues; promoting better decisions by means of wider input; generating recommendations that have broad support; creating commitment through participants identifying with the outcome and thus increasing the likelihood of successful implementation

Equity

Levelling the playing-field between all relevant stakeholder groups by creating dialogue (and consensus-building) based on equally valued contributions from all; providing support for meaningful participation; applying principles of gender, regional, ethnic and other balance; providing equitable access to information

Flexibility

Covering a wide spectrum of structures and levels of engagement, depending on issues, participants, linkage into decision-making, time-frame, and so on; remaining flexible over time while agreed issues and agenda provide for foreseeable engagement

Good governance

Further developing the role of stakeholder participation and collaboration in (inter) governmental systems as supplementary and complementary vis-à-vis the roles and responsibilities of governments, based on clear norms and standards; providing space for stakeholders to act independently where appropriate

Inclusiveness

Providing for all views to be represented, thus increasing the legitimacy and credibility of a participatory process

Learning

Requiring participants to learn from each other; taking a learning approach throughout the process and its design

Legitimacy

Requiring democratic, transparent, accountable, equitable processes in their design; requiring participants to adhere to those principles

Ownership

People-centred processes of meaningful participation, allowing ownership for decisions and thus increasing the chances of successful implementation

Participation and engagement

Bringing together the principal actors; supporting and challenging all stakeholders to be actively engaged

Partnership/ cooperative management

Developing partnerships and strengthening the networks between stakeholders; addressing conflictual issues; integrating diverse views; creating mutual benefits (win–win rather than win–lose situations); developing shared power and responsibilities; creating feedback loops between local, national or international levels and into decision-making

Societal gains

Creating trust through honouring each participant as contributing a necessary component of the bigger picture; helping participants to overcome stereotypical perceptions and prejudice

Strengthening of (inter)governmental institutions

Developing advanced mechanisms of transparent, equitable, and legitimate stakeholder participation strengthens institutions in terms of democratic governance and increased ability to address global challenges

Transparency

Bringing all relevant stakeholders together in one forum and within an agreed process; publicizing activities in an understandable manner to non-participating stakeholders and the general public

Voices, not votes

Making voices of various stakeholders effectively heard, without disempowering democratically elected bodies