 |
 |
SCAF has developed and used the strategy of "Democracy Corridors" that enables nonviolent ways of promoting social and political changes in Belarus (Democracy Corridors: A Strategy for Change in Belarus. In Social Economy and Law (journal), EFC, Brussels, Autumn 1999)
Democracy Corridors exist when all stakeholders with their diverse interests are committed to producing commonly desired results, starting with the priorities that each stakeholder agrees upon, and then extending the limits of the corridor as soon as success is achieved and trust is gained.
The steps to success through Democracy Corridors include:
- Identifying key stakeholders in solving a problem (i.e. Belarusian NGOs, private sector leaders, government officials, and their Western counterparts)
- Diagnosing the needs and constraints of each stakeholder (this defines the initial «walls» of the «corridor»)
- Setting priorities that each stakeholder agrees upon
- Defining the role of each stakeholder in solving the problem
- Working either independently or jointly to achieve commonly desired results
- Gradually making the corridor broader as soon as success is achieved and trust is gained
This is a step-by-step approach that helps to avoid unnecessary confrontation and keeps transformation ongoing. NGOs can play a central role in the process, creating pressure in the «corridor» and gradually making it broader and broader without undermining stability. Winning the trust of stakeholders, NGOs can assume the role of mediators between society and political structures, the international community, and Belarus authorities.
SCAF has successfully used the strategy of Democracy Corridors in most delicate areas where confrontation was the main obstacle for solution of existing problems.
|
