PHA-Exchange> Revisioning/Remissioning

[Aviva]

Some food for thought again from Hanoi.

I am concerned about donors' transition from where they are now to
where they need to move to as soon as possible to catch up with the 21st
century.
The emerging paradigms in development work are now focused on two main
approaches: on poverty alleviation and on human rights- based planning and
acting.
The UN is already moving in that direction. It is a fait accompli.
The only way donors will all jump into the bandwagon before it is too late
(and a new fashion comes flying by) is to do as many NGOs are now doing:
holding serious Revisioning and Remissioning Retreats at executive and
operational levels at their central and  peripheral offices.
 In these meetings they have to start with a (painful) self-criticism and
ask themselves:
How have we been part of the problem and not of the solution?
Then, a thorough review of the new emerging paradigms above has to be done
for all in the organization to standardize their understanding of the
conceptual details of both; they then have to  agree on what it will take to
get there and  what new commitments this will mean for the organization.
This is followed by a brain storm and final selection of the New
Vision the organization sets for itself for a five and a ten years
horizon (strictly addressing the key issues of the new paradigms!).
 Agreeing on the objectives for a new mission based on the vision arrived at
should then come easy.
The retreat itself, as an event, is crucial. It marks the breaking point for
the old paradigm. If not tackled as an acute event, changes will
linger and fade.
If well prepared, this can truly mark the beginning of a new era. A lot of
what has been discussed in this list server would come up in the
self-criticism.
Groups of committed consultants could specialize in the coming two
 yrs to facilitate such retreats for many different donor organizations and
NGOs.

Claudio

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