STRATEGY 2014-17 IDEAS THAT CAN INSPIRE
DANISH INSTITUTE FOR PARTIES AND DEMOCRACY
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Danish political experiences form part of our work.
FOREWORD The Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy was born in 2010 as a result of political parties wanting to contribute to the development of democratic, well-functioning and co-operating political parties in developing countries, within the framework of Danish development cooperation. Four years later, we know much more about what we are capable of; what we would like to do; and how to do it. The bill adopted by Parliament in May 2010 to establish DIPD provides a clear framework for the nature and scope of the work of the institute. The primary purpose of the strategy called “Ideas that can inspire” is to indicate the priorities considered to be necessary by the Board and to identify the approaches that the institute shall use to achieve the targets we have set. Denmark has decided to adopt a set-up where the institute supports both party-to-party partnerships through the Danish political parties and multiparty partnerships through the institute. We will maintain this set-up and strive to strengthen the link between the two approaches, aiming to ensure the involvement of the Danish parties in our multi-party activities. During the first strategy period, we have made an effort to develop themes and approaches that build on Danish experiences. This is the case with regard to the mobilisation of volunteers in political parties, the participation of women, the involvement of youth, and the importance of local party branches. The purpose is not to export a Danish model of democracy, but to present ideas that can inspire, and, in particular, ideas that have been tested over the course of our own democratic development. As such, we continue to insist that there is no such thing as a ‘magic bullet’ which can instantly make parties or systems more democratic. We do however believe that it is indeed possible, through long-term partnerships based on mutual trust and transparency, to contribute meaningfully to democratic development in some developing countries. The new strategy builds on the lessons learnt by the Danish parties and the institute over the first three-year period. The Board will discuss how the strategic priorities are reflected in the individual partnerships on a regular basis, and once a year we will take stock of how well we have been able to deliver on our overall objectives.
Chairman Director Henrik Bach Mortensen Bjørn Førde
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Democratisation builds on the respect for human rights.
VISION, MISSION AND PRINCIPLES The law establishing the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy provides the institute with a mandate to contribute to the strengthening of the democratic culture, the political parties and the multi-party system in selected developing countries. This mandate has been expressed in the form of a vision, a mission and some key principles.
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VISION OF THE INSTITUTE:
To contribute to the development of well-functioning democratic political parties, multi-party systems and other institutions as central stakeholders in the democratic culture of selected developing countries.
MISSION OF THE INSTITUTE:
To establish partnerships with political parties, multi-party platforms, and other institutions through the active involvement of Danish political parties, Danish stakeholders, and international partners.
PRINCIPLES OF THE INSTITUTE:
The point of departure for cooperation with partners is a number of key principles, reflecting experiences from the work of the institute over the first three years. These principles also define the identity of the institute, namely:
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That democratisation builds upon and is strengthened by the respect for human rights, in particular the civil and political rights, and rights like freedom of assembly, freedom to organise, freedom of expression and the protection of minorities;
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That the institute takes its point of departure in democratic principles rather than one particular political system consisting of particular institutions and processes; and that the institute considers political parties as key actors in a parliamentary democracy, where parties are tasked with a number of key democratic responsibilities and interacting with e.g. media and civil society;
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That all of the activities and partnerships are firmly rooted in a political analysis of the environment and conditions determining the context of our work. This analysis also focuses on areas where Danish experiences can contribute in a qualified manner, in cooperation with and complementary to other Danish and international efforts, to strengthening democracy;
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The partnership should be seen as a meeting of political cultures with international partners, where commonly shared democratic challenges can be discussed on a basis of equality, including the need to strengthen volunteerism and popular participation in the work of political parties.
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Initiatives that capacitate partners to involve women and youth.
OBJECTIVES AND RESULTS The vision and mission of the institute will be implemented through the objectives described below, covering all activities. The first objective is relevant for both party-to-party and multiparty partnerships, while the second objective is of particular relevance to multi-party cooperation.
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DIPD shall contribute to the strengthening of the capacity of political parties to function democratically, and to parties being representative and accountable.
Democratic parties need capacity to manage a multitude of functions and responsibilities. The institute will give particular priority to results in one or more of the following focus areas:
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That partners take specific action to become better equipped to involve women and youth actively in the party organisation;
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That partners introduce internal procedures resulting in all major decisionmaking being conducted in a democratic and transparent manner;
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That partners have the necessary capacity to develop policies and are able to communicate with citizens and voters, who are to hold parties accountable;
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That partners build increased capacity to represent and involve members and interested citizens at the local level.
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DIPD shall contribute to the strengthening of the political dialogue and cooperation among parties in a multi-party system.
In young democracies and highly polarised countries, dialogue and cooperation are critical to supporting peaceful political processes and to seeking common solutions to difficult challenges. The institute will give particular priority to results in one or more of the following focus areas:
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That partners create and utilise platforms for dialogue to further inter-party dialogue as well as communication with other key stakeholders;
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That partners strengthen the internal democratic culture in the parties through sharing of experiences and best practice;
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That partners come together to develop codes of conduct for parties and party members, in particular around election time;
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That partners together take action to contribute to democratic legislation and regulation of the multi-party political system.
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Cooperation and dialogue can create a less polarised environment.
THEMES AND METHODS In all activities supported by the institute there is a need to do cument results. This requires a clear focus, the use of the most appropriate methods, and the allocation of resources where they have the greatest impact. This calls for prioritisation of activities in several key areas. STRATEGY FOR CHANGE To be able to change and support democratic development, a strategy for what is needed to achieve the objectives chosen must be established. Each partnership is unique, and the strategy must build on a thorough analysis of the political environment in which the parties operate. Shared goals must be established as well as agreement on the methods to be used to transform the objectives into results. DIPD has adopted a general understanding of how change is achieved, with the following key dimensions: →
Political parties are seen as key actors in democratic societies. They are important channels for the choices of the electorate and thus for the influence of citizens on parliament and government. DIPD focuses on two decisive democratic functions – one being representation (e.g. inclusion of youth and women) and the other accountability (e.g. communication to members).
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In its support for democratisation, DIPD takes a systemic approach, meaning that analysis and interventions are applied at three interconnected levels: first there is the general regulation of the party political system; then there is the dialogue and cooperation among political parties and other stakeholders, and finally the political parties and their democratic functions vis-à-vis members, voters and government.
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A strengthening of the key democratic functions of political parties will strengthen democracy in general. This may e.g. be facilitated through the participation of citizens in political work at the local level; more democratic processes for decision-making within the parties; increased inclusion of women and youth, and improvements in good governance through stronger mechanisms for accountability and transparency. This may be achieved through party-to-party activities as well as multi-party activities.
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Facilitation of cooperation and dialogue among the political parties will contribute to a more balanced and less polarised political environment. This will also create greater appreciation for political adversaries, and thus a better point of departure for agreements and coalitions, and for reforms that can strengthen the multi-party system. This process is particularly strengthened through multi-party partnerships, but cooperation and dialogue should also be supported in party-to-party partnerships.
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Partnership is about long-term cooperation and trust.
CHOICE OF PARTNERS AND COUNTRIES During the first strategy period, DIPD has made a number of choices regarding both partners and countries, and these choices have been discussed and assessed regularly. In the coming strategy period, DIPD will place particular emphasis on the following action points: →
That cooperation with present partners should be consolidated and concentrated where efforts seem useful and possible in a long-term perspective;
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That new countries will only be chosen after rigorous assessment of the political situation and the risks involved;
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That new partners will only be chosen following a comprehensive assessment of both the needs of the partner and the capacity of the Danish party to deliver on the needs identified;
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That the balance between ambitions, resources and results should be assessed very carefully when deciding on the number of partners and countries;
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That priority should be given to countries and partners where Danish experiences can be used to ensure cooperation and synergy between party-to-party and multi-party partnerships;
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That the primary objective is to strengthen parties and party systems in developing countries, but that DIPD is also keen to see the partnerships generate results in Denmark.
CORE SERVICES FROM THE INSTITUTE The key DIPD services are a mix of the funds made available to the activities of the partnerships and the expertise and experience which the institute can help facilitate and disseminate. In the coming strategy period, DIPD will place particular emphasis on the following action points: →
That DIPD’s engagement is channelled through partnerships characterised by long-term cooperation, mutual trust and transparency, and not least objectives and results agreed and formulated on the basis of thorough analysis and dialogue;
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That DIPD expertise and experience emanates from the Danish political parties, the secretariat and access to an international network, and that this is offered as knowledge input to strengthen the democratic functions of individual parties as well as to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between and across parties;
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That DIPD offers capacity development with a focus on the democratic functions of party organisations and party leadership as well as members and voters, and similarly offers ideas that can serve as inspiration for democratic change;
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That DIPD, through its project planning, will seek to facilitate a positive framework for managing change and continuously support a flexible and dynamic type of implementation, with a focus on process as well as results.
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Diversity of partners contribute positively to our work.
ORGANISATIONAL EFFORTS DIPD will strengthen its own capacity to deliver on objectives and results. During the first strategy period, guidelines and procedures have been developed to ensure implementation in a qualified manner. In the next phase, both the parties and the secretariat need to develop new capacities in several areas, and monitoring and evaluation procedures must be strengthened.
1.
DIPD will continue to develop initiatives that support the development of professional and organisational resources in the Danish parties.
DIPD will work with the political parties to identify initiatives that can support the capacity of the parties to implement their own partnerships and also contribute with expertise and experience to multi-party activities. In the coming strategy period, DIPD will place particular emphasis on the following action points:
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That the secretariat, together with the political parties, develops an action plan to be presented to the Board, with proposals on how to strengthen capacity;
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That the parties are offered opportunities to share knowledge on the methods and tools used in activities, and that they are given support to strengthen the administrative capacity to manage activities;
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That platforms for party members be established to allow members to learn about and contribute to the development of partnerships and how to participate as volunteers and trainers.
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The secretariat will strengthen the capacity to cooperate with many different types of partners.
The institute cooperates with actors with very different backgrounds and capacities for contributing to the strengthening of democracy, both in Denmark and around the world. This diversity contributes positively to the work of DIPD, but it can also be a challenge. In the coming strategy period, DIPD will place particular emphasis on the following action points:
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That the institute actively supports cooperation and facilitates new relationships with Danish and international actors in the democracy field;
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It is useful and necessary to know the impact of our work.
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That the DIPD’s commitment to equal partnerships as the foundation for its work is continuously developed and stays rooted in all activities;
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That new themes and methods continue to be developed in close cooperation between parties, institute and partners.
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DIPD must develop a simple and manageable system for reporting on objectives, activities and results.
DIPD is one among many institutions contributing to democratic development, and it will therefore always be difficult to isolate our particular contribution. It is nevertheless useful and necessary for DIPD and its partners to obtain an overview of the results of our common efforts. A consistent system for reporting on activities will document how we use our resources effectively and deliver results. In the coming strategy period, DIPD will place particular emphasis on the following action points:
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That a simple and realistic system be developed which makes it possible to document how the objectives produce the expected results;
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That a system to measure the results is used as one among several tools in the dialogue with partners to assess and improve results;
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That we continue to contribute actively to international efforts within the field of democracy development to develop suitable systems for measuring results;
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That the institute should invest systematically in disseminating the good stories about the ideas and results we are working with around the world.
STRATEGY 2014-2017 IDEAS THAT CAN INSPIRE Approved by the Board of DIPD at the meeting on 22 May 2014. Photos: Cover: Party members and others gathering for a rally organised by one of the political parties in Tanzania. By Rolf Aagaard-Svendsen. Page 2: Constitution Day meeting organised by the Conservatives with a guest from the Maoist party in Nepal. By Rolf Aagaard-Svendsen. Page 4: Women participating in a campaign to encourage women to run for office in local elections in Bihar in India. By UN Women/Ashutosh Negi. Page 6: Local members of one of the Madesh parties represented in the Parliament of Nepal meeting at district level. By Bjørn Førde. Page 8: Participants in one of many demonstrations taking place in Cairo when the Mubarak regime was toppled at the start of 2011. By Rowani El Shamani. Page 10: Members of the Danish Social Liberal Party participate in training with the partner in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. By Det Radikale Venstre. Page 12: Representatives from the partner of the Socialist People’s Party in Bolivia leaving Parliament after a seminar. By Socialistisk Folkeparti. Page 14: Participants in a political rally of a small opposition party in Zambia listening attentively to the speeches. By Bent Nicolajsen. Design: Move Copenhagen Tryk: Toptryk Grafisk ISBN print: 978-87-92796-26-4 ISBN web: 978-87-92796-27-1
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The vision of the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy is to contribute to the development of wellfunctioning democratic political parties, multi-party systems and other institutions as central stakeholders in the democratic culture of selected developing countries.
DANISH INSTITUTE FOR PARTIES AND DEMOCRACY