process Re: [bestbits] [Meeting Report]: friday meeting with fadi et all

[Anja Kovacs]

Dear all,

I have been in favour of keeping some discussions closed, at least in the
early stages, for quite a while, and have been so for the reasons John and
Kivuva point out: other stakeholder groups do so all the time, and a
strategic argument to keep parts of a conversation limited to a smaller
group does not mean that conversation cannot be reported back on to a
larger group. As long as the latter happens, need more closed conversations
really be a problem?

As again confirmed during the Best Bits meeting, two specific
characteristics of Best Bits as a network are that it is action-oriented
and that it seeks to bridge the differences and disagreements between the
Global South and North.

To my mind, the strategy of being transparent at all times is one of the
main reasons why action is often inhibited and civil society is often less
effective than it could be. This is not only because we put all our cards
on the table all the time - something which puts other stakeholders at an
advantage. It is also because fully open lists do not encourage sharing
certain kinds of information and ideas that could actually help to
massively improve effectiveness of civil society action (and as is the case
so often, perhaps Global South civil society is perhaps more vulnerable
here than Global North civil society).

In fact, if Best Bits has been working, it is because so much is actually
done by small groups of people who want to do something, trust each other,
start coordinating, and then bring their ideas, once crystallised, to the
main list (what are now called "fluid working groups" in BB lingo ;)

If we ignore this reality, this will only be at our own peril.

I don't see transparency as an end in itself, but is a means to an end,
which is the creation of a level playing field. Because of power
differentials, different stakeholder groups are differently placed in this
field, and whatever strategies we decide on should keep this in mind. The
redistribution of power should drive our actions, not transparency as such.

Thanks and best regards,
Anja
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/bestbits/attachments/20131031/d5c5e33c/attachment.htm>