How to Build Successful Coalitions to Achieve Difficult Development Goals
One of the biggest challenges in promoting good governance and policy reforms in developing and transitioning countries is working effectively with coalitions of governmental and non-governmental actors to work in a coordinated manner on broad reform initiatives. Partners for Democratic Change and the Center for Strategic and International Studies presented international best practices and specific cases studies in coalition-building as applied to a range of issues from environmental policies to anti-corruption efforts.
Panelists:
As Program Manager and Trainer for Partners Foundation for Local Development (FPDL) in Bucharest, Romania, Ms. Olivia Baciu is responsible for developing and managing programs, conducting training and facilitation services, developing training materials, and providing technical assistance on cross sectoral development programs. Ms. Baciu is an accomplished international trainer and facilitator, having trained in Europe and Africa on the topics of conflict management, ethnic integration, local governance, participatory budgeting, NGO organizational development, among others. She has contributed to programs implemented by a wide range of donors, including USAID, the European Union, the World Bank, and the United Nations. Previously, Ms. Baciu has worked for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Romanian Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Institute for Regional Cooperation and Conflict Prevention. As a trainer, Ms. Baciu has conducted Training of Trainers sessions. Ms. Baciu speaks fluent Romanian, French, and English and holds three advanced degrees from universities in Belgium, Italy, and Romania.
Raja Hiyari, Director and Training Manager, Partners-Jordan: Center for Civic Collaboration
Ms. Raja M. Hiyari serves as the Director for Partners-Jordan, a Jordanian non-governmental organization, committed to advancing civil society, promoting mediation and conflict management, and encouraging citizen participation in Jordan’s social and political development. She oversees all training activities for the Center and is fully responsible for managing Partners-Jordan’s international programs and implementing innovative programming to promote democratic processes and change management. She has extensive experience as a program manager at the national and regional level and as a trainer in proposal and report writing, program management, and communications skills. She has conducted trainings for the Iraqi Ministry of Health, Yemeni NGOs, the Jordan National Forum for Women, government staff in Egypt, and the Jordanian Department of Land and Survey, among others. She previously worked as a Program Coordinator and trainer for The Queen Zein al-Sharaf Institute for Development in Amman and as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program. As a consultant, Ms. Hiyari has written reports, held best practices workshops, and produced training and program materials in English and Arabic.
Moderator:
Gerald F. (“Jerry”) Hyman is both a senior adviser and president of the Hills Program on Governance at CSIS. He provides assistance to the Hills-affiliated network of centers in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, manages the Hills Program in the United States, and conducts his own research on democracy and governance. He is also a member of the Advisory Council to the Center for International Media Assistance of the National Endowment for Democracy. He served with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1990 to 2007 and was director of its Office of Democracy and Governance from 2002 to 2007. Prior to joining USAID, he practiced law in Washington, D.C., with Covington & Burling. Between 1970 and 1982, Hyman taught courses on anthropology, social theory, modernization, economic development, American Indians, and Southeast Asia in the Departments of Sociology and Anthropology at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. He holds a B.A. in philosophy and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from the University of Virginia. He is the author, most recently, of A Cabinet-level Development Agency: Right Problem, Wrong Solution (CSIS, 2009).
Background Documents
Coalition Building for Good Governance in Mauritania, case study from FPDL
Building an Advocacy Coalition for NGO Law Reform- Case Study from Jordan
