Partners for Democratic Change International

Last updated
Partners for Democratic Change International
FoundedAugust 2006
Type NGO network
Location
  • Albania, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Georgia, Hungary, Jordan, Kosovo, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Yemen, USA
Area served
Worldwide
MethodCivic education, mediation, publication
Website PDCI network

Partners for Democratic Change International (PDCI) is a network of partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs) focused on civil and societal reform in their respective countries. Founded under the Partners for Democratic Change (Partners) program, the PDCI has local centers in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. They assist in areas like civil society, good governance, and a culture of change and conflict management worldwide.

Contents

Organization

PDCI's history

Established in 1989, Partners for Democratic Change emerged in response to the seismic shifts occurring in Central and Eastern Europe during that time. In an initial response to these transformative developments, Partners swiftly established centers across diverse regions, spanning Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. This strategic approach facilitated the cultivation and reinforcement of sustainable capabilities and local expertise, uniquely positioned to address an array of challenges encompassing governmental, business, and civil society conflicts, disputes, and transformative processes. The organization's primary method of intervention was rooted in mediating processes and meticulously crafted programs.

At present, Partners for Democratic Change functions as an autonomous non-governmental entity. Distinguished by its distinctive areas of expertise, these affiliated organizations share a fundamental set of core competencies. This common foundation empowers them to train a diverse spectrum of individuals, from citizens and government officials to non-governmental activists and corporate leaders. These training initiatives are conducted on national and regional scales, facilitating the dissemination of invaluable knowledge and skills. Moreover, the organizations adeptly employ their wealth of mediating and collaborative proficiency, employing these methodologies to address public disputes and complex societal challenges.

A significant milestone in the evolution of the Partners network occurred as early as 1998 when a subsequent generation of organizations associated with Partners for Democratic Change began to take shape. This evolutionary phase witnessed the establishment of coordination mechanisms and exchanges within the network. Building on this foundation, in 2001, the network members collectively ratified the PDCI Charter. This pivotal moment marked the commencement of a tradition wherein members convened three times annually, concurrently contributing to a designated "PDCI Fund."

The network secretariat in Brussels

In the year 2006, the members collectively established PDCI, a non-profit association operating under the auspices of Belgian law. This momentous endeavor was underpinned by a resolute commitment to mutual knowledge sharing, expertise dissemination, and skill enhancement. The overarching objective was to fortify each member organization, bolster their endeavors at national, regional, and global levels, and forge a collective front that would facilitate the enrichment of other entities through the propagation of their invaluable work centered around peace, justice, and civil society enhancement on a local scale.

During the mid-2007 timeframe, a central secretariat was inaugurated in Brussels, serving as the administrative hub of the organization.

In the same year, 2007, Partners for Democratic Change received distinguished accolades for their exceptional contributions. The Association for Conflict Resolution's International Section (ACRIS) bestowed upon them the prestigious Outstanding Leadership Award, acknowledging their substantial efforts in cultivating sustainable local capacity to propel civil society progress and foster a culture of transformative change and conflict management on a global scale.

Furthermore, the JAMS Foundation honored Partners for Democratic Change with the Fourth Annual Warren Knight Award in recognition of their adept management and resolution of conflicts and their pivotal role in assisting emerging democracies worldwide in advancing the cause of civil society.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediation</span> Dispute resolution with assistance of a moderator

Mediation is a negotiation facilitated by a third-party neutral. It is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party, the mediator, assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are encouraged to actively participate in the process. Mediation is a "party-centered" process in that it is focused primarily upon the needs, rights, and interests of the parties. The mediator uses a wide variety of techniques to guide the process in a constructive direction and to help the parties find their optimal solution. A mediator is facilitative in that they manage the interaction between parties and facilitates open communication. Mediation is also evaluative in that the mediator analyzes issues and relevant norms ("reality-testing"), while refraining from providing prescriptive advice to the parties. Due to its voluntary nature, a person cannot be compelled to use mediation to resolve their dispute. However, a suggestion from the Court may be difficult to resist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-governmental organization</span> Organization, usually created to aid those in need

A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in humanitarianism or the social sciences; they can also include clubs and associations that provide services to their members and others. NGOs can also be lobby groups for corporations, such as the World Economic Forum. NGOs are distinguished from international and intergovernmental organizations (IOs) in that the latter are more directly involved with sovereign states and their governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil society</span> Third sector of society, distinct from government and business

Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere. By other authors, civil society is used in the sense of 1) the aggregate of non-governmental organizations and institutions that advance the interests and will of citizens or 2) individuals and organizations in a society which are independent of the government.

Rebellion is a violent uprising against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a portion of a state.

My saying: श्रीराम खड्का द्वारा लेखिएको

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E-democracy</span> Use of information and communication technology in political and governance processes

E-democracy, also known as digital democracy or Internet democracy, uses information and communication technology (ICT) in political and governance processes. The term is credited to digital activist Steven Clift. By using 21st-century ICT, e-democracy seeks to enhance democracy, including aspects like civic technology and E-government. Proponents argue that by promoting transparency in decision-making processes, e-democracy can empower all citizens to observe and understand the proceedings. Also, if they possess overlooked data, perspectives, or opinions, they can contribute meaningfully. This contribution extends beyond mere informal disconnected debate; it facilitates citizen engagement in the proposal, development, and actual creation of a country's laws. In this way, e-democracy has the potential to incorporate crowdsourced analysis more directly into the policy-making process.

Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR)(Danish: Den danske komité for hjælp til afghanske flygtninge) is a non-political, non-governmental, non-profit humanitarian and development organization working to improve the lives of the Afghan people since 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social entrepreneurship</span> Approach to develop, fund and implement solutions to social or environmental issues

Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of organizations, which vary in size, aims, and beliefs. For-profit entrepreneurs typically measure performance using business metrics like profit, revenues and increases in stock prices. Social entrepreneurs, however, are either non-profits, or they blend for-profit goals with generating a positive "return to society". Therefore, they use different metrics. Social entrepreneurship typically attempts to further broad social, cultural and environmental goals often associated with the voluntary sector in areas such as poverty alleviation, health care and community development.

Electronic participation (e-participation) refers to the use of ICT in facilitating citizen participation in government-related processes, encompassing areas such as administration, service delivery, decision-making, and policy-making. As such, e-participation shares close ties with e-government and e-governance participation. The term's emergence aligns with the digitization of citizen interests and interactions with political service providers, primarily due to the proliferation of e-government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peacebuilding</span> Nonviolent intervention to prevent conflict

Peacebuilding is an activity that aims to resolve injustice in nonviolent ways and to transform the cultural and structural conditions that generate deadly or destructive conflict. It revolves around developing constructive personal, group, and political relationships across ethnic, religious, class, national, and racial boundaries. The process includes violence prevention; conflict management, resolution, or transformation; and post-conflict reconciliation or trauma healing before, during, and after any given case of violence.

The Foundation for Tolerance International is a Kyrgyz non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1998 to prevent conflict and build peace and justice in Central Asia. It has operated for nine years in a fluid and changing context, but it has remained focused on its original goals of conflict prevention on a range of vertical and horizontal conflicts. FTI’s work is focused on two main directions:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North–South Centre</span> Building in Lisbon, Portugal

The North–South Centre, officially the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity, is a Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe, the oldest political organisation of European states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good government organizations in the United States</span>

The United States has a history of citizen, nonprofit, and other non-partisan groups advocating good government that reaches back to the late-19th-century municipal-level Progressive Movement and the development of governmental professional associations in the early part of the 20th century, such as the American Public Human Services Association and the International City/County Management Association. Many of these groups had their genesis at the Public Administration Center at 1313 East 60th Street, at the University of Chicago.

swisspeace is a practice and research institute located in Basel, Switzerland. It is dedicated to the promotion of effective peacebuilding. Partnerships with local and international actors form the basis of its work. Together with its partner organizations, swisspeace combines expertise and creativity to reduce violence and promote peace in conflict-affected contexts.

Osita B. Izunaso is the current Senator for the Imo West (Orlu) constituency of Imo State, Nigeria, taking office in June 2023. He is a member of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Transition management is a governance approach that aims to facilitate and accelerate sustainability transitions through a participatory process of visioning, learning and experimenting. In its application, transition management seeks to bring together multiple viewpoints and multiple approaches in a 'transition arena'. Participants are invited to structure their shared problems with the current system and develop shared visions and goals which are then tested for practicality through the use of experimentation, learning and reflexivity. The model is often discussed in reference to sustainable development and the possible use of the model as a method for change.

PartnersGlobal, formerly known as Partners for Democratic Change, is a non-government organization founded in 1989 to build local capacity for conflict resolution and change management in the developing world. It does this through two main methods the first being the establishment of local, independent nonprofits of which there are 18 all of whom are members of the international network Partners for Democratic Change International which was formally established under Belgium law in 2004.

Raymond Shonholtz J.D. was the founder of two community mediation organizations; Community Boards in 1976 and Partners for Democratic Change in 1989.

Collaborative partnerships are agreements and actions made by consenting organizations to share resources to accomplish a mutual goal. Collaborative partnerships rely on participation by at least two parties who agree to share resources, such as finances, knowledge, and people. Organizations in a collaborative partnership share common goals. The essence of collaborative partnership is for all parties to mutually benefit from working together.

The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) is a leading Regional Peacebuilding organisation founded in 1998 in response to civil wars that plagued West Africa in the 1990s. Over the years, WANEP has succeeded in establishing strong national networks in every Member State of ECOWAS with over 550 member organisations across West Africa. WANEP places special focus on collaborative approaches to conflict prevention, and peacebuilding, working with diverse actors from civil society, governments, intergovernmental bodies, women groups and other partners in a bid to establish a platform for dialogue, experience sharing and learning, thereby complementing efforts at ensuring sustainable peace and development in West Africa and beyond.

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