About

How the Manifesto was developed

collage_consultation2

The international consultation to create  a Manifesto for Democracy and Sustainability was launched in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 by the Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development (FDSD).

Initially launched as a consultation on a People’s Manifesto for Democracy and Sustainable Development, the text eventually emerged as the first edition of the Manifesto for Democracy and Sustainability.

Participants in the consultation process were invited to submit reactions to a series of seven draft Principles proposed by FDSD. They were also invited to offer suggestions on actions, practical innovations, or existing examples that could, if taken up more widely, help to get democracy to work better for sustainable development. The consultation process also asked for suggestions on words, sentiments and phrases that could inspire the drafters of the Manifesto.

bg_ripple01-212x222The overall framework for the consultation invited participants to help start a ripple effect by submitting ideas that could shape a manifesto for change.

By the conclusion of the consultation in December 2012, around 340 people in 37 countries had submitted ideas through workshops, exhibition stands and online consultation forms.

Nearly 50% of the consultation responses came  from people in the FDSD’s home country, the UK. But the idea had always been for a Manifesto that could inspire action everywhere.

poster-A1-3-spanThere were also consultation events, hosted by a variety of organisations, in Rio de Janeiro (The Access Initiative, International Institute for Environment and Development), the Philippines (Ateneo School of Government), Spain (IIDMA/CONAMA), Argentina (Fundación Cambio Democrático and FLACSO), and Pakistan (Lok Sanjh Foundation). FDSD also collected consultation responses through online forms in Spanish and English.

The public consultation period for the Manifesto ended in November 2012. FDSD collated and analysed the complete set of consultation responses, and used these to draft a Mark I of a complete Manifesto text.

The penultimate stop in the drafting process was an international synthesis seminar co-organised by FDSD and Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) and hosted by SGS at Schloss Leopoldskron in Austria. A diverse invited group of twenty participants from sixteen countries gathered over three days in December 2012.

Participants’ tasks during the facilitated discussion were to reflect on the collated consultation responses, to offer feedback on the Mark I Manifesto text, and to share ideas on how best to launch the Manifesto. Participants at the seminar were not asked to arrive at consensus on a draft final text but to advise its drafters at FDSD. Everyone participated in his or her personal capacity.

Full materials from the consultation process are available on FDSD’s website, together with an analysis of consultation responses and a summary of discussions at the Schloss Leopoldskron seminar.

FDSD’s Halina Ward drafted a final three-page version of the first edition of the Manifesto for Democracy and Sustainability in early January 2013. The process of gathering founder signatories and building the Democracy and Sustainability Platform website and associated materials then began.

The Democracy and Sustainability Platform launched on 20th March 2013.