"The speed at which the use of participatory methods is expanding worldwide is breathtaking. I wish I could say the same for participatory development."
(Meera Kaul Shah)

Development Cooperation (DC) has become more "political". Topics such as human rights, promotion of civil society and good governance are receiving increasing attention. Participation – the active involvement of citizens in all decisions that affect their lives – is a key condition for a functioning democracy and for poverty reduction.

Three aspects of participatory development interact in poverty reduction:

• participation in DC processes
• democratic participation – empowering people to participate in steering and decision-making processes
• systemic participation - developing systems and institutions in politics and society that enable and guarantee participation

Participatory DC thus goes beyond the involvement of direct beneficiaries. Participation promotes the ownership of social and economic changes, thus contributing towards sustainable development.

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