Participation in Practice: The Community-based Planning Manual for Partners

Communities are vast networks of groups, interests, and resources. They are home to people who are dedicated members of family networks, local governments, and civil society organizations. They have tried and tested ways to address needs, improve circumstances, and drive progress. They are partners in pursuit of change and progress.

IOM is pleased to offer the CBP Manual to its partners in government, civil society, academia, NGOs, private sector, and other stakeholders working at the local level. While CBP is an established best practice within intergovernmental and international nongovernmental fields, it does not belong to a single type of actor. It is an available practice for any entity that wants to improve the quality of programming. Putting the CBP process into the hands of partners can enhance coordination, foster greater accountability, and promote strong local leadership across all programmes, regardless of their objective.

The CBP process has broad application. It is not tied to any single type of programme. It is a tried and tested practice within humanitarian, development, and peace contexts and is an emerging best practice within migrant-protection activities. Community-centered approaches are now at the heart of the global effort to resolve internal displacement. They are the centerpiece in multiple post-conflict and peacebuilding programmes. And putting communities at the center can enhance the sustainability of migrant reintegration activities, migrant protection programmes, and the overall prevention of irregular migration and the creation of safe pathways for regular migration.

The goal of offering the CBP Manual to partners is to complement and reinforce ongoing action. The CBP process put forward in this Manual is nothing new. Many of the steps have existed for decades, and many of IOM’s partners may already have pre-existing systems in place. The process within this Manual is not meant to replace such systems, but rather serve as a capacity-strengthening tool that can complement and reinforce ongoing action. Overall, the CBP Manual is a versatile toolkit and an effective process for all partners to use.