ID: 2004
Presenting Author: Antoinette Salmata Gabby Hayes
Session: 566 - Engaging Stakeholders in Adversity: Practices, Pitfalls, and Pathways
Status: pending
Many development projects falter due to exclusionary engagement practices. This paper introduces a context-specific, empathetic framework for inclusive participation, emphasizing transparenc
Across many development sectors, projects fail to achieve their intended outcomes not only due to weak technical design, but because engagement processes overlook the people most affected. In many Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), stakeholder mapping prioritizes individuals and groups with high power and influence those capable of supporting or obstructing implementation, while neglecting marginalized voices, end users and those with emotional or cultural ties to project sites. This exclusion results often in community resistance, stalled implementation, abandoned infrastructure and a lack of long-term ownership. Inclusive community engagement requires recognizing that each project and community is unique. Engagement cannot rely solely on standardized procedures or regulatory compliance; it must be adaptive, context-specific, and emotionally intelligent. Each community’s cultural identity, values, and emotional connection to land, monuments, and local heritage must be acknowledged as integral to project success. This paper proposes a framework for inclusive engagement that emphasizes early and equitable participation of all community groups, context-driven approaches tailored to local realities and emotions, transparent communication and trust-building mechanisms, and participatory co-construction in which communities share responsibility and ownership. By integrating these practices, projects can move beyond token consultation toward genuine collaboration, thereby enhancing social acceptability, reducing conflict, and fostering long-term sustainability.
Antoinette is a Sustainability Professional specializing in Social and Gender Inclusion and Safeguards, working on World Bank, GIZ, and e-waste projects in Ghana. She holds advanced degrees
Coauthor 1: Irene Yeboah
Coauthor 2: Beryl Adormaa Buanya