Building Peace

Practical Innovations from USIP

Building Peace No. 1 June 2011

Justice and Security Dialogue in Nepal

A New Approach to Sustainable Dialogue
Building Peace

Practical Innovations from USIP

Building Peace No. 1 June 2011

Justice and Security Dialogue in Nepal

A New Approach to Sustainable Dialogue

Problem Identified

Action Taken

Lessons Learned

The full text of this report is available at

http://www.usip.org/publications/justice_and_security_dialogue_in_nepal

United States Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC 20037
Contents

The Building Peace series reports on innovative work by USIP that has practical

applications for peacemakers and peacebuilders. The goal is to get useful

knowledge into the hands of practitioners promptly. Some of the work reported in

Building Peace is recent, some is ongoing. All of it has been tested, usually in the

field, but this is work in progress and feedback is warmly welcomed. Please send

all comments on this report to the director of USIP's Rule of Law Center of

Innovation, Colette Rausch, at crausch@usip.org.
Introduction

A New Approach

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The Three P’s at the Heart of JSD
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Table 1: Defining Characteristics of JSD

Limited international management: An international actor (or actors) helps

launch the JSD process and shepherds it, at least through its early stages, but

international involvement is deliberately limited and focused on facilitation

and provision of technical advice rather than direction

Maximum local ownership: The spectrum of local involvement extends from

input to participation, cooperation, management, ownership, and control;

constant efforts are made to maximize local involvement and ownership

Stakeholder readiness for dialogue: JSD is launched only when one or more

stakeholders has shown an interest in building understanding or even

cooperating with other stakeholders at the local and/or national levels

Partnership mode: The international actor (the “international partner”) forms

a partnership (not donor-recipient or vendor-client relationships) with a

national-level actor (the “national partner”) to develop and implement JSD

programs; the national partner forms partnerships with local-level actors (the

“local partners”) and coordinates and monitors local JSD activities while

feeding back information to the international partner

Good reputation and access of partners: All partners are and are seen to be

credible, committed, trustworthy, and independent; each has access to leading

figures and officials at its level; partners must be seen as either politically

neutral individually or as politically balanced collectively
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Local focus informed by general principles: JSD introduces stakeholders to

general rule of law principles and typical post-conflict reconstruction roles,

but dialogues focus on local issues and perspectives

Diversity of participation: JSD brings together groups that tend not to work

closely together; the participants representing those groups are also varied (in

rank, profession, area of interest, political affiliation, geographical location,

gender, ethnicity, etc.); the staff of the national and local partners are also

diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, etc.

Equal respect for the interests, values, and agendas of all stakeholders:

The concerns and ambitions of the police are treated as no less important than

those of civil society; all active local political parties are afforded equal

opportunities to hear and be heard; cultural awareness and sensitivity are vital

Justice and security seen as mutually supportive: Security and justice are

seen as two sides of the same coin; security is interpreted broadly to mean a

society that not only maintains civil order and enforces laws but also respects

human rights and reflects social diversity; justice is understood to mean not

only an independent judiciary and due process of law but also popular

conceptions of fairness, equality of treatment, and accountability

Long-term perspective: By necessity or design, JSD takes a long view:

partnerships take time to form; initial dialogues last only a few days but are

intended to kick-start an enduring process of regular consultation and

cooperation between local actors; immediate concrete results are welcome but

not expected; some initiatives may bear fruit quickly but there is no less merit

in planting seeds that will not germinate for a long time; local-level ideas and

achievements percolate slowly upward into national-level policymaking; much

of the focus is on establishing relationships and structures that will naturally

sustain themselves once the international partner departs

Consultation and sharing of information: The partners consult constantly

with one another and regularly with all stakeholders at all levels; information

is shared on an ongoing basis except where confidentiality, safety, or program

effectiveness dictate otherwise

Maintenance of close contact and good relations with government: Contact

with the national government extends beyond consultation to involve

cooperation and coordination in some areas, but the JSD process must remain

independent from government

Ongoing evaluation of activities: Assessment of major initiatives as well as

ongoing programs is crucial, with steps taken being chronicled, reasons for

success or failure analyzed, and lessons drawn and woven into future plans

Calibrated public outreach and profile: JSD initiatives are publicized in

advance and their results disseminated in print and/or online reports, but the

media are kept at a distance early in the process and invited to cover later

activities on a case-by-case basis; JSD program’s public profile is usually kept

low and continually monitored and adjusted in light of current initiatives,

changes in political conditions, and shifts in the agendas of stakeholders

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The Origins of JSD

A Tumultuous Prologue

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Stuttering Peace and Soaring Crime
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A Fusion of Partnerships
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An Experiment in the Capital

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Taking JSD to the Districts

Preparing the Ground

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Conducting the Local Dialogues

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Acquiring a New Understanding

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Deepening and Broadening JSD

What Next?

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Making Concrete Gains
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Surveying the Unknown
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A Commitment to Consultation

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Lessons Learned: Distilling and

Customizing the JSD Approach

Lessons Learned

Don’t Launch JSD until the Time Is Right

Be Patient and Flexible

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Credibility Is Crucial
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Don’t Underestimate the Time That JSD Takes
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Do Not Overestimate the Capacity or Support of Stakeholders

Personalities Matter

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Distilling the Essence of JSD

Table 2: JSD in Action
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Applying the Framework Elsewhere

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Toward a Sustainable Future

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Notes

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52 • Notes
Acknowledgments

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About the Author

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USIP Experts

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About USIP

USIP’s Strategic Goals

Board of Directors

Members ex officio

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Justice and Security Dialogue in Nepal