In recent months I have seen two issues of your magazine. This initiative is the right thing at the right time. It brings pioneer information to target groups. Congratulations and thank you very much.

May I suggest you consider writing more about capacity building of NGOs? Even if an organisation has a good management team, but the middle managers and staff are not qualified to achieve the project targets, then the organisation will not meet its objectives. That may result in donors or top management pulling the plug on the project.


Editor's response:
We will attempt to address capacity building across all types of organisations and institutions. This issue features articles on NGOs on pages 4, 9 and 12. – Ed.

Thank you for the first issue of the new-style Capacity.org, which takes a more in-depth look at the issues surrounding capacity development.
The analysis of the different understandings of capacity development was most touching and challenging. In subsequent issues I hope to see a follow-up on this debate in the form of a broader discourse and considerations of widest perceptions on the topic. A particular question that might be interesting to follow up on in the future concerns the sustainability of the capacity development momentum that has been started in almost all past and ongoing development initiatives in developing countries, many of which unfortunately have been short-lived and disjointed. This is a challenge for most developing nations.
I look forward to an interactive discourse on this topic in future issues, and possibly case studies from the South.


Editor's response:
Thank you. We will certainly be looking at the question of sustainability. You can find case studies from the South on pages 4, 9 and 12 of this issue. – Ed.

Issue 26 of Capacity.org contained an interesting contribution entitled ‘Independent monitoring: promoting mutual accountability’. Drawing on experience in Tanzania, the article illustrated how independent monitors can aid development partners – in that instance the Tanzanian government and a donor group – by serving as an honest broker. Mutually selected monitors assessed working relationships by applying similar levels of scrutiny to all actors. The report helped make the assessment of aid relationships more objective with suggestions on specific actions to improve them.
With some adaptation, the concept of independent observation and advice can apply more broadly in development work. Although monitoring is important where relations have become ‘strained’, there are many other moments in the establishment, evolution and operation of development relationships when a neutral and impartial person or entity can be beneficial. This task can be broadly described as the ‘facilitation’ of relationships or partnerships.
As professional input, independently facilitated negotiations can help participants make decisions about: common objectives and expectations; the optimal role for each actor; how to best use resources; joint management of activities; fair and transparent decision-making processes; and the prevention and resolution of conflicts. A neutral facilitator can also guide periodic assessments of the collaboration or partnership, and can make recommendations about how to advance working relationships.
Today’s approach to development work calls for more relationships between diverse institutions at different scales of operation, levels of social organisation and relative power. Experience has convinced us that, by improving ‘relational capacity’, skilled facilitation has a valuable role to play in making complex relationships more effective and equitable. Spurred by this conviction, we have formed a specialised NGO, called Inter-Mediation (www.inter-mediation.org), to advance the idea and practice of using neutral and impartial third parties to assist development relationships. Comments and feedback are more than welcome.