Delivering effective political party assistance: challenges for policy makers and practitioners [WP999]

This conference was attended by bilateral donors, diplomats, international and regional organizations, implementers who focus on political party assistance, as well as political party members, political analysts and a broad range of actors from the peace making (mediation, dialogue facilitation), democracy building, state building and academic fields.

Our discussion

• The main consensus that emerged from the conference is that it is time to move from thinking politically to acting politically when providing assistance in this area.

•  However, moving from policy to practice when discussing interventions that impact on internal political processes remains a complex and sensitive endeavour and there are many diverging views on how support to political parties should (or should not) be provided.