This article is written by Saliqa Zaman, Assistant Stakeholder Coordinator, Department of Environment-Guyana

In 2016, Guyana introduced a ban on Styrofoam.

The lightweight plastic clogged our sewage systems and damaged our environment, costing millions of dollars. But the ban was rushed and four years on we are still trying to fill in the gaps that were missed. To this day, there are individuals who say that they were never aware of the ban and numerous businesses smuggle the material. Our ban was not backed-up with continuing communication, close monitoring and proper enforcement. More importantly, it was not built on a foundation of proper stakeholder engagement.

Successful policy decisions cannot be made without meaningful stakeholder engagement. Stakeholder engagement ensures that everyone has a voice in decision-making. From technical specialists and business owners, to community leaders and ordinary citizens: all have crucial insights to share which can help improve policies.

However, finding the best approach to consult and communicate with such a diverse set of people can be challenging. It requires a lot of time, money and effort to conduct extensive stakeholder engagement. This poses serious problems for policymakers in developing countries, who have limited resources. As a result, oftentimes the stakeholder engagement process is rushed or executed insubstantially. But that is a mistake.

I have witnessed this several times in Guyana, working as a public servant in environmental stakeholder engagement. Important policies affecting the lives of all Guyanese citizens have been enforced without proper public participation. Consequently, they have caused significant unintended negative effects. As the Styrofoam ban shows, garnering support for new regulations when people’s concerns have not been fully considered is very difficult. And it is practically impossible if they do not even know about the changes.

The right approach in tough times

Guyana is learning from this experience as we move to implement a new ban on single-use plastics in 2021.

This policy will have a tremendous impact on our business community, thus detailed consultation is absolutely necessary. However, the majority of these consultations were scheduled to occur just as the Covid crisis sparked.

The pandemic has made it more difficult to conduct meaningful stakeholder engagement. Across the world, from developed to developing societies, governments are being forced to rethink their approach. This process cannot be simply put on hold, especially in the environmental conservation sector. So we are using virtual platforms — such as social media, webinars and video conferencing — to reach key individuals. Given their low cost and convenience, these communication tools should remain part of our approach in the future. Yet, the unequal spread of technology in many societies means that these platforms may not be fully inclusive.

Stakeholder engagement is quite complex. It requires critical thinking, flexibility and creativity to be effective

Recognising these challenges, we have increased our presence on radio and television to engage a wider audience. Aside from this, we decided to extend the timeline for implementation of the ban. We are cognisant that it is still important for us to have physical community meetings with the public. This is especially necessary for rural and indigenous communities, as many of them do not have proper internet access. Furthermore, while virtual interactions can empower diverse voices, it can also make it more difficult for the host to properly communicate with their audience.

We have established a partnerships taskforce with non-governmental organisations who are helping us to reach marginalised communities. These organisations not only assist in the sharing of information, but they have also integrated the single-use plastics ban into their work plan and are using their platforms to increase public awareness.

Takeaway

Stakeholder engagement is quite complex. It requires critical thinking, flexibility and creativity to be effective.

Leaders need to start prioritising and investing in it more. The public sector, especially in developing countries, needs to strengthen partnership with different sectors and understand that, through stakeholder engagement, resources can be shared. This process is critical to ensuring that societies develop for the benefit of all their communities. — Saliqa Zaman

(Picture credit: Unsplash)

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