This document discusses how Appreciative Inquiry (AI) can contribute to involving stakeholders in collaborative initiatives. It provides examples of using AI to establish multi-actor councils and committees around issues like watershed management in Ecuador and forest protection around Lake Tanganyika. AI helps appreciate diverse perspectives rather than focusing only on problems. It designs high-quality relational practices to bridge different communities of knowledge and build on actors' strengths. This keeps stakeholders engaged and maintains energy in the system by looking toward a common destiny or future. The examples show how AI facilitated inclusion of different actors and methodologies to collectively re-value people's living conditions.

1. The potential of Appreciative Inquiry for
South-North multiactor collaboration
World Appreciative Inquiry Conference,
25-28 April 2012, Ghent, Belgium
Cycloop – keeping an eye on multiple perspectives
Network for action research in mutli-actor collaboration

2. Working hypothesis
“According to the degree we can involve all
relevant stakeholders in joint development
initiatives by making use of Appreciative
Inquiry, possibilities for success will increase.”
n How does AI contribute to mobilize and
motivate all stakeholders to become part of a
collaborative initiative?
n How does AI contribute to keep stakeholders
involved, the maintain the energy?

3. n Part 1: panel
q Provocative statements
q inspiring examples
n Part 2: dialogue with public
q What are the best experiences of participants with
connecting different stakeholders in sustainable
development initiatives through AI?
q What can we learn from these experiences?

4. René Bouwen
Setting up a catchment council in a river basin
in the Andes (Ecuador)
n Diversity of actors: water experts, social scientists, power
plant, sand extraction, farming community, land owners,
ministry of agriculture, local community …
n With diversity of interests, competencies, roles/identities,
issue perspectives.
n Complexity, multiplicity and fuzziness of issue definition:
erosion, sediment, water quality, irrigation,
n Action research practices: interviews, round tables, working
groups
n Developing shared meaning around a common ‘issue
definition’
n Establishing platform: catchment council – rules – roles.

5. Co-creating shared relational
knowledge in comm. of practice
n Appreciating (approach/vision) diverse perspectives
versus setting ‘the problem’.
n Designing ‘high quality relational practices’: concrete,
reciprocal, testable, co-owned, joint learning.
n All significant stakeholders involved: the whole system
represented.
n Bridging ‘communities of knowledge’ (science, farmer,
policy): no dominant knowledge regime.
n Building on ‘possibilities’/ strengths of actors.
n Issue definition and relational definition (memberships)
are strongly intertwined.
n A preference for early joint intensive field experiences.

6. Deo Baribwegure
Foresting the borders of the Lake Tanganyika
(Tanzania, Zambia, DRC and Burundi)
• Diversity of actors: fishermen, Municipal Council, Ministry
of agriculture, Lawyers, owners of the land, medias,
Environmentalists, …
• Ministry of agriculture of the four countries,
• International community
• Diversity of competencies, roles, issue perspectives.
• Defining the common objectives and ways to reach them
• Establishing platform: catchment committee – strategies-
methodologies,
• How to put all the energies together and move forward in
the same direction and for a common destiny?

7. Co-walking the path towards one destiny of
a safe Environment
• Using diverse knowledge (loops) for reaching a common
understanding of the same fact.
• Connecting the diverse knowledge for a common
objective to make a safe Environment for everybody:
Looking in the same direction keeps the flame burning
(maintaining energy in the system)

9. Alexis Oviedo
n Des -naturalization of living conditions
n Result of a process to re-valorize people
n Improvement as a result of collective
processes.
n Diverse actors involved in meetings
n The inclusion of methodologies with holistic
focus and community vision of the future.

10. Cycloop – keeping an eye on multiple perspectives
Network for action research in mutli-actor collaboration