Vietnam
The training workshop on ‘Enhancing Stakeholder Participation in national Forest Programme Processes in Viet Nam” aimed to strengthen the capacity of National Forest Programme (NFP) coordinators, and other key forestry stakeholders to meaningfully enhance the practical application of the principle of participation in forestry decision making in Vietnam.
It was the first time in Viet Nam such a diverse range of stakeholders had a chance to sit and learn together in a training course on participation. Eighteen participants came from government departments (Department of Forestry, Sub-department of Forestry in Phu Tho province, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Thai Nguyen province), academia/research institutions (Forest Science Institute of Vietnam, Forest Inventory and Planning Institute), NGOs (Consultative Institute for Social – Economic Development of Rural and Mountainous Areas, Institute of Development Research on Rural and Mountainous Area, Economic Ecology Institute, Center for Nature and Community Development), private sector (Shipping Furniture factory of Shinec, Agriculture – Forestry Development Investment Company), national park (Tam Dao national park), TFF (Trust Fund for Forests) and FSSP itself.
Eleven methods for enhancing stakeholder participation were introduced during the training, including visioning, poster presentations with post-its, problem analysis, target scoring, stakeholder analysis, 3Rs ranking, relationship mapping, role play, fishbowl debate, priority ranking, rotating panel presentation, synthesis brainstorming on problems and priority auction. With those methods, participants identified key issues constraining stakeholder participation in forestry decision-making and identified key strategies for overcoming those constraints.
A report entitled Training of trainers workshop report on enhancing stakeholder participation in Vietnam in the national forest programme was developed subsequent to the training to provide an overview of activities conducted and strategies developed during the workshop.