IRED Philosophy	IRED's fundamental options Strategies One vision and some alternatives Mutual commitments of IRED and its partners

IRED's fundamental options

As soon as IRED was created it was important that the founding members reached a CONSENSUS enabling them, as well as any new partner of the Association, to refer to the basic options ans strategies defined both at the ideological and operational levels.

Such main options may be formulated as follows:

1. The person is the instrument and finality of development. A person has needs which are not only economic and social, but also cultural and spiritual. Development is caused by motivation and example, even ore than by technology or finance.
2. IRED, through its members and the organisations to which they belong, intends to promote the values underlyung the development policy intended for the least favoured.
    
   The respect of persons and of fundamental freedom, the establishment of economi systems postulatinf a fair distribution of riches and income, of peace between men and nations, of justice in their relations and within the established economic sytems, etc.
    
   An authentic development must be completely integrated within the culture of the society concerned. IRED must therefore promote a research of cultural identity upon which social community projects may rest, as well as new ways of lif and forms of collective action.
3. Development is therefore the business of persons and groups who live within the confines of their local community. It must bring liberation, overcome domination, unfold individual and collective imagination. It is thus communication and an opening to the world.
    
   Populations in towns and villages must determine for themselves what developemnt at local level should be and be in a position to participate at regional and national levels so as to:
   • certify the basic needs, whether physical, economic, social or spiritual, of each individual, each group and the community concerned as a whole;
   • make use of their own means through their participation;
   • stem development activities from their culture and customs.
4. Developement is also an organised, overall and cumulative process through which a local, regional or national community puts to the best use the potentialities of its environment with the best possible means and technologies to satisfy in an equitable and lasting way the needs of all with a view towards transformation and opening to the world.
5. Taking into account the multiplicity of culture, geographic and climatic frameworks, language, attitudes, customs and economic potentialities, IRED believes in the plurality of ways of development. It must therefore adapt to local and national situations provided that they are not in contradiction with its own principles and options.
6. IRED is opposed to any form of domination, whether external or internal. It condemns the economic systems blocking or destroying the efforts of the less developed countries. It also condemns any act of internal domination and repression tendind to crush persons and groups who wish to organise and promote their own development.
7. A fair sharing of power, resources, and means of production between the various population groups will enable each one to be responsible and to develop. The State and its administrative and technical services should be at the disposal of all its people.
8. The division usually made between North and South, industrialised and developing countries, has become more and more relative. What is necessary is to distinguish everywhere in the world between those who have and those who have no access to power, to resources and to means of production. Poverty exists everywhere but it should be seen at home first. It is necessary to gather together people who are doing something at home. The approach is the same. It seams from peoples' initiatives in their own environment.

top

Strategies

Strategy plays a most important part in development or when formulating policies. One should know how, when and with whom to act. Strategy should bring about change starting from the actual situation in the field. It enables utopia to become reality by promoting communication between various groups.

The strategies which IRED tends to promote can be described as follows:

1. In any of its operations IRED is concerned with the basic environment unit in the field where people live day after day, whether it be in the district, town village or place of work.
2. Development must answer the basic needs of these people. It should "enable the avoidance of violence, misery, alienation and repression". It should overcome poverty, which goes hand in hand with having no say in government policy.
3. Any action implies the participation of the majority of those concerned. This participative policy needs a responsible attitude from the greatest possible number of individuals and the creation of small operational units strengthening this responsibility.
4. The population to which IRED's operation is directed is composed of all those who in villages, towns and cities constitute the mass of the less privileged. IRED must however, associate with its own objectives, not only the leaders of such groups but also the representatives of technical services, of Parties and Governments. It will also endeavour to work in close liaison with technicians, entrepreneurs and the local and regional elite, in so far as their objectives and functions support people's efforts for overcoming poverty.
5. Development must be integrated since it is not necessarily brought about by the addition of sectorial action, whether on a small or a large scale, which sometimes tends to increase division and domination.
    
   One should distinguish between development at local, regional, national and international levels. Programming and planning are necessary, provided that the representatives of the local populations are associated with these two processes.
6. Development implies the search for an optimum balance between the private and public sector, the part to be played by the administration and the participation of the population, the development of towns and country, of industry and agriculture and between regions.
7. Decentralisation of power is one of the technical means to be promoted. The control of external aid and of development financing must be carefully organised as well as the training of the persons on whom operational choices and action will rest at all levels.

top

One vision and some alternatives

• IRED does not think that it is utopian to believe in a transition “to another society” through the combined actions of motivated and competent individu­als who share the vision and understanding of global prob­lems generating injustice.  All these individuals have joined forces in organizations, networks and movements, to work towards making this change a reality.
• IRED believes in these men and women of our civil society, who have organized themselves and who constitute today an alternative in favor of a demo­crat­ic society.  What is needed above all is for the young generations who are often mar­ginalized and excluded from accessing information, resources and power, to be able to repre­sent the alternative of tomorrow.
• IRED believes that governments have a role to play in this future development and must be at the service of this civil society. It believes in interdependence between the North, East, South as well as amongst the various social classes.
• IRED is still committed, not only by severely critici­zing the shortcomings of the current development system, but also by providing its support for alternative and operational proposals which have the makings of providing solutions and generating development.

In order to fulfill this commitment, IRED, organized in a flexible and informal manner, is resolutely intent on action.

top

Mutual Commitents of IRED and its Partners

Commitents of partners<

1. To accept IRED's main options and strategies i.e. the consensus reached at the time of its creation:
   • Defence and organisation of marginalised population
   • Need for a global transformation (of person and structures)
2. To act on the basis of mutual trust, "association without domination"
3. Mutual support through the exchange of people, experiences, means
4. Sharing resources (expertise, finance, information technology, etc.)
5. Apply the transformation which are to be realised in the model of society which one aims at, to oneself first of all
6. To share experience and innovations with IRED, its members or other organisations with the same ideals
7. To inform and endeavour to enlarge the network

IRED's commitments

1. To respect the autonomy and personalty of partners organisations
2. To organise communication between partners so that information can reach people at grassroots level rather than being centralised
3. To create or support networks between partners engaged in the same field of activitiy or to the same end
4. To endorse and support common operations even though approaches, methods and commitments may be different according to cases
5. To give support o its partners, provided always that such support is not divorced from the action of IRED's network
6. To disseminate any known innovation among those concerned or put in touch those who wish to work together in this connection
7. To defend any partner unjustly attacked or subject to pressures contrary to IRED's objectives; to help them overcome isolation or dependency.

top