Start engaging stakeholders
This step involves taking decisions on the level of involvement of different stakeholders and actually starting to engage the relevant stakeholders in the process and defining their roles and responsibilities, such as public sector representatives (Ministries, Municipalities, etc.), NGOs, private sector, industries, as well as civil society organizations, scientists, data providers, technical experts, advisors, reviewers, communicators. It builds upon the results of the stakeholder analysis (cf. "Conduct stakeholder analysis"). Engagement should involve more than consultation and requires considering a wide range of perspectives and, thus, a concrete shift to more co-productive modes of interaction and a co-creation process. Stakeholders can be empowered to challenge existing norms and contribute to shaping the assessment process towards transformative change. The engagement will continue throughout the whole process and thus the following steps, where stakeholders co-design the assessment framework, co-develop content, and play a role in interpreting and applying the results.
SELINA Guidance
Relevant non-SELINA material
Justice
Link to Justice
Engagement is where justice becomes visible in practice: it determines whether participation is tokenistic or genuinely inclusive, and whether diverse knowledges and voices shape the process.
Dimensions addressed
Recognitional: value and integrate diverse knowledge systems, including local and experiential knowledge; acknowledge cultural practices and sensitivities.
Participatory: address barriers to participation (time, language, digital access, literacy); use inclusive formats and timelines to provide an equitable voice.
Contextual: build long-term trust through sensitivity to histories of exclusion and local dynamics.
Why this matters
Ensures participation is meaningful, not symbolic.
Strengthens legitimacy and trust in the assessment process.
Reduces barriers that exclude vulnerable groups.
Supports knowledge co-creation, making outcomes more robust and actionable.
Stakeholder Engagement
Crosslink toTNFD’s LEAP Framework
Somewhat links to L4 (interface with sensitive locations), where the location of ecosystems might be in ecologically sensitive areas. Sensitive areas does also refer to social/local important areas, such as areas of importance for local/indigenous and other relevant stakeholders.