How to Engage Stakeholders in Just Transition Dialogues: Lessons Learned from the South-to-South Just Transitions Network

The guide outlines strategies for engaging diverse stakeholders in just transition processes, emphasizing the need to tailor approaches to national contexts, build trust through personal relationships, and leverage existing networks. It draws on research from the South-to-South Just Transitions network in countries including Argentina, Vietnam, and Indonesia, highlighting both the effectiveness of virtual and in-person engagements and the challenges of securing high-level official participation.

• Effective stakeholder engagement requires tailoring the approach to the specific level of just transition awareness in a country. In contexts where the concept is new, such as Vietnam, small group meetings with government and private stakeholders help increase understanding and build trust. In countries with more advanced discourses, such as Indonesia—where the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) has made discussions prevalent—participating in existing working groups is more effective.
• Different engagement formats offer distinct advantages: virtual approaches in Argentina and Colombia increased accessibility for busy stakeholders and allowed for multi-regional reach, while in-person engagements in Bangladesh, Malawi, and Kenya were essential for building trust and reaching agreements on next steps.
• Securing participation from high-level officials is a primary challenge. Successful strategies to overcome this include building personal relationships over time, conducting one-on-one meetings to build trust, and identifying mid-level senior officials who often hold the actual decision-making power rather than relying solely on formal organizational structures.
• To maximize impact and reach, the document recommends partnering with media, think tanks, and NGOs, and using a 'bottom-up' approach that links just transition frameworks to tangible on-the-ground needs or existing development goals rather than theoretical data.

APA

Rayner, I. (2023). How to Engage Stakeholders in Just Transition Dialogues: Lessons Learned from the South-to-South Just Transitions Network. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/how-to-engage-stakeholders-in-just-transition-dialogues-lessons-learned-from-the-south-to-south-just-transitions-network/

Chicago

Rayner, Isabelle. How to Engage Stakeholders in Just Transition Dialogues: Lessons Learned from the South-to-South Just Transitions Network. Climate Strategies, 2023. https://climatestrategies.org/how-to-engage-stakeholders-in-just-transition-dialogues-lessons-learned-from-the-south-to-south-just-transitions-network/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rayner |first1=Isabelle |title=How to Engage Stakeholders in Just Transition Dialogues: Lessons Learned from the South-to-South Just Transitions Network |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=28 September 2023 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/how-to-engage-stakeholders-in-just-transition-dialogues-lessons-learned-from-the-south-to-south-just-transitions-network/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rayner2023how, author = {Rayner, Isabelle}, title = {{How to Engage Stakeholders in Just Transition Dialogues: Lessons Learned from the South-to-South Just Transitions Network}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/how-to-engage-stakeholders-in-just-transition-dialogues-lessons-learned-from-the-south-to-south-just-transitions-network/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }