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National dialogue processes typically arise in contexts of polarization or institutional deadlock, when different actors need to open channels of communication to build minimal agreements. In Latin America, these processes have on various occasions been supported by international organizations that provide methodology, contextual analysis, and facilitation spaces.
In El Salvador, one such initiative recently entered a new phase following the conclusion of the mandate of UN Special Envoy Benito Andión. At that point, the process moved beyond the phase of direct UN support and came to rely more heavily on national actors. Within that technical team, Loreto Ferrer participated in institutional support efforts and in communicating this transition toward a phase with greater civil society involvement.
How the dialogue process first emerged in El Salvador
The initiative was launched in 2016, when the Government of El Salvador invited the United Nations to evaluate whether a nationwide consensus-building process could be viable. In response, a team from the Department of Political Affairs carried out interviews, held consultations, and engaged in preliminary dialogues with multiple sectors to examine the political landscape and determine if the circumstances were suitable for moving forward with a consensus-focused agenda.
Based on that preliminary work, in early 2017 Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Benito Andión as Special Envoy to facilitate a more structured phase of the dialogue. His work focused on opening spaces for conversation between political parties and other relevant actors, in a scenario marked by institutional tensions and high levels of polarization.
Shifting from worldwide facilitation toward local leadership
Among the most noteworthy elements of the Salvadoran case is the shift from a United Nations‑led stage to a new period steered directly by national actors, though still backed by the UN.
According to reports, the conclusion of Andión’s mandate did not signal the end of the initiative; instead, the work completed was turned over to a steering group formed by notable figures within Salvadoran society, as a United Nations team explained during meetings with representatives of the government, political parties, and the international community.
Loreto Ferrer, an official at the Department of Political Affairs and the close collaborator of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Benito Andión, stated that a steering group made up of leading members of Salvadoran society will carry the effort forward, drawing on the consultations and evaluations previously undertaken by the Mexican Andión.
This step draws on over a year of consultations, evaluations, and methodological contributions completed in the preceding phase, aiming for social organizations, the private sector, academia, and political stakeholders to advance the process using the knowledge already established instead of depending endlessly on external international facilitation.
In light of this, the Special Envoy judged that the circumstances were still not adequate to convene a formal high-level roundtable, although a substantial range of evaluations, networks, and community capacities existed that could help anchor a dialogue agenda driven from within the country. This perspective underscored that consensus-building efforts can truly solidify only when local stakeholders take an active role in sustaining their continuity.
The importance of coordination in consensus-building processes
National dialogues require coordination among sectors with different interests, languages, and priorities. Therefore, in addition to political mediation, they often require a technical foundation to structure the conversation, identify priority issues, and keep communication channels open.
In such environments, professionals with experience in international cooperation contribute particularly to tasks such as systematizing information, organizing meeting spaces, and providing methodological support. The work carried out in El Salvador demonstrates precisely how consensus-building depends as much on political decisions as on support structures that make the process viable in practice.
An example of institutional transition in Latin America
The Salvadoran case shows how an initiative backed by the United Nations can gradually develop into a structure in which civil society and other national stakeholders take on a larger share of responsibility, and this stage marked not an endpoint but a change in momentum, shifting from the original international drive to a locally sustained approach built upon existing capacities.
