PIIRD is focused on the overall development of marginalized and excluded rural communities and enabling them to work as partners in the development process. The goal is to empower target communities and building their capacities to the extent that they become self-reliant. CECOEDECON is currently implementing sixth phase of the initiative. Over the years, PIIRD has grown as a response to changing needs and contexts that impact life and livelihoods of the poor. Focusing on the themes of Basic Rights, Economic Justice and Livelihoods, the program has adopted Civil Society Building and Institutional Development as its crosscutting strategies.

The overall program has been divided into four major thematic areas namely Basic Rights; Livelihood Security and Economic Justice; Civil Society Building; and Institution Development. These thematic areas help streamline the strategic planning and intervention. Although they are different themes they do not work in exclusion but are interdependent and interrelated. Each theme prepares an yearly plan of action based on the priorities identified by the institutions and through engagement with different mechanisms, which broadly define the approach. Appropriate strategies are thus developed in an inclusive manner with the field staff and members of the people’s institutions. The leaders of the respective themes work in close coordination with each other to supervise the field level staff in the implementation of these strategies. The role of the institutions in mobilizing, monitoring and following up on these interventions is crucial to their sustainability and thus a key strategy in itself is to facilitate the institutions in carrying out this role effectively by enhancing their capacities further; building on their knowledge base on national, regional and global level developments; and honing their skills especially with respect to their leadership, networking and partnership building. The thematic teams are supported by the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation; and Human Resource Development Systems to ensure a more inclusive process and effective skills in the work force.

Trainings on building capacities of the grassroots communities are an important part of the overall design of the initiative. Building the capacities of civil society partners in the climate change developments is a specific focus of the initiative. PIIRD also focuses on building the capacities of the local governance officials at the grassroots to increase their understanding and sensitivity towards the concerns of the people and building their capacities to work more effectively on the issues of the members of their constituencies. The initiative also involves working more intensively with Elected Women Representatives at the local governance level and building their institutions to ensure a stronger collective voice. Capacity building of the local communities is done on issues ranging from village level development plans, impacts of climate change manifestation and effective strategies on adapting their livelihood strategies accordingly.

Centre For Community Economics And Development Consultants Society (CECOEDECON), MISEREOR, Kisan Seva Samiti (KSS), Beyond Copenhagen, Sajha Manch; and different government officials at different levels from time to time also provide their support