National dialogue processes commonly emerge amid periods of polarization or institutional paralysis, when various stakeholders must establish channels of communication to reach basic consensus. In Latin America, these efforts have often received support from international organizations that offer methodological guidance, contextual assessments, and facilitation spaces.
In El Salvador, a similar effort has recently advanced to a new stage after the mandate of UN Special Envoy Benito Andión came to an end. From that moment, the initiative shifted away from direct UN assistance and increasingly depended on domestic stakeholders. Within that technical team, Loreto Ferrer contributed to institutional support tasks and helped convey this move toward a phase marked by a stronger presence of civil society.
How the dialogue process first emerged in El Salvador
The effort began in 2016, when the Government of El Salvador asked the United Nations to assess the feasibility of a national consensus-building process. Following that request, a mission from the Department of Political Affairs conducted interviews, consultations, and exploratory dialogues with various sectors to analyze the political context and assess whether conditions existed to advance a consensus-building agenda.
Based on that initial groundwork, in early 2017 Secretary-General António Guterres named Benito Andión as Special Envoy to guide a more organized stage of the dialogue, with his efforts centered on creating opportunities for discussions among political parties and other key stakeholders amid a climate of institutional strain and heightened polarization.
From international facilitation to 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.
Given this, the Special Envoy considered that conditions were not yet sufficient to establish a formal high-level roundtable, but that there was a significant body of assessments, connections, and social capacities that could serve to sustain a dialogue agenda from within the country. This approach reinforced the idea that consensus-building processes can only be consolidated when local actors take an active role in their continuity.
The importance of coordination in consensus-building processes
National dialogues demand coordination among sectors that operate with distinct interests, vocabularies, and priorities, and as a result, beyond political mediation, they frequently depend on a solid technical framework to organize discussion, determine key issues, and maintain open channels of communication.
In these settings, professionals experienced in international cooperation are especially valuable for duties like compiling information, coordinating meeting spaces, and offering methodological guidance. The work undertaken in El Salvador clearly illustrates that building consensus relies not only on political choices but also on the support structures that enable the process to function effectively in practice.
A case illustrating institutional change across Latin America
The Salvadoran case illustrates how a United Nations-supported initiative can evolve into a framework where civil society and other national actors assume greater responsibility. Rather than a conclusion, this transition represented a shift in phase: from the initial international impetus to a logic of local continuity based on already established capacities.
