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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.
The origin of the dialogue process 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 from the Department of Political Affairs and the right-hand person of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Benito Andión, reported that a steering group composed of prominent figures from Salvadoran society will continue the work, building on the consultations and assessments conducted 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 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.
A case illustrating institutional change across 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.
