Empowerment: key to social development

THE empowerment of all people is necessary for global social development.

- FLORA TECKIE

Though the term "empowerment" is commonly used in various discourses of society today, it means different things to different people. The consensus, in the words of the Bahá'í International Community, can be found around its definition as a “means of improving quality of life and expanding the basis of human well-being. In short, empowerment can serve as a mechanism for effecting deep and broad-based social transformation”.

Empowerment implies being invested with power. Power is often seen as a zero-sum commodity - if one has it, the other can’t have it too. How can power be approached as an integral part of all social relationships and institutions, rather than a resource to be acquired or lost? How can it be used to build capacity and help everyone to advance?