Advocacy is an important tool that every citizen needs to master in order to secure his or her right to demand and promote change. By training civil society actors in the MENA region on advocacy, PCDD not only builds their capacity to hold governments accountable and ask for policy change toward development, but PCDD also works to strengthen the democratic process based on a dialectical dialogue between governments and societies.

PCDD constantly upholds a right-based approach to development. Ultimately, this means we strive to open every citizen's eyes to what their rights are. In addition, it must be recognized that the process of development cannot be started or continued without establishing full equality between both genders. Only through partnership and full equality can we guarantee long-term advancement and progress in the place of a temporary, need-based approach to development.

Political participation fosters peaceful change; a pillar of PCDD's philosophy. A citizen's right to choose leaders in free, fair and regular elections is fundamental to the continuity of democracy. Elections establish the rights of individuals by giving them the opportunity to choose their leaders and influence the political direction of their government. Also, by promoting the necessity of transparency and equality throughout the electoral process, PCDD continuously upholds the principle that people must insist on their proper representation when it is not apparent.

Simply put, democracy grants people the right to be involved in the decision making process so that sustainable and long-term development can properly take place. When practiced properly, democracy entails free elections, active participation in civic life, regular exercise of human rights, and rule of law practiced in all its dimensions. Democracy and development are interdependent and can never be mutually exclusive, especially not with the vision of a vibrant civil society in mind.