Introduction
Within the concept of health promotion (HP), social justice and equity are prerequisites for achieving better health and well-being of populations. Democracy and respect for human rights are inherent qualities of the building blocks of social justice and equity. Hence, it would not be possible to develop a convivial and healthy environment without the participation of individuals and communities. Unfortunately, those who develop policies and make important decisions regarding the health and quality of life of communities do not always bear this consideration in mind. There are great difficulties in the health sector for assuming the necessary leadership to respond adequately to the felt needs of groups . The great challenge is to listen to people and to avoid the temptation of manipulating the participatory processes for reasons other than responding to the priorities identified by the community. If we are pursuing Equity as health promotion's desired outcome, implementation of participatory strategies should be our main objective.

This technical report addresses the complex subject of building community capacity for actions oriented at changing living conditions, producing more health and improving the quality of life at the individual and collective levels. Community participation is not possible in a vacuum, people need incentives to participate and the best incentive is to provide the opportunity to work for resolving problems and issues that affect their daily life.

Emphasis is placed on the interrelationships between issues of power and politics as well as among social participation, social capital, and public policies. All issues are of importance in processes and actions directed at the empowerment of communities. However, anyone seeking for a unique formula or prescription will not find it here. The reader is encouraged to creatively search for substitutions that more adequately fit the collective mind and spirit of each community.

The context of this report reflects the development of HP in Latin America over the last two decades.