Rethinking Partnerships for Development

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Rethinking Partnerships for Development

• JPO WorkshopMonday June 14, 2004
• Bureau for Resources and Strategic Partnerships

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Objectives

• To share UNDPs vision on strategic partnerships
• To briefly introduce the Bureau for Resources and
  Strategic Partnerships

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Why partnerships?

• Complex and interdependent world requires various
  sectors to come together to effectively respond
  to development challenges no one can do it
  alone
• Combining of organizational cultures and
  competencies lead to innovative approaches and
  solutions
• Diverse access to networks and relationships
  through various sectors

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What is a partnership?
A collaborative alliance between two or more
actors, be it public, private or NGOs or any
group of individuals which could fundamentally
have different objectives, values, cultures,
structures, but that are sharing risks,
responsibilities, resources and competencies
while committed to a common task which will also
help to achieve their specific individual goals.
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Key Partnership Principles

• Partnership greater than sum of its parts
• Clear frequent communication - Transparency
• Sharing of risks
• Ensure benefits for all partners
• Clear, measurable goals
• Strive to ensure equity among partners
• Complementary contributions - build on core
  strengths of partners
• Agreed partnership governance structure is key
  for success
• Patience!

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Partnership benefits

• Organizational innovation
• Improved operational efficiency
• Development of human capital
• Better access to information
• More effective / appropriate products services
• Enhanced legitimacy credibility
• Increased access to resources (pooling)
• Increased participation social capital!

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UNDP Resource Trends
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Old UNDP Culture

• 80-90 of resources were core
• Success measured by disbursement volume
• Process-driven, measured by inputs
• Donors invested in transfer mechanism
• Partners viewed as disbursements agents
• Partners were external face of internal process.

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New UNDP Culture

• Development results requires complex
  interventions by multiple actors - partnerships
• 70 of resources non-core
• Non-core partnerships built around results and
  common objectives
• Partner priorities co-determine interventions
• Results-driven, results partners resources
• Success partnerships must be at heart of UNDP

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New Partnership CultureRequires

• Partnerships start at home staff, culture
• Extroverted networking culture, client focus
• Listening skills understand different cultures
• Flexibility, adaptability
• Connecting, sharing, reporting internally
  externally knowledge management
• Responsive leadership, real-time decision making
• Not an add-on the way we do our work!

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Ever-Changing External Environment

• UN Reform UNDP within UN system
• Globalization, corporate responsibility
• Global Compact, Private Sector Commission
• MDG Campaign
• World Social Forum
• Recession in donor countries, and an ongoing
  debate on financing development activities

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Ever-Changing External Environment

• Proliferation of new development actors, new
  funds and ways of allocating these funds
• World Bank IDA XIII IDA XIV, percentage of
  loans will become grants
• Millennium Challenge Account USA
• Future International Finance Facility

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Consequences

• Building partnerships and mobilizing resources
  have become integral part of UNDP doing business.
• Establishment of the Bureau for Resources and
  Strategic Partnerships according with
  Administrator Business Plans 2000 2003.

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UNDP well positioned for partnerships

• Inclusive and consensus building approach not
  imposing conditions
• Legitimacy with governments, civil society
• Impartial facilitating role
• Strong values attracts partners
• Universality scale up partnerships
• Development expertise
• Local knowledge

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UNDP Strategic Partnerships

• Administrators Business Plan 2000-2003
• Policy, people, partnership, performance,
  resources
• MYFF
• Strategic partnerships for development
  effectiveness
• Prioritize partnerships in all programme areas
• Partnerships - leverage UNDP expertise
• Need enhance CO capacity in partnership building
• Specific focus on private sector CSOs

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Bureau for Resources and Strategic Partnerships
(BRSP)

• Created (a) to develop UNDPs institutional
  capacity to build and strengthen strategic
  partnerships and (b) to strengthen the
  Organizations resources mobilization function
• BRSP as
• Change agent, facilitator
• Connecting, aligning, relationship builders
  managers

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External constituencies
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BRSP

• Directorate
• Japan Affairs Unit
• Operations Unit
• Division for United Nations Affairs
• Division for Resources Mobilization
• Support to Country Offices Unit
• Donor Relations Unit

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BRSP

• Millennium Development Goals Unit
• United Nations Foundation Affairs Unit
• Division for Business Partnerships
• Civil Society Organizations Unit
• Executive Board Secretariat

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Private Sector and the MDGs
I believe that it will be the building of the
private sector that will be the critical next
challenge in development very much the way
that democratic governance was so much the
challenge for the past decade. Mark Malloch
Brown
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Why private sector and development?

• Globalization
• Both business culture development culture
  changing convergence
• New global business environment Corporate
  Social Responsibility (CSR), sustainable
  business, etc.
• New development paradigm public-private
  partnerships (multi-stakeholder) post-WSSD
• Resource Mobilization, FfD - FDI and domestic
  private investments dwarf ODA

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UNDP Private SectorStrategic priorities

• UN Global Compact
• Private Sector Commission Report Unleashing
  Entrepreneurship
• Brokering investments and commercial activities
  Growing Sustainable Business
• Partnerships across UNDP focus areas and MDGs,
  Thematic opportunities

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A working definition
Civil Society Organizations

• Civil society constitutes a third sector,
  existing alongside and interacting with the state
  and market.
• CSOs comprise the full range of formal and
  informal organizations within civil society
  NGOs, CBOs, indigenous peoples organizations,
  trade unions, social movements, etc.

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Changing context
CSO Profile

• Enormous growth in number, diversity and
  influence of CSOs.
• Greater influence in shaping local/global
  agendas.
• Growing mobilization through global assemblies
  such as World Social Forum.
• Increasing resources channeled through CSOs.

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CSOs Broad Areas of Engagement
Engagement with civil society in key national
planning processes (PRSPs, MDGRs, CCA/UNDAF)
Small grant mechanisms to promote policy-level
partnerships (e.g., BCPR/BRSP Global Initative)
High-level internal initiatives with civil
society(e.g., CSO Advisory Committee, RR/RC
Champions Initiative, National Regional CSO
Advisory Committees) Engaging NGOs and
community organizations in sustainable
development, conflict prevention and recovery,
and HIV/AIDS (Equator Initiative, community
dialogue spaces, Community Based Initiatives)
Policy dialogue with and programmes for
indigenous peoples  

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What our Partners SayUNDP partnership survey
2003

• Strengths (aggregated, all partners)
• Closely associated with MDGs, governance
• National ownership, country knowledge
• Information, interpersonal skills
• Technical competence
• Country office efficiency
• Resident Coordinator function

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What our Partners Say

• Weaknesses / Challenges
• Policy advice, policy reform, advocacy
• Environment energy relatively low profile
• Operational services
• Overwhelmingly NOT seen as actively working with
  Private Sector (but p.s. itself sees us as quite
  active..!)
• Host governments in general more favorable
• Bilateral donors in general more critical
• Civil society and private sector in the middle