Partnerships for sustainable development
No one organization or group of organizations has the expertise, resources, and capacity to do all that is needed to bring about meaningful change in sustainable mountain development. Indeed, only by pooling our collective energies, skills, and resources, and working in partnership at all levels can we hope to tackle challenges and improve mountain lives and environments worldwide. This is the rationale behind the Mountain Partnership (or the “International Partnership for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions”), an evolving voluntary alliance of countries, intergovernmental organizations and major groups (eg civil society, NGOs, and the private sector) who are working together to bring positive change to mountain regions, whose populations are amongst the poorest and most disadvantaged on Earth.
The concept of ‘partnership’ is not new in development. In fact, there are a wide range of collaborative arrangements that can be called partnerships, ranging from consortia to networks, from local to international initiatives, and from formalized arrangements to looser informal structures. But what makes the Mountain Partnership different from many is that it was launched as a “sustainable development partnership,” as an important outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD, 2002), and as part of the process overseen by the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).
What does this mean? In the CSD context, partnerships for sustainable development are defined as voluntary, multi-stakeholder initiatives that contribute to the implementation of sustainable development goals—Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (see box).
International commitment to sustainable development
UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and Agenda 21 (1992)
The UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), or Rio Earth Summit (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3–14 June 1992), proclaimed the concept of sustainable development as a workable objective for everyone around the world, whether at the local, national, regional, or international level. A major outcome of UNCED was Agenda 21—a comprehensive plan of action to be taken at all levels by organizations of the United Nations system, governments, and major groups in every area in which humans impact on the environment. By devoting Chapter 13 to mountains, Summit delegates placed mountains on an equal footing with climate change, desertification and other issues of global importance. http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/english/agenda21toc.htm
The Commission on Sustainable Development
The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of UNCED, enhance international cooperation, rationalize intergovernmental decision-making capacity, and monitor and report on the implementation of its agreements at the local, national, regional, and international levels. The CSD remains the high-level intergovernmental forum within the United Nations system at which interrelated issues of sustainable development are addressed in an integrated manner. As such, it remains the focal point for discussion and reporting on sustainable development partnerships. http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/policy.htm
The World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (2002)
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD, Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August–4 September 2002) followed up on developments since UNCED. The event was organized by CSD through a series of consultative meetings. WSSD concluded its work by adopting a political declaration (the “Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development”), as well as a plan of implementation (the “Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”) for activities and measures required to achieve development that respects the environment. Another notable outcome of the Summit was the launch of CSD Partnerships for Sustainable Development. http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/WSSD_POI_PD/English/POIToc.htm
Indeed, the launch of the Mountain Partnership at WSSD (along with another 200 sustainable development partnerships) was part of an overall process to redefine, shape, and enhance development collaboration at all levels. At WSSD, there was general disappointment and frustration at the lack of progress made by more traditional models of development (with their strong reliance on national governments) in achieving the sustainable development goals set out a decade before in Agenda 21. These CSD partnerships for development therefore represented fresh hope as new paradigms for development. They offered dynamic frameworks in which to engage all stakeholders and interested partners—be they governments, civil society, or the private sector—to contribute what they know and do best, and make value-added contributions to sustainable development goals.
The Mountain Partnership
The Mountain Partnership clearly corresponds to this CSD model. It builds on the global alliance of individuals and organizations involved in mountain issues that has grown since the UNCED or ‘Rio Earth Summit’ in 1992. It captures the momentum created during the UN International Year of Mountains (IYM) in 2002, and strives to improve the implementation of Agenda 21 and promote joint initiatives based on paragraph 42 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and other related instruments regarding mountains, by enhancing on-the-ground action and by working at the policy, program, and project levels. The Partnership's flexible and open structure allows members to tap the wealth and diversity of resources, information, knowledge, and expertise of members, in order to add value to their programs, projects and activities, to identify and promote new mechanisms for cooperation, to attract and generate funding, and to build lasting alliances to effect lasting change in mountain regions.
As of September 2006, the Mountain Partnership was one of the biggest CSD Partnerships, with 137 members—47 countries, 14 intergovernmental organizations and 76 major groups. It is supported by a Secretariat based at FAO headquarters in Rome, and financed through contributions from the governments of Italy and Switzerland. This Mountain Partnership Secretariat acts as a central reference point for information exchange, networking, and liaison for Mountain Partnership members and connects them by disseminating knowledge on effective models, good practices, and existing mechanisms, agreements, and frameworks that could be adapted to suit specific national and regional conditions.
Taking stock of partnerships for sustainable development
Yet nearly 4 years after its launch, the Mountain Partnership, as is the case with many other CSD Partnerships, is at a critical juncture. At WSSD, there were high expectations that these innovative partnerships would accelerate the implementation of sustainable development policies and actions in the second decade following the Rio Earth Summit. But, the reality of such a diverse group of stakeholders working together to achieve common goals has at times proven to be more challenging, if not elusive, than originally expected.
How can we start to evaluate the progress and impact of the Mountain Partnership and other CSD Partnerships for sustainable development? And how can we assess the effectiveness of this partnership model in bringing about meaningful change? The most important forum in which to do this is the annual session of the Commission on Sustainable Development and the Partnerships Fair held every year as part of the official CSD program.
This year's Partnerships Fair (1–9 May), part of the official CSD–14 program in New York, was a valuable opportunity to highlight the advances and constraints facing the Mountain Partnership, to share experiences with other CSD Partnerships, and to explore ways to improve the impact and effectiveness of the Mountain Partnership and other such CSD Partnerships at all levels. The key components of the CSD–14 Partnerships Fair included 7 “Partnerships in Practice” interactive discussion sessions, 25 information desks where CSD-registered partnerships displayed and distributed information, and 28 partnership presentations on progress made in implementation. The Fair attracted a diverse range of partnership representatives from governments, major groups, the UN system, and other organizations. The focus on practical, results-oriented debate and dialogue created a positive learning atmosphere. All sessions featured dynamic and fruitful exchanges.
The Fair's series of interactive discussions, in particular, were designed to promote open discussion on practical issues related to building and operating partnerships, based on the ‘real’ experiences of CSD-registered partnerships—internal governance structures, mobilizing resources, communication and networking, and reviewing and measuring partnerships. Despite the fact that many of the CSD Partnerships attending CSD–14 were involved in the thematic clusters of energy, climate change, pollution, and industrial development (areas in which the Mountain Partnership is not directly involved), it was the actual partnering process—the building, managing, reviewing, and sustaining of partnerships—which was at the core of Fair activities and arguably the most relevant to the further development and strengthening of the CSD Partnerships as a whole, and the Mountain Partnership in particular.
Constraints and opportunities common to all CSD Partnerships
Understanding the partnership-building process
Expectations of how fast effective partnerships would evolve when first launched at WSSD were in many cases unrealistic. This conclusion has been expressed in the past by CSD Partnerships and was reiterated at CSD–14. Participants saw partnership-building as an evolving process that requires adequate time, effort, and support in order to be effective. There is no template for CSD Partnerships; and there are no shortcuts in forming effective partnerships. Some described partnership-building as more of an art than a science. To have effective partnerships with long-term value requires substantial investment of time and resources in building the partnership and regular reviews to assess whether the partnership is truly equitable, transparent, and mutually beneficial. Many reported that development was more costly than expected and tangible results materialized more slowly than expected.
Involving the private sector
At WSSD, the expertise and leverage of the private sector was considered crucial to CSD Partnerships and achieving a sustainable path to development. At the CSD–14 Partnerships Fair, the importance of strengthening the participation of the private sector in partnerships was underlined at a session focused specifically on practical issues related to attracting and sustaining private-sector involvement. The contributions of the private sector—not just through financial resources but specifically through the sharing of management expertise, appropriate technologies, competitiveness, open communication platforms, building capacity and skills through training activities—were stressed. There was a perceived need to engage the private sector more especially for the delivery of services and technological know-how, and for the poorest of the poor, as they are key end-users. However, attracting the private sector requires clear incentives and creative engagement strategies. Many representatives stressed that experience had shown that all stakeholders in the process need to clarify what they are contributing to create an “enabling environment” for arrangements, and to promote awareness that every partner is both a beneficiary and a donor.
Ensuring enabling frameworks and governance
Partnership representatives stressed that the success of their initiatives was dependent on the existence of a supportive policy and regulatory framework; political commitment at high levels; public awareness; and a sustainable resource base. The challenges identified ranged from difficulties faced in scaling up pilot projects to the national and regional levels to concerns over the time and the resource-intensive nature of coordination between partners. Regarding the governance of CSD Partnerships, many participants had learned that a light governance structure, with a steering committee made up of members, makes for a more dynamic alliance: in particular, it allows partners (rather than governments) to make decisions about how to spend resources, and instills a better sense of ownership and inclusiveness among members.
Sharing experiences and learning from one another
In discussing strategies for effective communication, it was pointed out that many organizations and partnerships are working to facilitate dialogue and exchange information on partnerships. There was general consensus that gathering and sharing information on partnerships' experiences was vital if we are to maximize our understanding of partnership processes, and help bolster momentum. CSD–14 vice Chair Azanaw T. Abreha highlighted the need for effective communication and outreach in the context of capacity-building, scaling-up, creating an enabling “learning environment,” advocacy, and effecting change on the policy level. He also noted the particular relevance of communication and outreach as a means for partnerships to answer concerns raised over issues such as transparency, accountability, monitoring, and measuring progress.
In an effort to share experiences of Partnerships, and at the invitation of the UN General Assembly, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat prepared a report, The Mountain Partnership: Activities and Achievements, for the consideration of CSD–14 and the CSD–14 Partnerships Fair. This report provides an overview of progress made by the Mountain Partnership since its launch, discusses some of the key challenges facing the Partnership today, and provides lessons learned and proposals on how to strengthen its impact and effectiveness. It highlights some significant advances, while focusing on key issues and challenges that many consider critical to the long-term success of the Mountain Partnership. These challenges include the uneven level of involvement of members; communication, and networking over geographic and linguistic borders; greater participation of the private sector; and mobilizing increased levels of funding for joint activities. This report, presented by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat at the plenary afternoon session of the opening day of CSD–14, was distributed widely to Fair participants in the hope that the issues outlined in the document would be of relevance to the development of other CSD Partnerships.
Promoting networking and relationship-building
Partnerships are about relationships and building trust—this sentiment was at the core of discussions about networking for and within CSD Partnerships for sustainable development. It became clear that most of these partnerships, like the Mountain Partnership, spend considerable time and resources in building effective information tools, products, and services to communicate and coordinate between partners. But unlike the Mountain Partnership, the primary aim of some partnerships is to serve as a mechanism for information exchange—to share experiences and best practices, to exchange practical knowledge, and to engage in common analysis and review, as well as informal and frank debates. These initiatives are working well to create multi-stakeholder networks, connecting governments, international institutions, NGOs, industry associations, and other partnerships. Their models are worth studying. But participants noted that it is important to recognize that there is not one model or “one size that fits all,” and each partnership also needs to have the flexibility to adapt to changing needs, concerns, and contexts.
The Mountain Partnership is networking at the global, regional, national, and local levels—tapping into existing networks and aiming to help build new networks for specific areas of work and focus. The representative of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, who acted as a lead discussant in an interactive discussion on networking and relationship-building at the CSD–14 Partnerships Fair, stressed that the Secretariat was “learning by doing” in its role of disseminating information, networking, and encouraging dialogue between members. Many types of tools, services, and products are used by the Partnership to network (from face-to-face meetings to a Web site, databases, a newsletter, collaborative workspaces and e-consultations), but there is no one standard communication strategy or model for networking and relationship-building for all activities within the Partnership. This is because of the unique challenges and constraints faced by its 137-member alliance, ranging from geographic distances, cultural and linguistic differences to an uneven capacity of members to communicate and network effectively. Importantly, although virtual or electronic means of information sharing, knowledge exchange, and debate have proven essential tools in building and sustaining collaboration among some Mountain Partnership members, this does not suit all. The Secretariat acknowledges that technology is not a ‘quick-fix’ solution for a significant number of Mountain Partnership members, many of whom live in developing countries and have insufficient or non-existent Internet connectivity. Nor can information and communication technologies ever replace the real benefits of face-to-face meetings of individuals.
This was a common concern of other CSD Partnerships who often questioned the over-reliance on Web sites for partnership-building and networking. Within the Mountain Partnership, one-to-one and ‘real time’ group meetings, such as workshops, seminars, and side events, have proven invaluable in allowing members to better understand each other's aims and needs, and in many cases have made it possible for personal relationships to develop that have been a key factor in sustaining collaboration over time. The higher costs involved in organizing such events is justified in most cases, judging from the results and the feedback provided by members. Importantly, one participant at this interactive session stated that it was easy to report on successes in networking and relationship-building. It was more difficult to report on ‘failures’ and on what was not working, although these sorts of examples would clearly be beneficial for all CSD Partnerships.
Demonstrating and communicating results
CSD Partnerships are being held accountable to demonstrate and communicate results, through databases, presentations at the Partnerships Fair, and other fora. Importantly, many partnerships attending the CSD–14 Partnerships Fair underlined the need to communicate outcomes and stressed the need for mechanisms to measure progress and results. Appeals were made amongst Partnership representatives and directly to the Partnerships Team in the CSD Secretariat to exchange experiences and lessons learned on metrics used for sustainable development partnerships. It was acknowledged that the metrics of assessing partnership success remain a challenge, particularly in the cases of partnerships that are focused on activities with qualitative outcomes such as capacity-building, training, and public education.
CSD Secretariat support for partnership development
There are clearly tangible benefits in exchanging experiences, approaches, and results among the different CSD Partnerships. To date, the Mountain Partnership has had important opportunities to do so at the annual CSD Partnerships Fair and at some of the related preparatory events that were organized prior to these sessions. At this year's CSD Partnerships Fair, the Partnerships Team in the CSD Secretariat underlined its supportive role in the building and nurturing of CSD Partnerships, and showcased existing and new services and tools designed to generate knowledge and strengthen collaboration between and among sustainable development partnerships. These services and tools include the summary reports to CSD highlighting trends in registered partnerships; the CSD Partnerships Web site and database, and the organization of meetings and events such as the annual CSD Partnerships Fair.
In particular, the redesigned CSD Partnerships database, first launched in 2004, now provides a more transparent mechanism to share information on CSD Partnerships, and includes such features as a partnerships events calendar to assist in identifying partnership activities, databases of partnership Web links, publications and articles, and a proposals database for new partnerships still seeking resources and/or partners. This database is now complemented by the CSD Partnerships online e-Forum, which aims to provide networking opportunities, facilitate dialogue, and support partnership development. The CSD Secretariat hopes that this information service will provide a medium through which registered partnerships can exchange lessons learned, good practices, and new ideas, as well as follow up on meetings, conferences, and publications.
The Mountain Partnership Secretariat looks forward to participating in this new CSD e-Forum, as well as future CSD events and initiatives, so that it can best support and facilitate the collaborative efforts of the Mountain Partnership to achieve concerted and lasting development to the world's mountain regions.
CSD Secretariat's Partnerships for Sustainable Development Web site: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/partnerships/partnerships.htm
Report: The Mountain Partnership: Activities and Achievements: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd14/statements.htm
