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 Partnerships
for sustainable development are a relatively new phenomena. Why?
Because unlike contractual relationships or public-private partnerships
they seek not to shift responsibility and risk from one party to
another, but to share risks, pool resources and talents and deliver
mutual benefits for each party.
Partnerships for sustainable development are, however, no panacea. Early in the process of developing these agreements their value must be weighed against the alternatives. There are also significant obstacles to negotiating the optimal division of roles between parties; parties who at a minimum view the world differently, and on occasions harbour mistrust or even hostility. A partnership, like any new relationship, also needs regular maintenance to respond to external commercial and political realities. Given these challenges it is no surprise that partnership brokers are essential to the successful development and management of multi-sector partnerships. But how are such brokers to be equipped for this multi-dimensional and challenging task? The PBAS scheme is designed to meet this demand.
The PBAS Scheme is designed to build skills for two types of multi-sector partnership brokers:
- Internal brokers - middle managers from organisations who are (or who anticipate) taking on the role of either preparing their own organisation for collaborating in a multi-sector partnership; negotiating their organisation's involvement in a partnership and/or playing a key role in managing a partnership arrangement.
This includes:
- Business managers within HSE, CSR or External Affairs departments involved in designing and implementing the social investment programmes of corporate operations;
- Bi-lateral development agency country officers engaged in implementing poverty reduction programmes or in promoting private sector development;
- Government Officials and their advisors at Central, Regional or District levels involved in sectoral planning, the implementation of poverty reduction strategies, regulatory reform or the negotiation of commercial concession or management agreements; and
- SRI (Engagement) Fund Managers interested in understanding the realities, key success factors and investment benefits associated with a partnership approach to corporate social responsibility.
- External brokers - independent third-parties contracted either to explore the feasibility of adopting a partnership approach; facilitate negotiations to develop a partnering agreement; maintain or monitor the effectiveness of partnerships over time; or institutionalise partnerships within an organisation.
This includes:
- independent consultants specialising in multi-sector partnership work;
- researchers working at the interface of business and sustainable development;
- programme managers (eg in NGOs) tasked with re-positioning their organisation as a partnership facilitator or intermediary; and
- trainers seeking to build brokering capacity in others.
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