CONSORTIUM

OF CHRISTIAN RELIEF
AND DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
(CCRDA)

Partnership Development &
Management Training Manual

December, 2018

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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 Table of Content

Section One: Introduction and Overview……………………… ............1

1.1.Partnership in the global context………………………………………………….2
1.2. Global Development goals and Instruments....................................................4
1.3. Background to Muliti-Stakholders partnership………………………………..6
Section Two: Concepts, Definition and Types of Partnership……………9
2.1. Concepts and Definitions of partnership……………………………………..10
2.2. Types and Forms of partnership………………………………………………..11
Section Three: Formation and development of partnership………12
3.1. Rationale/ Common ground for forming a partnership…………………… ..16
3.2. Steps in partnership development………………………………………………17
3.3. Creating, Building and Maintaining Effective Partnerships ………………….18
3.4. Managing Partnership: Roles and Responsibilities…………………………….19
Section Four: Approach, principles and dimensions of Partnership………. 20
4.1. Approach’s & Dimensions of effective partnership…………………………….21
4.2. Principles of partnership…………………………………………………………….22
4.3. Characteristics of Effective Partnership…………………………………………24
4.4. Leadership in Partnership Forums……………………………………………… ..25
4.5. Benefits and Challenges of Partnership………………………………………….27
Section Five: Local Partnership and Partnership Forums in Development
…………………………………………………………………………………28
5.1. Collective Engagement, Mechanisms & Action………………………………. 29
5.2 Local Partnership and its establishment…………………………………………30
5.3 Relevance of Partnership Forums…………………………………………………31
5.4.The experiences of Partnership Forums…………………………………………32
5.5. Role & Contribution of the Partnership Forums in Development………….33
5.6. Institutional Arrangement of PFs(Zonal & Regional Go-NGOs PFs)………36
5.7. Role of Members in Partnership Forums (CSOs, donors, Gov, media)……..37
Section Six: Sustainability of Partnership Forum…………………………….39
6.1. Preconditions for Sustainable Partnership Forum……………………………39

6.2. What makes Sustainable Partnership Forum ………………………………. 40

6.3 Resource Sharing & Mapping………………………………………………………42

References……………………………………………………………………45
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 Section One: Introduction and Overview
1.1.Partnership in the global context

Sustainable Development was defin."ed back in 1987 by the World Commission on

Environment and Development as "development that meets the needs of current
generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
needs and aspirations

The concept of the global partnership has been around for decades and countries have used
different forms of engagement with it. The global partnership for development we know today
was conceived at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, when Member States
decided to create a conducive environment for development at the national and global levels.
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 8 (Develop a global partnership for development) was
then formulated in the “Road map towards implementation of the United Nations Millennium
Declaration” to foster such an enabling environment for development. It includes targets on
aid, trade, debt relief and improved access to essential medicines and new technologies. This
concept was further enhanced in the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation which included additional commitments for Member States to focus on
resource mobilization, strengthening global governance and promoting policy coherence. In
addition to the global partnership for development, other form of partnership have significantly
increased in importance in the past years, such as multi-stakeholder partnerships and South-
South cooperation.

A large variety of governmental and non-governmental actors including the private sector are
involved in global development cooperation. Governmental actors include the traditional
donors, which come together under the Development Assistance Committee framework of the
OECD. So-called non-traditional donors, such as emerging economies and middle-income
countries as well as the Arab states are playing an increasingly important role as partners in
development cooperation. South-South Cooperation is based on the principles of mutual
benefit and solidarity. Even though the exact contribution of Southern partners in development
cooperation is hard to measure, they are providing important development assistance in terms
of financial resources, knowledge sharing, capacity building and transfer of personnel. In
addition, actors from civil-society, philanthropic organizations and the private sector
complement the global partnership for development with resources and awareness raising
among others
1.2. Global Development Goals and Instruments

a)Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): In 2000, 189 nations made a promise to

free people from extreme poverty. This pledge became the 8 MDGs to be achieved by 2015.
MDG 8 explicitly states that virtually nothing in the sphere of international development
happens without effective partnerships. The challenge of reducing poverty around the world is
simply too big for any single government or organization to tackle alone.

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b)The Paris Declaration 2005: the Paris Declaration takes its name from a meeting
that took place in Paris in 2005, where over 100 developed and developing countries agreed to
change the way they do business. More than a statement of general principles, the Paris
Declaration lays out a practical, action-orientated roadmap to improve the quality of aid and
its impact on development. It puts in place a series of specific measures for implementation
and establishes performance indicators that assess progress. It also calls for an international
monitoring system to ensure that donors and recipients hold each other accountable – a
feature that is unique among international agreements.

The Paris Declaration contains 56 partnership commitments organized around five principles
that make aid more effective:

By implementing these principles, the countries and organizations that endorsed the Paris
Declaration are making major breakthroughs in improving aid effectiveness, tackling issues that
have hampered development for decades. Developing country governments and civil society
are reaping the rewards in the form of better, more aligned and more predictable donor
support. As part of the Paris agenda for aid effectiveness, donors are working to minimize
proliferation, harmonize procedures and align aid by using developing country systems. Donors
are also coordinating their aid programmes and ensuring coherence by reducing the number
of countries and sectors in which they operate and avoiding overlapping actions. Meanwhile,
the development landscape is rapidly changing. Significant new sources of funding are
emerging (such as China and India’s rapidly growing aid programmes) and new types of donors
(such as private foundations and local authorities from industrialized countries) are becoming
increasingly important. The lessons of the Paris Declaration and its principles can help
encourage better ways of working together – to the benefit of all.

c)Accra Agenda on Action(2008): CSO meeting in response to Paris Declaration) “build

more effective and inclusive partnerships in order to have greater impact on reducing poverty.
Designed to strengthen and deepen implementation of the Paris Declaration, the Accra Agenda
for Action (AAA, 2008) takes stock of progress and sets the agenda for accelerated
advancement towards the Paris targets. It proposes the following four main areas for
i m p r ov e m e n t :

1)Ownership: Countries have more say over their development processes through wider
participation in development policy formulation, stronger leadership on aid co-
ordination and more use of country systems for aid delivery.

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 2) Inclusive partnerships: All partners - including donors in the OECD Development
Assistance Committee and developing countries, as well as other donors, foundations
and civil society - participate fully.
3) Delivering results: Aid is focused on real and measurable impact on development.
4) Capacity development - to build the ability of countries to manage their own future -
also lies at the heart of the AAA

d) Istanbul CSO Development Effectiveness Principles (2010): Civil society

organizations are a vibrant and essential feature in the democratic life of countries across the
globe. CSOs collaborate with the full diversity of people and promote their rights. The essential
characteristics of CSOs as distinct development actors – that they are voluntary, diverse, non-
partisan, autonomous, non-violent, working and collaborating for change – are the foundation
for the Istanbul principles for CSO development effectiveness. These principles guide the work
and practices of civil society organizations in both peaceful and conflict situations, in different
areas of work from grassroots to policy advocacy, and in a continuum from humanitarian
emergencies to long-term development.

The eight principles include:

1. Respect and promote human rights and social justice: CSOs are effective as development
actors when they develop and implement strategies, activities and practices that promote
individual and collective human rights, including the right to development, with dignity,
decent work, social justice and equity for all people.
2. Embody gender equality and equity while promoting women and girls’ rights: CSOs are
effective as development actors when they promote and practice development
cooperation embodying gender equity, reflecting women’s concerns and experience,
while supporting women’s efforts to realize their individual and collective rights,
participating as fully empowered actors in the development process.
3. Focus on people’s empowerment, democratic ownership and participation: CSOs are
effective as development actors when they support the empowerment and inclusive
participation of people to expand their democratic ownership over policies and
development initiatives that affect their lives, with an emphasis on the poor and
marginalized.
4. Promote Environmental Sustainability: CSOs are effective as development actors when they
develop and implement priorities and approaches that promote environmental
sustainability for present and future generations, including urgent responses to climate
crises, with specific attention to the socio-economic, cultural and indigenous conditions for
ecological integrity and justice.
5. Practice transparency and accountability: CSOs are effective as development actors when
they demonstrate a sustained organizational commitment to transparency, multiple
accountability, and integrity in their internal operations.
6. Pursue equitable partnerships and solidarity: CSOs are effective as development actors
when they commit to transparent relationships with CSOs and other development actors,
freely and as equals, based on shared development goals and values, mutual respect, trust,
organizational autonomy, long-term accompaniment, solidarity and global citizenship.

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 7. Create and share knowledge and commit to mutual learning: CSOs are effective as
development actors when they enhance the ways they learn from their experience, from
other CSOs and development actors, integrating evidence from development practice and
results, including the knowledge and wisdom of local and indigenous communities,
strengthening innovation and their vision for the future they would like to see.
8. Commit to realizing positive sustainable change: CSOs are effective as development actors
when they collaborate to realize sustainable outcomes and impacts of their development
actions, focusing on results and conditions for lasting change for people, with special
emphasis on poor and marginalized populations, ensuring an enduring legacy for present
and future generations.

e) Sustainable Development Goals (2015)

A successful sustainable development agenda requires partnerships between governments,

the private sector and civil society. These inclusive partnerships built upon principles and
values, a shared vision, and shared goals that place people and the planet at the centre, are
needed at the global, regional, national and local level. Goal 17 of the SGDs clearly states on
the need for global partnership for sustainable development.
The Sustainable Development Goals can only be realized with a strong commitment to global
partnership and cooperation. While official development assistance from developed countries
increased by 66 percent between 2000 and 2014, humanitarian crises brought on by conflict
or natural disasters continue to demand financial resources and aid. Many countries also
require Official Development Assistance to encourage growth and trade. The world today is
more interconnected than ever before. Improving access to technology and knowledge is an
important way to share ideas and foster innovation. Coordinating policies to help developing
countries manage their debt, as well as promoting investment for the least developed, is vital
to achieve sustainable growth and development.
The goals aim to enhance North-South and South-South cooperation by supporting national
plans to achieve all the targets. Promoting international trade, and helping developing
countries increase their exports, is all part of achieving a universal rules-based and equitable
t ra di ng system t ha t is fair a nd o pe n, an d b e n ef i t s all
(http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/)

f). Agenda 2030: Transforming our word-This Agenda is a plan of action for people,
planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. We
recognize that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty,
is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.
All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this plan .
In the preamble of agenda 2030, the 5 “”Ps” are clearly explained which are People, planet,
pro spe ri t y, peace a nd partnership.
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld)

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1.3. Background to Multi-stakeholders Partnership
Multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainable development are often portrayed as a vital new
element of the emerging system of global sustainability governance. In policy and academic
debates alike, partnerships are promoted as a solution to deadlocked negotiations, to
ineffective development cooperation and overly bureaucratic international organizations, to
self-centered state policies, corrupt elites and many other real or perceived current problems
of the sustainability transition. Multi-stakeholder partnerships were promoted in particular at
the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), where the
emerged as a ‘Type II outcome’ of the summit, along with the traditional ‘Type I outcomes’ of
the intergovernmental diplomatic process.

The hypothesis underpinning a partnership approach is that only with comprehensive and
widespread cross-sector collaboration can we ensure that sustainable development initiatives
are imaginative, coherent and integrated enough to tackle the most intractable problems.
Single sector approaches have been tried and have proved disappointing. Working separately,
different sectors have developed activities in isolation - sometimes competing with each other
and/or duplicating effort and wasting valuable resources. Working separately has all too often
led to the development of a ‘blame culture’ in which chaos or neglect is always regarded as
someone else’s fault.

Multi-stakeholder partnerships are voluntary associations between different stakeholders such

as civil society organizations, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, and international
organizations. The 2006 General Assembly resolution “Towards global partnerships” defined
these partnerships as:

“…voluntary relationships between various public

and non-public parties in which all participants
agree to work together to achieve a common
purpose or undertake a specific task…”

So partnership provides a new opportunity for doing development better - by recognizing the
qualities and competencies of each sector and finding new ways of harnessing these for the
common good.

What does each sector - whether the public sector, business sector or civil society - bring? The
‘core business’ of each sector leads to quite different priorities, values and attributes. These
can be summarized in the below diagram.

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 Adopted, Partnering initiative, 2011
In addition to the aforementioned general attributes, each sector has different competencies,
aspirations and styles of operation that can (through successful partnering) be brought
together to achieve a common vision. By working together, cross-sector partnerships can
provide:
o Innovative approaches to the challenges of sustainable development and the hopes of
ending global poverty
o A range of mechanisms enabling each sector to share their own specific competencies
and capacities in order to achieve both common and complementary goals more
effectively, legitimately and sustainably than when each sector operates separately
o Access to more resources by drawing on the full range of technical, human, knowledge,
physical and financial resources found within all sectors
o Dynamic new networks offering each sector better channels of engagement with the
wider community and greater capacity to influence the policy agenda
o Greater understanding of the value, values and attributes of each sector thereby
building a more integrated and a more stable society

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While partnerships can exist at many levels - from national or international strategic alliances
at a policy level at one end of the partnering continuum, to locally based practical initiatives at
the other - it is a common experience that the building and maintenance processes involved,
apply to virtually all types of partnership.

An example of multi-stakeholders partnership

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 Section Two: Concepts, Definition and Types of Partnership
2.1 Concepts and Definitions of partnership

Care’s Partnership Policy (2007) defines partnership as mutually beneficial alliances of diverse
types between organizations where roles, responsibilities and accountabilities are clearly
defined. Partnerships facilitate continuous two-way learning and are based on trust, shared
vision and commitment to common objectives. Partnership is a means to achieve improved
quality of life for more beneficiaries through sustainable service delivery, better responsiveness
to local development needs, and increased scale and scope of programs.

A partner can be generally defined as: “…Any individual, group, institution or organizations
including governments and donors whose active participation and support are essential for the
successful implementation of a project or development programme…” (WWF, 2007).
Partnership is also the process of engaging or involving other organizations which have similar
or different systems and procedures for the commonly agreed upon development programme.
Partnership management on the other hand, is the process of following up and maintaining
effective, productive, and harmonious relationships with partners. It can be as informal as
phone calls, e-mails, and social visits or as formal as written, signed agreements that partners
review periodically. What is most important is that you invest the time and resources needed
to create and also maintain partnerships, you communicate regularly with your partners and
you both have the opportunity to assess how things are going.
Partner relationship management is the process of managing relationship with the partners
involved throughout the life cycle of the partnership. It involves trust building, communication
and dialogue as well as respects one another among the involved organizations.

Partnership refers to a group of organizations with a

c om mo n i nt er es t w h o a gr e e t o wo r k t og e th e r to wa r d a c o m m on
goal. That goal could be as narrow as obtaining funding for
a s pe ci fi c in te rv en t io n, o r as b ro ad a s t ry in g t o i mp ro v e
t h e o v e r a l l q u a l i ty o f l i f e i t s t a r g e t g r o u p . L i k e w i s e , t h e
organizations involved might be drawn from a narrow area of
i n t e r e s t , or m i g ht i n c l u de r e p re s e nt a t i o n f ro m e ve ry
s e g m e n t o f th e c om m u n i t y ( A T oo l k i t f o r P a r t n e r s h i p,
Collaboration, and Action, 2012)

2.2. Types and Forms of partnership

There are several types of partnership. Some are short-lived others are long lasting, some are
simple other are complex, some are informal other are formal, some are specific other are
generic, some are binding other are understanding. Although there exists such kind of forms,
the bottom line in any partnership is that the involved organizations or parties are there to

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pursue a common goal. The following are some of the common types of partnership that we
often see in development program managements.
1. Informal Partnership
This type of partnership may include an exchange of letters to signify a commitment to work
together towards a mutual goal and/or intent to collaborate. Are relatively easy to develop and
set the stage for possible further negotiations among your partners.
2. Project/ Programme partnership
This is a partnership whereby partners come together initially to begin planning and managing
their programme. This might include general language reflecting the need to work together and
how to work together on developing common strategies, shared resources, and responsibility
for results.
3. Resource Mobilization Partnership
This is a type of partnership where organizations that have similar programs and or target
groups can come together to design or develop a program for joint application for funding as
well as for local resource mobilization efforts. In some case, there is also clear division on
program design, management groups within the big partnership platform. This a scenario very
much reflected with consortium and networks.
4. Memoranda of Understanding
A more formal and signed partnership between and/or among organizations is what we call it
Memorandum of understanding. This is a very common platform in the NGO context. Though
not binding in the legal sense but still it offers a room of discussion or negotiation between you
and another key partner or partner’s organizations involved in your programme.
5. Grants, Contracts, & Other Formal Partnership
This is a formal partnership whereby formal documents with specific spending, activities,
results, and reporting obligations spelled out. This is a type of development partnership that a
donor and recipient or contractor and sun-contracted usually come together and have a
partnership for clear but separate responsibilities. The contractor will have the responsibility of
grant disbursement and management whereas the sub-contracted has a role in budget
spending, activity implementation and reporting.

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Other forms of partnership…

Adopted from the Partnering initiative, 2011

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 Section Three: Formation and Development of Partnership
3.1. Rationale/ Common ground for Forming a Partnership
The rationale for having partnership can be explained in either of the following three forms:
1. Perspective and Ownership: Partnership allows for many people to have a voice in
addressing issues and creating positive change. As multiple perspectives are shared, a
fuller understanding of the needs, assets, strategies, and abilities needed or available
to address an issue are understood. No person or entity appreciates having a solution
forced on them by others outside their experience and perspective-- especially without
the ability to suggest the best or most culturally appropriate way to approach the
situation. Partnership shows respect and requires open dialogue that can allow for
authentic understanding and meaningful solutions to arise. At the least, involvement in
a partnership usually leads to increased awareness of issues, needs, strategies, and
solutions. At best, life-long civic conscientiousness and citizen responsibility to engage
in identifying and solving community issues is developed.

2. Access and Resources: Partnership is critical to leveraging and mobilizing necessary

resources to achieve any complex goal. It is a rare instance when any one person or
entity has access to all the needed information, knowledge, organizational systems,
space, social and cultural competency, skill, experience, financial or other physical
supports. Convening people or entities that bring to the partnership the identified and
needed resources allows for partnership to prosper and succeed.

3. Shared Liability: In today’s society of rules, regulations, laws, risk management,

insurance and litigation it is important for entities to create systems, programs and
activities that consider how to protect the people and physical assets of those involved
in any endeavor. Partnerships allow for these concerns to be addressed, negotiated and
for partners to bear appropriate levels of legal liability for the endeavors

3.2. Steps in partnership development

Partnership is not something that can be created out of the blue it is rather involves a series
steps or procedures including continues dialogue and consultation with the involving
organizations. It’s even more demanding when it involves different actors of state and non-sate
nature. Some consultations might take as long as months while others can be managed in days
or weeks. There are seven important steps that we need to follow while building partnership
for long term development results. The following steps are extracted from CARE, 2007, crafting
a partnership Strategy.
Step One: Appraising the Partnership Experience and Lessons Learned
The first step in any partnership platform is nothing but identifying partner organizations that
have had good experience and good track records in partnership. This also involves an
assessment of who the partners are and what their particular contribution is - either by project
or program in reference to their geographic area of operation. In this step it’s also important
to describe the relationship it has with each partner organizations; specifying the partnership
typology and how the partners interact on key operational activities. With this information at

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hand, the partnering organizations can summarize their lessons learned and give an overall
description of their role as a partner with others.
This step is also about building a partnership relationship management plan to create a
grounded, compelling strategic framework. This framework will interconnect the ethereal
energies with the material outputs, creating an interactive, and self-reinforcing system. A
strategic framework has three principal components.
o Vision. This describes the desired destiny of the organization—not a point or timeline
but, rather, a navigational reference point guiding the business for the long haul. It is a
short, compelling description of a value outcome, a vision that reflects the passion of
the shareholders and defines the meaning they give to their enterprise.
o Mission. This statement describes how an organization will achieve its vision. It identifies
an entity’s area of expertise.
o Strategic directions. A strategic direction specifies a broad area of organizational focus,
the specific things the entity needs to do over the next five years to achieve its mission.
Collectively, the strategic directions define at a high level how the organization intends
to allocate its resources (people, money, time, and technology).
Step Two: Step 2 Identifying Potential Partner Organizations
Based on the information obtained above, the next step would be identifying and/or selecting
potential organizations for partnership. Organizations could be assessed in terms of their:
o the scope and scale of their programming results and impact to date;
o current and future programming (geographic focus, types of services, target
populations);
o their perceived capacity (management, financial, logistical) to deliver on its plan; and
o creditability of the organization to its constituency.
Step Three: Articulating a Rationale for Partnering
It is important that partnership makes sense to the partnering organizations. Being clear about
the reasons for entering into a partnership will help partnering organizations to end up in a
possible and effective partnership. It is equally important to be clear about when it’s a bad idea
to enter into partnership. This rationale can be expressed in the form of a vision, a goal, a set
of objectives, or any combination thereof.
Step Four: Ranking Potential Partner Organizations
This step is a key to answer the question of with whom to partner. At this stage partnering
organization will be selected based on essential criteria in choosing partners are
complementarity of vision (or developmental ethos) and the degree of complexity of the
interventions to be undertaken.
Step Five: Mutually Selecting Partners
Not every potential partner organization will necessarily want or need to enter into a
partnership relation with one organization. The above steps are important to help get ready to
contact those organizations which seem to demonstrate the most promising opportunity for a
mutually benefiting relationship and for bringing value-added to the program participants and
beneficiaries. This step marks the beginning of the establishment of partnership relations. The

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partnering organizations have mutually ascertained compatibility and common interest for
joining together to commit themselves through a Memorandum of Understanding and/or a
partnership agreement to continue the assessment process.
Step Six: Step 6 Assessing Partners’ Organizational Capacity
This is a step where partner organizations create a matrix which charts strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats (SWOT) for each of four core components of organizational capacity:
vision; human resources; program; and financial viability in relation to organizational structure,
planning, and systems linkages, board, and participation. At the successful conclusion of this
step, the partnering organizations will enter into a formal arrangement, with: a defined overall
purpose and/or objectives; clarified roles, responsibilities and accountabilities; agreement on
how resource sharing and decision-making will take place; and a general modus operandi for
working together.
Step Seven: Finalizing the Rationale for Partnering
This is a stage where all partnering organizations have entered (or is about to enter) into formal
or informal partnerships with clearly defined objectives, roles, responsibilities and
accountabilities as well as mutually identified areas for organizational learning, growth and
capacity building.

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Some literatures suggest the following 10 steps in the formation, development and sustaining
of partnership in general and government-non-government partnership in particular.
1. Make the connection and designate a point of contact/entry point for the partnership
2. Understand each other’s needs and capabilities.
3. Set goals for the envisioned collective engagement
4. Agree on how and what resources will be used and how long you’re willing to make a
commitment.
5. Bring in additional partners to help reach the goals (if needed).
6. Set requirements for the participating organizations to avoid conflict of interest and/or
va l ue s
7. Determine the resources needed to sustain the partnership in the long-term.
8. Know and show the value within your organization to the benefits of the whole group
9. Grow the partnership to other partnering organization locations.
10. Set measures to inform program success and to review the partnership
3.3. Creating, Building and Maintaining Effective Partnerships
The following issues or considerations are critically important to create, build and maintain
effective partnership in any forms of partnership (government to government, NGOs to NGOs
or government to NGOs). The outlines are adopted from Community Tool Box(2018), but
modified further to fits into the context under discussion.

1. Describe the multiple organizations that have come together in common purpose.: Who
are you and why is a partnership is needed to accomplish your purpose?
a. Name the problems or goals that have brought together multiple organizations
in common purpose.
b. Describe who you are or what groups you represent.
c. Describe why creating a partnership is needed to accomplish your goal.
d. Why is a partnership needed to accomplish your goal?
2. Assemble the partnership’s (group's) membership, keeping your broad goals in mind:
a. Identify those who need to be involved in order to accomplish your anticipated
goals:
b. Compile a list of candidate individuals or organizations to be involved and
review it to check for completeness.
c. Recruit emerging leaders in the organizations as a rich source of perspectives,
knowledge, and clout.
d. Indicate how you would connect with potential partners and approach them
regarding membership.
3. Outline your partnership's vision and mission with the assistance of your newly
assembled partners
a. Vision - summarize your partnership's dream for the future
b. Mission - state your collaborative partnership's mission

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 4. State the objectives or goals, needed resources and relationships to accomplish your
objectives, and key agents of change in the partnership.
a. Summarize the anticipated results of the group's activities. What would be
different in your community when you have reached your goals? Who will
have what done by when?
b. Review evidence that the problems or goals that the partnership has chosen to
address are important to the community.
c. Identify available resources and relationships that will be needed to bring
about change.
d. Determine who the target populations are that you most want to affect and
those in your community whose actions can influence them, either directly or
indirectly.
5. Re-examine the group's membership in light of your vision, mission, and objectives. Who
else needs to be at the table? How can they contribute to the collaborative partnership's
success and help it reach its goals?
6. Describe potential barriers to your partnership's success and how you would overcome
them. Some common barriers include:
a. Competition or turf issues - Who can you include that would ease turf issues
among potential partners and within the community? How might you build
greater trust and respect among partners? How might you ensure mutual
benefit?
b. Bad history between local agencies or with the community - What has happened
in the community previously (or in prior collaborative efforts) that makes it
harder for partners to work together successfully in a new effort? How can bad
feelings and mistrust be resolved?
c. Dominance by " big organizations" within the partnership and in relationships -
How do you encourage "small organizations " partners, including those most
affected by the issues, to see their unique contribution and agree to participate
in planning and decision making
d. Poor links to the community - How could the group's members increase their
connectedness to the community most affected by the issue? Who and in what
activities can they engage to improve local ties?
e. Minimal organizational capacity - How will the collaborative partnership's
organizational capacity be increased? What skills and time do members need to
create a more efficient and effective partnership?
f. Funding (too much or too little) - What strategies are being used to financially
sustain the effort and are there more effective ones? How can we avoid having
the opportunity for funding, such as a new grant, tear apart working
relationships?
g. Failure to provide and create leadership within the partnership - How can new
members be encouraged to step up as leaders within the collaborative
partnership? How can leadership skills and opportunities be cultivated among
unconventional or overlooked candidates?
h. The perceived costs of working together outweigh the benefits - How can we
reduce the costs or increase the benefits of participation in the project by
partners and community members? What barriers can be eliminated?

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 7. Identify what financial resources will be needed to support the group's activities and
infrastructure.
a. Create a budget to determine what immediate and future resources will be
needed.
b. Use the anticipated budget
c. Identify potential sources of funding and support, including in-kind support
from members' organizations.
d. Form a committee to acquire appropriate resources. What members would
you include?
8. Describe how the partnership will function as an organization and how responsibilities
will be shared among partner organizations.
a. Formation of your collaborative partnership may result in the partner
organizations interacting with each other in new ways and with different levels
of shared resources and responsibilities
b. Prepare your organizations to successfully work together
9. Describe the structure the collaborative partnership will use to do its work. Structure will
allow your partnership to function more efficiently and effectively
a. Three elements are necessary to designate, regardless of the organizational
structure(some form of governing structure for decision making, Rules by which
the organization will operate and a planned distribution of work)
b. Consider the characteristics of your group and its membership in determining
the formality of its structure
c. Describe the organizational structure which best serves your collaborative
partnership's needs and operating strengths

10. Describe how the partnership will maintain momentum and foster renewal

a. Indicate how the group will assure the “6 R's” for maintaining engagement of
all partnering organizations:
. Recognition – People/organizations want to be recognized for their
contributions.
i. Respect – People/organizations want their values, culture, ideas, and
time to be respected and considered in the organization's activities.
ii. Role – People/organizations want a clearly defined role in the
partnership that makes them feel valuable and in which they can make
a contribution.
iii. Relationships – People/organizations want the opportunity to establish
and build networks both professionally and personally for greater
influence and support.
iv. Reward – People/organizations expect the rewards of participating in a
collaborative partnership to outweigh the costs and to benefit from the
relationships established.
v. Results – People/Organizations respond to visible results that are clearly
linked to outcomes that are important to them and that they can clearly
link to their participation in the partnership .

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 b).Promote the importance of "regular maintenance" - regular evaluations of
the partnership's vision and progress in addition to emerging issues or problems
11. If your partnership is beginning to lose momentum in achieving its goals or member
numbers are diminishing, review current barriers to your success
. a. Describe potential barriers or opposition to your partnership's success and
strategies to overcome them
b. Determine if your current membership is hampering your success, either
because the right people are not involved or your numbers are not large
enough.
12. If necessary, revisit your plan to identify and recruit new or additional members
a. Now that you are actively engaged in the effort, identify those you want to
partner with to help broaden or strengthen your partnership's impact
b. Re-examining who has not been asked to participate
c. Outline different ways that individuals or organizations can be involved
d. Identify potential obstacles to participating. What affects participation?
e. Motivate current and potential partners to become and remain involved:
f. Characterize the current level of collaboration among partner organizations
and explore if modifying it will bring about greater success.
g. Consider the possibility that, since beginning your partnership, your efforts
have created opposition. Determine who is opposing your efforts, what their
tactics are, and how to respond.
13. When maintaining the partnership at its current level is no longer appropriate or
feasible, consider other alternatives.

a. Growing
b. Spin off another partnership
c. Change focus
d. Merge with another, like-minded organization
e. Cut back
f. Simply dissolve the partnership.

Questions to ask in forming a partnership

o How do you define the partnership ?
o What is the purpose of the partnership?
o Is a formal partnership necessary?
o What is the mission of the partnership?
o Which organizations or individuals share this mission?
o How many organizations should be invited to join? How many agreed?
o How would you invite them?
o What agenda would you set for the initial meeting?
o What result do you want from the first meeting?
o What type of commitment are they willing to make?

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3.4. Managing Partnership: Roles and Responsibilities
Many people will be involved in the partnership in its different phases, taking on a range of
roles as required. It is important to recognize the differences and to understand which roles
are needed, at what stage and for what purpose. It is equally important to ensure that the best
person is allocated to a particular role. Roles may change often during the life of a partnership
and partners may ‘grow’ into new roles as they become more experienced in partnering

Adopted from the partnering initiatives, 2011

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 Section Four: Approach, Principles and Dimensions of Partnership
4.1. Approach’s & Dimensions of Effective Partnership

o Understanding the Context: Any partnership requires looking at the context in which the
partnering organizations operate. Utilizations of tools such as SWOT analysis and social
exclusion analysis (SEA) as a tool for joint analysis and understanding of the context and for
identifying priorities to be addressed. It is important to have a common understanding of
the work environment and what to do through practical activities and/or advocacy to
change practices and thinking.
o A Focused Approach: For effective partnership it is of paramount importance to identify
areas for partnership and to make sure that partnering organizations have also the same or
similar interest in the area identified. Identifying strategic priorities are the basis for all
partnerships and should define a focused approach towards achieving shared goals, in line
with the respective strategies of the parties.
o Learning and Networking: Networks and organizations are important both at national, sub-
regional and international level. It is impossible for one organization to be an expert in all
fields or to do everything. Partnering organization can contribute in one or another area of
their expertise.

o Lobby & Advocacy: To have effective impact in lobbying and advocacy it helps adding
number and voice. To advance this dimension it is important that all partnering
organizations have a strong stand on the causes to that bring them together.

o Clearly Defined Roles: It is important to not be overambitious, but have realistic

expectations to a partnership. It is also extremely important that all partners are clear on
the other’s contribution and the mutual roles and responsibilities. Depending on the nature
of the partnership this will evolve over time, or be clearly defined in writing at the outset.
If funding is involved, a written formal agreement with clearly defined roles and
responsibilities are required. For a campaign it is less practical to have a written agreement,
because we would want the flexibility of more people joining in over time. However, the
core partners might still find it useful to sign a joint memorandum of understanding on who
is doing what.

o Communication and Dialogue: Effective partnerships are categorized by open and timely
communication and dialogue:
i) informing each other of important developments;
ii) consulting each other about policy changes or adjustments in relation to
the agreed plan; and
iii) iii) joint learning and networking.

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4.2. Principles of partnership
A partnership is more likely to be successful and sustainable in the long run if the parties have
discussed and share a common understanding on the principles below. However, these
principles need to be considered in relation to the specific objectives of the envisaged
relationship and the forms of partnership involved.

1. Weave a fabric of Sustainability: Partnerships must seek to weave a fabric of sustainable

development from a confluence of missions between civil society, government and the private
sector institutions. Sustainable development requires that services delivered be valued by their
constituents, that local organizations delivering them have the capacity to do so efficiently and
effectively, and that the operating environment not only authorizes but supports their delivery.

2. Acknowledge Interdependence: Each partner needs the other to fulfill their individual and
joint mission. Recognizing this phenomenon of mutual need and interconnectedness allows the
parties to share responsibility and to work for the benefit of the whole and the other, knowing
that this also serves their own best interests.

3. Build Trust: Trust evolves over time between partners. Taking risks, cooperating, showing
care and honoring commitments, as well as the simple familiarity that comes with working
together over time, help establish trust.

4. Find Shared Vision, Goals, Values and Interests: Partners have many things in common, but
also many unique elements to their work. It is not important that all of the partners' goals and
values line up together; it is important that there be significant common ground, a shared
mission, for joint action. Partnerships need to articulate what's important to them, and
understand where their shared purpose and interests lie.

5. Honor the Range of Resources: Each party to the partnership brings a different set of
resources. A truly effective partnership utilizes all of its collective resources, regardless of who
they may 'belong' to. Withholding of resources is a common organizational phenomenon, so a
positive climate must be built in which partners are encouraged to offer all that they bring to
the larger whole. Partnership is a give and take relationship.

6. Generate a culture of Mutual support and Respect for Differences: The culture, or way of being
together, is a silent but potent factor in any relationship, one that can either energize or
sabotage the work. Many organizational cultures have a tendency to deplete or frustrate its
members. A good partnership actively nourishes and supports its members, so that people feel
good about being part of it. Showing appreciation and respect for partners' differences not only
provides this needed support, but also allows for those differences to be used as valuable
resources for enhancing the partnership objectives.

7. Partnering as opportunities for Creative Synergy: Creativity is needed to face challenges and
overcome obstacles. In a partnership, co-creativity (or a joint creative process) fulfills the old
prover that says, 'two heads are better than one'. When there is a good rhythm to that co-
creativity, it becomes synergy, where the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

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8. Address relationship difficulties as they occur: All relationships have challenges.
Misunderstandings, poor communication, hurt or angry feelings, power struggles, incorrect
assumptions, distorted perceptions - these and other factors can cloud the air with unspoken
resentments or active disputes. Partners need regular and open contact to be able to address
these naturally-occurring difficulties as soon as possible, in order to prevent serious conflicts
and to heal wounds before they fester.

9. Partnering as continuous learning process: Partnering is a relationship that invents itself as it

goes along. The quality of the partnership is related to the degree to which the parties are
willing to assess and examine that process from a learning perspective. Curiosity, discovery,
inquiry and wonder about each other and about the relationship, paired with active and
periodic reflection on the state of the relationship, help keep the partnership lively and thriving.

10. Power Sharing: Power in the relationship should not be dictated by financial resources, but
the fundamental constituencies and beneficiaries should be given more importance. Effective,
inclusive and sustainable partnership involves a great deal of power sharing.

4.3. Characteristics of Effective Partnership

A partnership is where two or more people need to work together to accomplish a goal while
building trust and a mutually beneficial relationship. This means the partnership is voluntarily
agreed upon, built on the desire to have trust, and based on agreed-upon mutual benefits.
Effective partnerships have the following characteristics:

(1) Partnerships are entered into voluntarily

Partnerships cannot be forced. However, we often find ourselves in situations where we are
―assigned‖ to partners—for example, when we are appointed to a project or task force, join
an existing board of directors, work on a committee at a school, or volunteer to help plan the
church picnic. In these cases, relationships can become true partnerships only when all involved
have defined the goal or task, have identified the mutual benefits, and are committed to
building trust.

(2) Partners perceive themselves to be equal in power and accountability

In a partnership, authority and title are meaningless in the delegation of tasks, decision-making,
and conflict-resolution. The only factors that might make one partner’s perspective take
precedence over another’s are greater knowledge or more experience. How roles and
responsibilities are assigned depends on the demands of the situation and the particular
competencies of the partners.

(3) Partners have equal access to, and openly share, information and knowledge
In a partnership, the emphasis is always on the task or outcome for which the partners came
together in the first place. To that end, all partners need to have access to the same
information. In corporate settings, individuals often operate according to the adage that
―knowledge is power,‖ and they increase their power by hoarding information parceling out
bits and pieces as needed. In a partnership, however, partners are not focused on power. All

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partners are perceived as equal and therefore willingly share information. This not only
enhances the functioning of the partnership but also increases the quality of the outcome.
Synergy and creativity result when people build upon one another’s information and ideas
.
(4) All partners are perceived as equally valuable, albeit in different ways
Partnerships come together when individuals require the contribution of others to accomplish
a task or reach a goal. By definition, every partner has something of value to bring to the
partnership, and that something is essential to the quality of the outcome. Therefore, every
partner is acknowledged for the value of his or her contribution, and no one partner is viewed
as more important than any other.

(5) Partners look for opportunities to discover they are wrong

When all partners are committed to the excellence of the outcome, they want to continually
check that their perceptions, decisions, and actions will produce the best product or service.
To that end, they welcome suggestions about how to do things differently and actively seek
them out. They want to arrive at the best possible outcome or solution and are open to any
and all information that will help them achieve it.

(6) Partners seek out and support success for others

Partners bring to a relationship an outlook of abundance. An individual with an abundant

outlook believes that there is enough of everything available in the world for everyone to get
what he or she needs. People who possess an abundant outlook can seek opportunities for
others to succeed and can celebrate others’ successes because they know this does not detract
from their opportunities to be successful as well. People whose outlook is one of scarcity feel
that anything that goes to anyone else takes something from them. They therefore are unable
to promote or support the success of others because they covet it for themselves. Such
individuals have great difficulty working in partnerships

4.4. Leadership in Partnership

Leadership, governance and accountability are critically important if we want to succeed in our
partnership. Even at an early stage, partnerships will need to have governance structures in
place to ensure that decision-making, management and development arrangements are
appropriate and operate effectively. Partners often find themselves accountable to a number
of different ‘stakeholders’ including:
o Partnership project beneficiaries
o External (non-partner) donors (who will each have their own reporting
requirements)
o Individual partner organizations (which will each have their own accountability
and governance systems)
o Each other as partnering colleagues
It is likely that accountability is much more a driver of a partnership than is commonly
recognized and for this reason, governance and accountability procedures need to be agreed
and put at the heart of the Partnering Agreement or MOU. To some extent, partners will have
choices about what they do and how they do it. They may want to consider a range of options

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from completely informal arrangements (e.g., an ad hoc collection of individuals), to those that
are highly formal (e.g., a new legally registered organization with independent governance and
accountability procedures) before choosing the most appropriate for their needs. But however
informal a partnership, a Partnering Agreement is always necessary to avoid later
misunderstandings and conflict. Most partnerships start informally and grow increasingly
formalized over time as their programme of work becomes more complex and more resource
intensive

Partnerships raise interesting issues about leadership. What is the role of a ‘leader’ in a
paradigm that is essentially collaborative and based on a notion of equity between the key
players? Is collaboration between equals and the notion of strong leadership incompatible?
How does leadership emerge and find expression in a partnership paradigm without
undermining the principle of shared responsibility? How do partners carry the necessary
leadership roles on behalf of the partnership within their organization as well as the other way
round?
Naturally, at different stages over the course of the partnering process one or other partner
will take a more pro-active, more exposed and more public leadership role - and will be
responsible and accountable to their partner colleagues for their actions. What kind of
leadership style is chosen at a given moment largely depends on the type of partnership, the
complexity of the current issue, the urgency of the required action, and the personalities of the
people involved. Ideally, partnerships will include people with diverse leadership competencies,
so that all the challenges the partnership faces over the course of its existence can be tackled
by strong leadership, shared - as appropriate - between the different partners.
There are other leadership roles likely to be required during the partnering process including:

 Acting as ’guardian’ of the partnership’s mission (internally and externally)

and being prepared to stand up for its values
 Coaching each other (directly and indirectly) in good partnering behaviour
and partnership / project management
 Challenging each other’s ways of looking at the world, of doing things, and
of approaching difficult or contentious issues
 Empowering other members of the partnership to be pro-active, to
innovate and to be allowed to make mistakes
 Creating hope and optimism when the process seems to be stuck.

In the early stages of the partnering process, it may be very useful to select an individual - either
from one of the partner organizations or from outside the partnership - to act as broker or
intermediary on behalf of the partners to build and strengthen the partnership. In his/her ability
to combine a compelling vision with day-to-day practical implementation, the partnership
broker epitomizes a new style of leadership, operating as a catalyst for change by ‘guiding’
rather than ‘directing’.
For any partnership to be effective and to deal successfully with challenges, it needs to be built
on a strong foundation of individual commitment to partnering and on the conviction that a
partnership approach is necessary to achieve the desired goal.

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Leadership: Management and Mandate options

© partnering initiative, 2011

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4.5. Benefits and Challenges of Partnership
Some of the perceived and potential benefits of partnership includes but are not limited to:
o Professional development of key personnel
o Better access to information and different networks
o Greater ‘reach’
o Improved operational efficiency
o More appropriate and effective products and services
o Greater innovation
o Enhanced credibility
o Increased access to resources
In addition to these common benefits, there are likely to be a range of further rewards that are
specific to individual partners. Ideally these too would be acknowledged and shared at an early
stage of the partnership to enable mutual appreciation of each other’s specific priorities and to
ensure that all partners understand completely the expectations each partner has from the
partnership. But even if there are many good reasons for creating partnerships to tackle major
development issues, it is not always obvious to all that this is the best way forward. It is also
not always easy to promote collaboration in particularly unsympathetic cultural, political or
economic contexts.

ASSESSING RISKS AND REWARDS

Each partner needs to assess the risks and rewards that may arise from being involved in a
cross-sector initiative. In fact, each partner will need to understand the potential risks and
rewards of their fellow partner organizations almost as deeply as their own if they are to really
commit themselves to genuine collaboration and the principle of ‘mutual benefit. While it is
common for each partner to believe the risks to their organization are greater than to any
other, it is interesting to note that most categories of risk apply equally to all partners.
Organizational risk for each of the sectors may arise in any of the following areas:

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 o Reputation impact - all organizations and institutions value their reputation and will
rightly be concerned about whether that reputation can be damaged either by the
fact of the partnership itself or by any fall-out in future should the partnership fail.
o Loss of autonomy - working in collaboration inevitably means less independence for
each organization in the areas of joint work
o Conflicts of interest - whether at strategic or operational levels, partnership
commitments can give rise to split loyalties and / or to feeling pushed to settle for
uncomfortable compromise
o Drain on resources - partnerships typically require a heavy ‘front end’ investment
(especially of time), in advance of any appropriate level of ‘return’
o Implementation challenges - once a partnership is established and resources procured
there will be a fresh set of commitment and other challenges for each partner
organization as the partnership moves into project implementation
Risk assessment is important and sometimes easily ignored in the enthusiasm for potential
benefits from collaboration. Partners should encourage each other to undertake such
assessments at an early stage of their collaboration and - wherever possible - find opportunities
for addressing any concerns together as a partner group in an open and non-judgmental
atmosphere.

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 Section Five: Local Partnership and Partnership Forums in
Development
5.1. Collective Engagement Mechanisms & Action
Collective Impact is a process of structured collaboration for community change through the
commitment of a group of actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a
complex social problem.

Collective Impact does not mean collaboration. It is, in fact, a very specific type of collaboration
that requires 5 conditions to be met. Without any of these elements in place, a collaboration is
not performing the Collective Impact process. FSG describes these conditions as:

1. Common agenda – Collective impact requires all participants to have a shared vision for
change, one that includes a common understanding of the problem and a joint
approach to solving it through agreed upon actions.
2. Shared measurement – Collecting data and measuring results consistently on a short list
of indicators at the community level and across all participating organizations not only
ensures that all efforts remain aligned, it also enables the participants to hold each
other accountable and learn from each other’s successes and failures.
3. Mutually reinforcing activities – Each participant in the collaborative undertakes a
specific set of activities at which it excels, in a way that supports and is coordinated with
the actions of others.
4. Continuous communication – Regular meetings and other tech-based communications
to develop a shared vocabulary, build trust, and ensures sustainable coordination of
activities.
5. Backbone organization – Creating and managing collective impact requires a separate
organization and staff with a very specific set of skills to serve as the backbone for the
entire initiative. Coordination takes time, and none of the participating organizations
has any to spare. The expectation that collaboration can occur without a supporting
infrastructure is one of the most frequent reasons why it fails. The Panhandle
Partnership acts as the backbone organization for Panhandle health and human services
agencies(www. Collectiveimpact.org).

Collaborations between partnering organizations can significantly increase their collective

impact in addressing complex issues. Whether in a large coalition or a small partnership,
navigating the accompanying complexities of any collective action requires trusting
relationships and relentless attention to detail. Collaboration leaders face many questions:

• What are the leverage points that will enable us to drive meaningful change?
• How do we understand the people, behaviors, and relationships that make up the
system behind the issues we are trying to address?
• How do we grow our collective understanding from the knowledge and experience of
partners?
• How do we organize and share information in ways that keep partners engaged?
• What governance structure will provide flexibility and build the clarity and trust our
partners need?
• How do we plan and monitor a cohesive set of activities across the collective?

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Collective engagement and action requires mobilizing the different capitals that are described
by Hargreaves’
5.2 Local Partnership and its establishment

A Local Partnership for Sustainable Development is a coalition of individuals and organizations

drawn from the public, private and civil. The most important resource available to a Local
Partnership is the enthusiasm, skills and experience of the people involved. To get the most out
a Local Partnership, it is important to ensure :society sectors committed to taking joint action
to achieve social, economic and environmental improvement to foster specific geographical
area. The goal of a Local Partnership is to integrate social, economic and environmental action
in a geographic region so as to ensure that they contribute effectively and consistently to the
sustainable development of that region.

In a local partnership:
o Membership is voluntary and open to all;
o Constant effort is made to ensure public, business and civil society sectors are involved;
o Visions, action plans and other policies are developed jointly;
o Tangible effects are achieved through practical action projects and initiatives involving
as many partners as possible;
o Achievements and contributions are documented to the extent possible;
o Ongoing information and communication is maintained with a wider public;
o Organizational improvement is a constant concern for all;
o Impacts are monitored and assessed in relation to progress towards sustainability.

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To be effective Local Partnerships must be grounded in a specific geographic area or region,
which is defined by those involved. The geographic focus can be defined in terms of:
o existing administrative boundaries
o economic, social or environmental conditions (e.g. road network, mountain range),
o natural, cultural or historical values
A fundamental premise of sustainable development and sustainability is that responsibility
does not rest with any single organization or sector - whether it be a matter of social justice,
environmental protection or business development. All must share in the responsibility of
building a sustainable society. Encouraging specific practical action that contributes to
sustainable development, which by definition must be undertaken by single organizations
working in partnership or cooperation with others, requires an enabling context or
environment that is conducive to joint action. Thus, an important role for Local Partnerships
lies in creating an enabling and nurturing environment for partnership action specifically
concerned with making sustainable development a day-to-day reality.
By focusing on cross-sector cooperation motivated by a desire to generate tangible benefits for
a specific community or geographic region, a Local Partnership generates new opportunities
for its members to add value to their own individual skills, expertise, know-how, experience,
resources, networks and share in building a common or shared vision of what constitutes a
sustainable society. For effective, inclusive and sustainable partnership it is of an utmost
importance to clearly identify the strengthens, weakness and the unique added value of the
partnering organizations. The following table provides a summarized insights about each sector
in line with its weaknesses and added values.

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An obvious but important insight is that each of the three sectors has both strengths and
weaknesses. Each individual and organization has the potential of adding value to its own
isolated efforts by drawing on the expertise and resources of others and, in turn, the potential
for contributing to making the activities of others more effective.
Establishing a Local Partnership is an uphill struggle focused on getting individuals and
their organizations to find rewarding ways of working with one another. It is a struggle
because few individuals and organizations have an in- house capability to work with others.
There is no right or wrong way of establishing a Local Partnership. But adopting a systematic
approach can save money, time and effort.

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 Experience with establishing Local Partnerships at the community level, suggests a process or
sequence of ten stages:
1. Identifying partners and local initiatives;
2. Identifying common challenges and opportunities;
3. Assessing capabilities and opportunities for cross-sector cooperation;
4. Drawing up a Partnership Agreement;
5. Adopting organizational procedures;
6. Agreeing on an Action Plan;
7. Agreeing on decision-making;
8. Assigning roles and responsibilities;
9. Establishing task teams;
10. Assessing results.
To make the local partnership happen, there are some approaches that needs to be
followed:
o A partnership approach can be practic ed on many levels: projects,
interpersonal relations, fundraising, promoting the Local Partnership etc.
o A partnership approach becomes visible when for example:- Local Partnership
members talk about their own projects and activities with reference to
opportunities for others and contributions to a broader common goal;
o Organizations are willing to compromise or modify their own activities as they
become more aware of the work and contributions of others. In other words,
they come to recognize that common vision is more than the sum of individual
activities;
o Local Partnership members start to share information and learning with one
another, especially with regard to funding or resourcing opportunities;
o Organizations use the Local Partnership framework to evaluate their own
projects and activities and join with others to develop new initiatives. Partnership
requires attention when for example:
o An individual organization comes to believe that it is acting in the best interests
of the Local Partnership and takes action without informing others;
o A member organization presents its own views or position as that of the Local
Partnership, ignoring the voices or opinions of other member organizations.
A member organization fails to share information or learning about
opportunities for funding or promotion, that should be made available to all
Partnership members;
o A member organization resists formalizing the Local Partnership, while at the
same time failing to take on responsibility for making the Partnership operate
more effectively.
o The Partnership Approach is a learning process. The actual experience of
sharing costs, risks and workload is essential to appreciating the potential of
partnership action. Such experiences can be achieved in the Partnership
development process. Experiencing partnership action as a learning process

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 leads to identifying areas of common interest and potential joint activities. .
Goodwill, trust and cooperation are essential ingredients of partnership action.

5.3 Relevance of Partnership Forums

GO-NGO forums can be governed by the following principles and values(Guidelines of
partnership Forums, CCRDA, 2014)
o Learning: Both parties shall acknowledge that each has different experiences and by
learning from each other they can enrich their organizations and the people they aim
to serve
o Responsibility and public mindedness: The two parties should respect and be sensitive
to the moral values, religion, custom, tradition, and culture of the people in their area
of operation; and exhibit a responsible and care attitude towards the environment.
o Shared values: The two parties collaborate on the basis of mutual respect, shared
values, common ground, and for the good of society.
o Mutual benefits: Collaboration and partnership between the two parties is on the basis
of equitable and genuine mutual benefits to each party in agreement as well as to the
larger public.
o Professionalism: The collaboration and partnership between the two parties should be
based on professionalism and centered on the concept of serving the people.
o Independence and autonomy: The collaboration and partnership between the two
parties should not compromise the independence or self-control of individual
organizations.
o Transparency and accountability: The GO-CSO partnership should allow and promote
transparency and accountability through flow of information, ideas, and experiences
between the parties
o Adaptive to change: Partnership is a process and should be adaptive to change. Changes
in the relationship should be developed through cooperation, and not forced by one or
the other party.

Development entails collaboration across sate and non-state actors. Cognizant of this fact many
development partnership have been established since the onset of the millennium. Some take
the forms of government to government others take government to non-government and
some other takes the form of public private partnership by involving the three sectors of the
modern society. Such forms and collaborations are very relevant for the purpose of :
1. The provision of services refers mostly to providing information and training.
o It is about the networks communications infrastructure.
o Almost all networks for example do have a newsletter or a website which act as
vehicles for the exchange of ideas and experiences.
o Often documentation and library services are provided as well.
2. Learning together refers to the joint activities undertaken

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 o To raise members level of understanding of the complexity of development
problems.
o It includes mutual appraisals, exchange visits, workshops and other meetings.
o Common elements are joint diagnosis, exchange, comparison and synthesis.
3. Advocacy
o Refers to those activities performed or facilitated by the network to participate
in and influence the public or government debate about development policy.
4. Management functions
o maintaining or improving the communication infrastructure,
o overseeing the networks operating procedures,
o monitoring its resources, activities and outputs,
o linking with other organizations and networks.
Partnership forms have also relevant in terms of the following five purposes and functions:
1. communication across parties
2. Solidarity across parties
3. To influence others
4. Mobilizing energy / resources
5. Promote linkage building.
5.4.The experiences of Partnership Forums
A healthy relationship is only conceivable when both parties share common objectives. If the
government's commitment to poverty reduction is weak, NGOs will find dialogue and
collaboration frustrating or even counter-productive. Likewise, repressive governments will be
wary of NGOs which represent the poor or victimized. In such situations, NGOs will probably
prefer to chart their own course, giving all instruments of the state as wide a berth as possible.
Where the government has a positive social agenda (or even where individual ministries do)
and where NGOs are effective there is the potential for a strong, collaborative relationship. As
Tandon (1991) clarifies, this does not mean the sub-contracting of placid NGOs, but a "genuine
partnership between NGOs and the government to work on a problem facing the country or a
region... based on mutual respect, acceptance of autonomy, independence, and pluralism of
NGO opinions and positions."
In most part of Africa, government and non-governmental collaboration is manifested in the
form of either of the following seven domains: These are the principal avenues by which
governments can influence the operational environment for NGOs : These are:

1. Nature and quality of governance (pluralism, accountability, etc.).

2. The legal framework (registration, reporting requirements, etc.).
3. Taxation policies (on imported goods, local philanthropy, etc.).
4. Collaboration with NGOs (when? sector? nature of partnership?).

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 5. Public consultation and information (policy impact of NGOs).
6. Coordination (role for governments in coordinating NGO activities).
7. Official support (government funding, official contracts).

The Sudan’s Case: Case 1

North Darfur State has been affected by conflict since 2003 and the government
has not been able to provide adequate curative health services to the people. The
government has come to rely on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to
provide curative health services. This study was conducted to examine the existing
collaboration between government and NGOs in curative health service delivery in
North Darfur State, and to identify the challenges that affect their collaboration.
Result of the Collaboration: The collaboration between the government and NGOs
has been very weak because of security issues and lack of trust. The NGOs
collaborate by providing human and financial resources, material and equipment,
and communication facilities. The NGOs supply 70% of curative health services, and
contribute 52.9% of the health budget in North Darfur State. The NGOs have
employed 1 390 health personnel, established 44 health centers and manage and
support 83 health facilities across the State.

Case 2: NGO and State Collaboration in low- and middle- income countries
The last few decades have seen a dramatic increase in public-non-governmental
organization (NGO) partnerships in the health sector of many low- and middle- income
countries (LMICs) as a means of improving the public’s health.
Result of such collaboration: Major findings reveal that: 1) each collaboration between
civil society organizations (CSOs) and the state in the health sector demands different
partnerships; 2) partnership types can range from equal, formal contractual,
decentralized to advocacy ones; 3) commitment by the state and NGOs to work in
collaboration lead to improved service delivery, reduced health inequities and
disparities; 4) added value of NGOs lies in their knowledge, expertise, community
legitimacy, ability to attract donor funding and implementation capacity to address
health needs in geographical areas or communities where the government does not
reach and for services, which it does not provide and 5) success factors and challenges
to be considered, moving forward to promote such partnerships in other
LMICs(doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3636-2).

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5.5. Role & Contribution of the Partnership Forums in Development
In general the collaboration with state and non-sate actors are of paramount importance to
make the development work more inclusive, equitable and sustainable. This is simply because
the different actors will bring different expertise, working modalities and resources on the table
for the common desired goal. Some of this contribution includes:
o Promoting public awareness and participation in governance: the collaboration of NGOs,
GOs , donors and the media played a pivotal role in terms of promoting public
awareness in many social, health and other issues as well as in promoting participation
in governance. This could be manifested through publication and dissemination of IEC
materials, conducting research, media programme on various issues and awareness
creating events.
o Contribution to basic access to essential services : In many part of Ethiopia and in Africa
too, the collaboration with different actors has made basic services accessible to the
hard to reach section of the society. For example with such collaboration health services
, information about health issues such as HIV/AIDS and sexual reproductive health were
made possible.
o Contribution for resource sharing: Collaboration with many actors contribute
significantly towards non-financial( skills, facilities, knowledge) and financial resources
amongst the collaborating parties. Different partners have certain unique resources
that cannot be mobilized otherwise. Such collective engagement will help to mobilize a
wide range of resources from the wide range of resource providers. For example
government has certain resources that cannot be mobilized easily for other sectors and
vise versa.
o Emergency response: where regional and local governments find themselves
unprepared to respond (budget-wise) to local needs, like natural calamities, NGOs and
other actors in development such as the donor communities, the media and the private
sectors have proved to be an important alliance in terms of providing the supports
needed to fill the emergency need.
o System building and Development: The collaboration among different actors in
development forms will support and strengthening system building and development
for all participating parties. Some NGO/CSOs promoted initiatives that are meant for
strengthening partnership and collaboration between NGO/CSO and Government at
different layers. Examples include supports for drafting collaboration guidelines,
organizing group events and supporting joint reviews/assessments.
o Advocacy and Policy Lobbying: The joint venture of development actors in a partnership
forum will provide an important opportunity to identify policy gaps and strategies and
lobby them for better and enabling policy environment to create a level playing field
for all actors to contribute to their full potential.
o Broader geography and beneficiaries Reach: Experience in many countries have thought
us, collective engagement in multi-stakeholders approach have contributed in terms of
reaching high segments of the population in a wide range of geographic areas. Each
partnering organization will bring its own constituency in terms of target beneficiaries
and geography, the different capabilities and efficient utilization of resources will help
to reach such group and geography through a collective action and engagement.

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5.6. Institutional Arrangement of PFs (Zonal & Regional Go-NGOs PFs)
According to the partnership forum guideline(CCRDA, 2014), the institutional arrangement of
the partnership form is structured in the following way.
Governance and Management Structure

a) The General Assembly(GA):The General Assembly composed of member

government bureaus/Departments and CSOs operating in the Region/Zone/City shall
constitute the highest decision making body of the Forum,. The GA will provide
strategic support and direction to the overall functioning of the forum.

b) The Steering Committee: Reflecting the joint government-civil society nature of the
partnership, the Steering Committee shall be comprised of government and civil
society representatives that together guide the ongoing development and direction
of the forum, maintaining the highest standards for the forum and ensuring long-term
sustainability. The Steering Committee shall be comprised of ten to 20 members (half
of which represent government bureaus/Offices, while the other half is taken by
CSOs) approved by the GA.

5.7. Role of Members in Partnership Forums (CSOs, donors, Gov’t, media)

To ensure smooth collaboration for the common good, the followings are the major roles and
responsibilities of members in a partnership forums. The different members might take
different roles appropriate to their unique capabilities.
1. To Observe Good Faith: Partners are bound to carry on any activity to the greatest
common advantage, to be just and faithful to each other and to render true accounts
and information’s all things affecting the partners.

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 2. To Indemnify for Loss: This obligation is imposed upon every partner to save the other
partners from loss caused to them by the fraud of a partner in conducting an activity
for the common goal.
3. To Attend to its duties diligently: Every partner is bound to attend diligently to its duties
in conducting an activities. Each partner has the duty to attend any meeting and also
to participant in an event that concern the whole partners.
4. Not to Claim Remuneration: It is the prime duty of a partner to take part in the
management of the partnership business. So none of them is entitled to any
remuneration for taking part in the conduct of the business. However, it is usual to allow
some remuneration to the working partners provided there is a specific agreement.
5. Leadership Role: Each partner is expected to play a leadership role either on rotation
base or on regular manner depending on the need. Collective leadership is the attribute
that are required to pursue a common agenda.
6. Promotion and marketing: Each partner is responsible to promote and market the good
work of the partnership forums. All involved parties are required to promote the forum
in the venues and outlets that they found relevant and important.
7. Information exchange and networking: One of the importance of having a forum is for
join information and exchange. Each member need to consider this an important role
to take forward and to be responsible for. It’s through information exchange and
networking that a forum can develop further and flourish to the benefit of the whole
group.
8. Resource sharing, mobilization and Mapping: Resources are often perceived as a
challenge for promoting a common agenda. Interestingly, if all members take a role in
this endeavors resource mobilizations often is a simple task to take in a forum than to
act in isolation. Members need to be aware off and committed to mobilize and/or share
the resources that they have for the common goal.
9. Coordination: Coordination is an important function of a partnership . To avoid free
riders and social loafing, each member need to take a role of coordination on a
rotational bases. Each member needs to be equally responsible to coordinate
themselves for the joint venture than expecting it from others. Self-leadership and self-
governance are quite helpful to promote coordinating amongst the partners.
10. Power sharing: Power distribution with in the forum should be based on principle of
equity and competence rather than based on positional barraging of some powerful
partners at the expenses of the less powerful one.

Section Six: Sustainability of partnership Forum

6.1. Preconditions for Sustainable Partnership Forum

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There are many preconditions that needs to be in place or need to be worked out to make your
partnership forum inclusive, equitable, successful and sustainable. Experts in the field of
development in general and partnership in particular have labeled them as the “five
commandments”. These are:
1. Trust and Mutual Respect: Trust and mutual respect among the members and a
willingness to cooperate with each other on equitable terms for the bigger cause that
brining all the members together either for the short term or the longer term. Such trust
building should not be guided by resource sharing or contribution rather needs to be
attached with the core values of the partnership forum.
2. Equitable sharing of Roles and responsibilities: The common challenges in a partnership
forum is what we call it the “tragedy of the commons” and “Social Loafing”. The former is
refers to the situation where everyone property is no one responsibility while the latter is
refers to mean a scenario whereby an organization perform less in the partnership as
compared to its performance individually. To avoid both the tragedy of the commons and
social loafing, it’s important to clearly identify and define roles to each members of the
partnership forum in a manner which is equivalent to the size and competency as well as
to the mandate of that particular member organization.
3. Equitable Sharing of Resources: Partnership forums are not established for the purpose of
fund provision, however this does not necessary mean there are no resources that can be
shared among members. Non-financial resources are the types of resources that are very
common in a partnership forum. As there is equitable sharing of roles and responsibilities,
equitable sharing of resources is very important , be it financial or non-financial. Members
need to share all the available resources on equitable terms.
4. Pragmatic & realistic approach to the implementation of partnership forums activities: It’s
not necessary a bad idea to be over ambitions in the development of plans, but as
partnership forums are meant for collective engagement it is imperative to identify key
activities and approach that are or found to be pragmatic, realistic and attainable to the
collective goal. The more focused and action oriented are the tasks, the higher the
probability of getting buy-in and proactive engagement from all the members of the
partnership Forum. To materialize this, it’s important to be clear from the very beginning
to set collective actions that are manageable given the nature and mandate of the
partnership forum members.
5. Commitment of Partnership Forum Members: Everything can be made possible if and only
if we have commitment from the whole members on the course of action defined in the
partnership. Less commitment from some members might demotivate the commitment
and the motivation of the other members in the partnership. Once we are in the
partnership, it’s essential that we invest time and resources for the realization of the
collective engagement. Multi-stakeholders partnership in the likes of partnership forum
that requires time and a personal engagement and commitment of those involved over
the normal working hours.

6.2. What makes Sustainable Partnership Forum

There are many factors which contribute to the sustainability of a partnership forums. Several
research and experience in the field of partnership, suggest the following elements as crucial

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factors to make your partnership forum sustainable. Partnership leaders need to consider
them and commit themselves for the materialization of it.
1. Clear & articulated vision, mission, strategies & goals
Partnership forums need to establish a strategic framework for significant success. A
partnership forums success depends on how well it defines and lives by each of these
important concepts.
This framework consists of:
o a vision for your future,
o a mission that defines what you are doing,
o values that shape your actions,
o strategies that your key success approaches
o Goals and action plans to guide your daily, weekly and monthly actions.
2. Changing strategies based on current analysis of the socio-economic and political
context and SWOT analysis
o All partnership forms need to know the environment in which they are
operating in order to do successful advocacy, influence the stakeholders and to
plan for the future.
o It is important for a partnership forum to understand the “big picture” of the
environment in which it is operating, and the opportunities and threats that lie
within it.
o By understanding the environment, it can take advantage of the opportunities
and minimize the threats.
3. Effective and transparent coordinating unit or committee with good systems and
procedures in place
o In order to effectively comply with the principles and objectives of the
partnership in a new and changing world, a capable, efficient and transparent
coordinating unit /committee which operates in a culture of accountability and
integrity is needed. This shall build the people’s confidence in the partnership
and it shall also ensure that decisions are translated into effective actions.
o The committee will help in coordinating the formulation of projects, annual
work program, its implementation, and makes operational strategies and
policies
More importantly an effective coordinating unit or committee will serve the following.
o Focuses on impact and outcomes
o Fit and live for purpose of the partnership
o Promote a Sound governance system in place
o Maximizes the potential of members to the bigger goal
o Promote Accountability and transparency

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 4. Partnership Forum Governance & division of roles
o In a partnership forum many different members and organizations are involved,
and they come from various cultural areas.
o They all have specific interests, different modes of communicating and working,
diverse histories.
o These need efficient and effective partnership governance and role and
responsibility
5. Less dependence on donors with local resource mobilization, strategies for resource
mobilization
o Partnership forum to survive, to be free from financial uncertainties, it is
essential for the forum to look for alternative fundraising methodologies.
o Good partnership forums are those that are not dependent on donors but rather
have members who contribute to the core fund for programme execution.
o If the partnership is dependent on some funder it cannot challenge it.
In addition to the above lists, with the Sustainable Development Goals it was outlined that
multi-stakeholder partnerships are fundamentally necessary and should encourage and
promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. Below are the 10 rules
that needs to be followed for sustainable partnership Forums.

1. PARTNER WITH PURPOSE: Partnerships should make you able to achieve something you
cannot achieve on your own. Partnerships should never be the parking lot for difficult
agenda of one partner it is rather mean for collective engagement
2. FIND THE SWEET SPOT: Senior leadership support might give you a head start – but
unless you find a sweet spot for the participating managers you will fail. Make sure to
find a sweet spot/overlap between core strategic priorities of the partners.
3. SET FEW BUT AMBITOUS GOALS: Many stakeholders often result in cluttered goals and
reporting. Agree on a moonshot, or at least set a few but ambitious goals, that will aspire
people for change.
4. CONTRIBUTE WITH MORE THAN MONEY: No partnership can run on money alone.
Only by leaning in you will harvest the real benefits of a partnership.

5. PASSION IS KEY: You can prepare, make strategies and plans – but in the end it always
comes down to people. A partnership needs champions who would die in a ditch for
what the partnership is trying to achieve.
6. DEDICATE THE RIGHT PEOPLE: If a partnership is strategic, staff it like it is strategic! Include
people from relevant field of study and wide range of experience.

7. GET BEYOND THE USUAL SUSPECTS:Unconventional partners will bring new

perspectives and spur innovation. Watch out for the usual suspects when forming
partnerships.

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 8. BE A CATALYST: Some of the most effective partnerships are the ones that map, connect
and embrace existing initiatives – rather than conquer them. This is especially true when
it comes to systemic challenges.
9. BE OPEN FOR SURPRISES: Even a focused partnership with few and clear goals will
produce unexpected value for partners. Be open for surprises and calibrate your
measures of success.
10. SHARE THE LOVE: You can achieve amazing things if you are able to step back and let
other people step into the limelight.

6.3 Resource Sharing and Mapping

Prior to formalizing a partnership, it is important for the partners to consider what resources
will be needed for the agreed project or programme of work. Typically this is worked out in
terms of funding requirement, but one of the real benefits of working cross-sectorally is the
potential access to a wide range of non-cash resources that the partners can bring to the
partnership.

A partnership meeting (or several) dedicated to identifying the resources each partner might
contribute can be invaluable. Run in a workshop format, possibly managed by an external
facilitator with experience of this process, it can offer opportunities for partners to fully explore
their own potential for resource contribution and - in the spirit of gentle competition - it can
lead them to make tangible commitments that will enable the partnership to get underway
more quickly and efficiently.

There are various ways of doing this dynamically. The simplest way is to ask all those in the
room to write each resource contribution they can offer on a separate card or ‘post-it’ note
and then these can be stuck on to a large piece of paper on a wall where everyone can see the
growing collection. The cards can be color coded to record which partner has made which
particular offer. These cards can then be ‘clustered’ appropriately under headings and reviewed
by the group - with more being added as new ideas occur. Apart from the very tangible
contributions this will yield, the process is also invaluable in building respect, understanding
and teamwork between partners - all important pre-conditions of successful collaboration.

Building A resource Map among Sectors

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 Adopted from the Partnering initiative, 2011

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References
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Foundation, 20014
• ACORD, Reference Note on Developing Effective Partnerships, 2006
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• WWF-NL Strategic Principles, ―Towards Effective Conservation Strategies‖.
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• The Guiding Hand: Brokering Partnerships for Sustainable Development, Ros
Tennyson and Luke Wilde Published: United Nations Office of Public
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