International Partnership Forum: Breakout Session Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements

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International Partnership Forum Breakout
Session Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements
Rome, Italy 5 March 2004
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Building Partnerships for Development (BPD)

• Focussed specifically on partnerships to deliver
  water and sanitation services in poor
  communities
• Informal, not-for-profit membership organisation
  of business, government, civil society and
  donor partners
• Small Secretariat reporting to Multi-stakeholder
  Board of Directors (including representatives
  from NGOs, public sector, companies and donors)
• Funding provided by donors and membership fees
• http//www.bpdws.org

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BPD Components

• Dialogue and debate - Enhance debate and dialogue
  between sectors at international level
• Capacity Building - Build capacity of specific
  target groups to engage in partnerships
• Project Support - Support (local-level)
  partnership projects for improved services in
  poor communities
• Analysis - Conduct research and analysis on water
  and sanitation, partnerships, poverty, etc.

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Partnership Discourse

• Fashionable in the rhetoric
• Although glossy brochure messages are slowly
  changing (Tricky business, Re-education)
• Wide range of relationships being referred to as
  partnerships
• Growing interest in Partnership Governance
• Process and outcomes not only outputs
• Accountability between partners and to external
  stakeholders

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Partnerships in Practice

• Partnerships are usually extremely challenging,
  even if designed to capitalise on partner
  synergies.
• Partnerships (between institutions) are usually
  not trust-based, though must be based on respect
  of partner contributions.
• Partnerships are not voluntary, but obligatory.
• Partners generally do not share a common vision,
  but must have a common definition of the project
  / task.
• Partnerships usually involve an understated
  competition between partners.

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Maximising Influence, Maximising Impact
Innovation
Policy-Oriented
Task-oriented
Accountability
Emphasis on Sustainable Delivery
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Session Design

• Brief Presentations from Speakers to Provide
  Overview of Different Initiatives
• THEMES TO BE ADDRESSED
• Process of Partnerships
• Resource Requirements of Partnerships
• Partnerships as a Mechanism to Meet
  International Goals