WORKSHOP 10 October 2011
David F. Murphy
Stuart Reid
The Partnering Initiative
www.ThePartneringInitiative.org
Purpose of the workshop
• Present and discuss provisional findings and draft
deliverables
• Facilitate a discussion around how various parts of
UNESCO could work together to implement and
integrate partnering practices
• Gather additional information to help shape the final
version of the project deliverables
Structure of today’s workshop
11.00 Introduction
11.10 Presentation of key elements from draft deliverables
11.30 Open Q & A on the work to date
11.45 Short break
12.00 Group Discussion: questions which are critical and
where we are seeking more input from you
12.30 Feedback and discussion from groups
12.50 Outline of next steps in data collection and analysis
13.00 Close
Inception Report
“Approaches to building and managing
partnerships: contributing to a UNESCO
partnership strategy”
Draft Policy Framework For
Strategic Partnerships (187 EX/17 Part IV)
Provides
• General co-operation principles (para III)
• Specific criteria for engagement (IV, 8)
• Checks & assessments (IV, 9)
• Possible forms of co-operation (V, 11 &
12)
An “umbrella statement” of rules for
engagement with external partners
Independent External Evaluation
Such a (partnership) strategy should aim to support:
• Civil society and other partners contributing to defining UNESCO’s
goals rather than being regarded solely as vehicles for programme
delivery;
• Making UNESCO more accessible and less bureaucratic, especially
important for NGOs
• Renewing networks (e.g. between institutes, programmes,
universities and centres of excellence) that can improve UNESCO’s
links with scientists, researchers and communities of practice
• A linked strategy for the “private sector” that recognises and
accommodates the diversity of companies, foundations, innovative
financing vehicles and public-private partnerships
Independent External Evaluation
“Partnerships evolve over time and
require appropriate structures and
processes. Flexible procedures, creating
opportunities for ongoing dialogue and
partnership ‘styles of working’ would also
facilitate partnership formation and
strengthening.”
Not reinventing the wheel………
• a lot has been done already – umbrella
statement; PS review; agreement templates; etc.
• don’t want more procedures, you do want
practical approaches
BUT
• there have been missed opportunities
• strategic re-orientation is critical for UNESCO
• need to confront the challenge of building a
‘partnership culture’
Partnering not partnership
Focus on the process rather than the structure:
 How you present who you are
 How you recognise partnering opportunities
 How you work with your partners
 How you learn from experience
Our deliverables
• Good practice guidelines for dealing with external
partners
• Guidance on the identification and development of
effective partnerships and partners
• Tools for building and managing partnerships in each
main partner category
• Key lessons learned from previous and ongoing
partnerships
• Benchmarking of partnership approaches against
comparable UN agencies.
Progress to date
•
•
•
•
•
Review of key UNESCO documentation
19 interviews, 27 staff
Online survey launched for all field offices
7 ongoing case studies of selected partnerships
Comparative review of partnership practice in 4
major UN agencies
D 1: Good practice guidelines
• Purpose is to focus attention on UNESCO’s
ability to partner effectively
• Each Guideline has specific recommended
Actions that follow from it
• Cross-cut the material being developed in
survey, case studies etc
Guideline 1:
Achieve clarity of terminology
• UNESCO uses a clear working definition of
partnership, which is accepted and employed
across the organisation
• UNESCO uses a typology of partnerships,
classifying the main types of partnership in
which UNESCO engages
Partnership and collaboration
All partnerships are forms of collaboration
but not all collaborations are partnerships
(and this is absolutely appropriate).
Actions
1. Create a single, concise and clear statement of
partnership for UNESCO to use in all documentation
and online media
1. Building on the distinctions identified in the Draft Policy
Framework (V, 11), create a typology of different kinds
of partnership based on the purpose and function of the
partnership
1. Provide internal guidance documents and orientation
programmes to familiarise staff with new partnership
terminology
Guideline 2:
Recognise Value
• UNESCO recognises and clearly communicates
the value for partners of working with UNESCO
• UNESCO recognises and clearly communicates
the value of working in partnership with each
main category of partner
Actions
1. Write a clear statement of how partnership fits into the achievement
of UNESCO’s overall mandate
2. Write a statement of the value that UNESCO brings to any
partnership
3. Write a rationale for the way that UNESCO selects and works with
partners i.e. its ‘reasons to partner’ for each main category – and
the value that partner might bring
4. Encourage staff to make explicit recognition of the value brought to
any programme by both external and internal stakeholders
Guideline 3:
Decentralise decision-making
• The balance of responsibility between HQ and the field is
re-designed to encourage innovation in partnership
• The role of Field Offices, Category 1 Institutes and
National Commissions in UNESCO partnerships is rethought to support this process of decentralisation
• The Approval and Engagement Process for partnership
is simplified and streamlined without compromising
reputational safeguards
Actions:
1. Explore the potential for decentralising some degree of
the partnership engagement and approval process to
regional or country offices
1. Consult with National Commissions to consider how
they might better support UNESCO (centrally) in
identifying strategically advantageous partnerships
1. Consider including a ‘pre-partnership’ stage to
acknowledge potential for collaboration before
proposals are formally processed
Guideline 4:
Build a partnership culture
• UNESCO is committed to building a culture
within the organisation which will generate and
support internal cooperation and external
partnership
• UNESCO and its partners integrate learning into
their partnerships so that partner organisations
both learn from each other, and generate
learning that can be shared in their respective
organisations
Actions
1. Incorporate monitoring and review of the partnership
itself rather than of just the programme outcomes.
1. Integrate the development of partnering skills into staff
development and appraisal programmes
1. Encourage peer-peer learning opportunities in
partnering practices between different parts of
UNESCO
Reflections and Feedback
Group Discusssion
1. How can we re-structure UNESCO’s partnership
decision-making & approvals without increasing
reputational risk?
–
How might the different parts of UNESCO be mobilised to
support this process? Approaches, roles, responsibilities, etc.
2. What are some of the best opportunities for UNESCO
to develop more ambitious partnerships?
–
Which issues & partners offer the best prospects?
The relationship spectrum
TRANSACTIONAL
RELATIONSHIP
One party defines the programme, which is
limited by their own knowledge / experience
Co-generation based on joint knowledge
→ More
implementable
One
partyappropriate
purchases a/ service
from – solutions
or donates to the work of – another
Partners bring together complementary resources
→ Potential for more innovative solutions
PARTNERSHIP
RELATIONSHIP
The relationship spectrum
Intrinsically multistakeholder issue
Transactional
relationship
Partnership
relationship
Could be solved by
one actor with enough
resources
Next Steps
• Integrate feedback from this workshop and from
consultation with IOS
• Complete partnership case studies
• Collect data from online field survey
• Complete comparisons with UN agencies
• Analyse and organise data
• Produce first draft of final outputs 21 October