On 6 July 2021, a webinar titled, “Small Islands, Genuine Partnerships” was organised by the TPI and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), to explore the imperative of multi-stakeholder partnerships in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The event was held as part of the 2030 Agenda Partnership Accelerator webinar series and a side event to the 2021 High-Level Political Forum.
The webinar looked into how very specific contexts of SIDS impact partnering as well as introduced a competency framework and new SIDS-specific partnership training module. The module, which was made possible through generous funding support from the Government of Ireland, builds on extensive consultations with SIDS and complements the SDG Partnership Guidebook and the SIDS Partnership Toolbox.
Participants of the webinar heard how effectively aligning, combining, and optimizing the resources brought by all sectors of society, multi-actor partnerships can maximize the impact of available resources in SIDS.
Programme
Moderator: Dr. Darian Stibbe, Executive Director, The Partnering Initiative
Opening remarks
- Mr. Sai Navoti, Chief, SIDS Unit, Division for SDGs, UN DESA
- Ms. Tishka Francis, OHRLLS
The Partnership Imperative in SIDS
Partnerships which bring together the resources and competencies of all societal sectors are considered essential to deliver the SDGs. While there are many examples of international partnerships with SIDS, there seem to be far fewer examples of multi-stakeholder collaboration within SIDS. What do you see as special about the context for developing partnerships in SIDS? Why are partnerships so important in and for SIDS? How does the context impact the effective development of multi-stakeholder collaborations?
- Mr. Tumasie Blair, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations
- Ms. Diane Quarless, Chief, ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean
Mechanisms to catalyze partnerships
How can governments and the UN help to catalyze more, and more effective, multi-stakeholder partnerships? What are some of the challenges and what are some examples of different approaches?
- Ms. Catherine Haswell, UN Resident Coordinator for the Republic of Maldives
- Mr. Ola Goransson, Sustainable Development Officer, Division for SDGs, UN DESA
Building capacities for partnering
Developing multi-stakeholder partnerships is challenging and requires a particular set of skills and competencies. What are those competencies, and how can you build them?
- Ms. Cherril Sobers, Specialist, Resource Mobilisation and Partnerships, Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)
- Mr. Dave Prescott, Creative Director, The Partnering Initiative
SIDS Partnership Guide
Over the past two decades, as the field of multi-stakeholder partnering has matured as a professional discipline and field of practice, certain success factors have emerged, regardless of context. In the SDG Partnership Guidebook, these factors are referred to as ‘building blocks’.
These partnership building blocks also hold true when it comes to setting up and managing multi-stakeholder partnerships in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Due to its peculiar vulnerabilities and characteristics, there are additional aspects to consider when developing multi- stakeholder partnerships in SIDS. The “Small Islands, Genuine Partnerships” guidance document is intended to provide insights to these special considerations.
The guide serves as a starting point for anyone seeking to understand the challenges and opportunities of partnering in SIDS, and should be used together with the SDG Partnership Guidebook. The material is illustrated by interesting examples of partnerships in practice, followed by actionable guidance.
The guide was designed with two audiences in mind:
- For individuals and organizations based in SIDS: governments, private sector, civil society;
- For representatives of the international development system collaborating with SIDS: international organizations, including parts of the UN system, bilateral donor agencies, some international foundations, large NGOs, and multinational corporations.
About the SAMOA Pathway and the SIDS Partnership Framework
On 27 September 2019, the General Assembly held a high-level meeting to review progress, gaps, and challenges on the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway, the outcome of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) held in 2014. The review resulted in an inter- governmentally agreed political declaration, including a call for scaling-up and development of genuine and durable partnerships with all stakeholders at national, regional, and international levels that follow the SIDS Partnership SMART criteria.
The SIDS Partnership Framework is United Nations’ mechanism for monitoring progress of existing, and stimulating the launch of new, genuine, and durable partnerships for the sustainable development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Guided by a member States driven Steering Committee, currently chaired by Antigua and Barbuda and Malta, the framework provides a multi- stakeholder platform for reviewing progress made by SIDS partnerships, and for sharing of good practices and lessons learned among all stakeholders, on an annual basis.
About the SDG Partnership Accelerator in SIDS
The Partnership Accelerator focusses on in-country partnerships, built on an alignment of interests of multiple stakeholders from public, private, civil society, academia and media, combining their resources and competencies to deliver innovative or transformative impact. It is supporting partnership effectiveness in several countries, including in Samoa, Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles. In addition, efforts are underway to advance effective partnerships in the Caribbean.
Click here to learn more about the event.
“National ownership, clearly defined national development priorities & strategic investment are essential to meaningful & sustainable partnerships for #SIDS” stated ?? RC @HaswellUN speaking at the #HLPF2021 side event – Small Islands, Genuine Partnerships@UNDESA @SustDev https://t.co/CQeGSA4sWL
— UN in the Maldives (@UNMaldives) July 6, 2021
