Fostering a partnership mindset: governance and education

Abstract

It has been noted that all the 17 UNSDGs are interrelated; to be successfully achieved they should all be addressed together and holistically. The last goal, Goal 17 on “Partnership for the Goals”, perhaps more than any other, evidences this with respect to the need for cooperation at all levels and for all the goals. It calls for the strengthening of the means of implementation and the revitalizing of the global partnership for sustainable development. In this contribution to the conference, the discussion will centre on the underpinning paradigm and nature of partnerships for development (i.e., cooperation) and how overcoming the challenges to optimum cooperation involves, in part, novel understandings and approaches to governance structures and systems as well as education. The presentation will highlight how the notion of partnerships for development is linked to evolving notions of governance in public policy, in particular in respect of multi-level governance. The presentation will also discuss the challenges of the dearth of empirical/evidence-based indicators for partnerships while noting why an inordinate fixation with metrics and indicators can undermine actionable steps towards optimum partnerships. Finally, the presentation will highlight how education can help in developing a cooperative/partnership mindset at all levels – from individual partnerships to those that relate to corporate entities, transnational regional bodies and intersectoral and country-level partnerships – and limit the presence and effect of the non-ethical side of partnerships.