In the past decade, the international aid community has come to the realization that global challenges such as poverty, health, education and climate change need pioneering and transformative thinking. Creating innovative public-private partnerships between governments, businesses and civil society has thus assumed greater importance in recent years.
But despite the general enthusiasm, fundamental questions remain about how to implement these partnerships and turn them into viable mechanisms for sustainable development. Operating on a continuum between full privatization and traditional government services, PPPs can involve myriad partners from the public, private and nonprofit sectors, all of whom agree to share money, skills, knowledge — but also risks and benefits — to accomplish a common goal.
During its very first Partnerships Forum in Manila, Devex convened delegates from donors, international aid agencies and Asian development organizations to discuss various issues facing the global aid community. Following an exclusive panel discussion on the role of PPPs in addressing climate change, here are some of the general lessons and best practices we've learned on how partners can make these alliances work.