SDGs, Foreign Ministries and the Art of Partnering with the Private Sector

Abstract

Government policies supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sustainability criteria, as well as commercial goals, aim at an enabling multi‐actor environment. However, they do not prevent friction, lack of mutual understanding and cultural clashes with the private sector. We argue that this relational issue is a considerable and relatively neglected concern, albeit readily recognized by practitioners, and is potentially obstructing the achievement of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. It also deserves more scholarly attention. In articulating and discussing public–private relations, in this exploratory project we point to a theoretical challenge that touches on the ontological and epistemological core of international studies. Apart from analysing relevant literatures, we have benefited from varied data collection with input from policy makers, diplomats, business representatives and consulted experts across cultures. Our starting point is that public–private partnerships that are necessary to reach the targets of the UN's 2030 Agenda pose a test for ministries of foreign affairs (MFAs). These new kinds of SDG partnerships differ from early 21st‐century public–private partnerships (PPPs) in the field of development cooperation. Leaving aside risk factors facing companies in our research, we identify three main SDG partnership puzzles for government.

Tourism partnerships: localizing the SDG agenda in Fiji

“…We focus here specifically on the multi-stakeholder partnerships which aim to 'enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development' (target 17.16) and 'encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships' (target 17.17). Existing research on partnerships and the SDGs centers principally oncross-sectoral, multistakeholder, transnational partnerships (Beisheim & Simon, 2018;MacDonald et al, 2018), emphasizing the role of government policy and leadership in enabling their successful governance and operation (Horan, 2019;Kamphof & Melissen, 2018). Horan refers to such multi-levelled collaborations as a 'partnership of partnerships' revolving around 'solidarity, cooperative action, and the governance of sustainable development' (2019, p. 5).…”

Do agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals act at local and operational levels? Evidence from a case study in a large energy company in Italy

“…NL 6 5 5 10 3 CL 7 5 6 16 2 SL 9 5 11 14 6 the field of public consultation. It also represents a new way of interpreting the relationship between SDGs and PPPs, compared to that inspired by government-institutional initiatives (Kamphof & Melissen, 2018;Maslova & Sokolov, 2017) or by inter-sectoral analysis (Florini & Pauli, 2018;Stafford-Smith et al, 2017). Moreover, considering the barriers related to energy infrastructures (Bronfman, Jiménez, Arévalo, & Cifuentes, 2012;Cohen et al, 2014;Raven, Mourik, Feenstra, & Heiskanen, 2009) (Shoaf et al, 2018;Thorlakson et al, 2018;Verdolini et al, 2018), and increasing its transparency and credibility (Agarchand & Laishram, 2017;Anasi et al, 2018).…”

“…Among these, Kindornay, Tissot, and Sheiban (2014) explains how the advantages of collaborative governance obtained through PPPs are linked to the possibility of systemizing different resources, skills, and interests in a shared field of action. In this stream of literature, some authors have analysed the role of governmental bodies in stimulating interactions with multi‐actor, institutional and non‐institutional bodies, as well as in promoting networking by PPPs at an international level (Kamphof & Melissen, 2018; Maslova & Sokolov, 2017). Other research has focused on the role of stakeholders (Haywood, Funke, Audouin, Musvoto, & Nahman, 2019) and cross‐sectoral partnerships (Florini & Pauli, 2018; Stafford‐Smith et al, 2017) in achieving the SDGs.…”

“…The additional risk is also related to the necessary effort to manage a PPP. The governance of PPPs, in this sense, requires a significant effort in comparison to its capacity to produce outcomes (Kamphof & Melissen, 2018) and to show short‐term benefits.…”

Metodología del Marco Lógico con Enfoque de Gestión de Riesgos para mejorar la eficacia de los Proyectos de Cooperación al Desarrollo

“…Los ODS son un ejemplo de las políticas internacionales en cascada, cuyos precedentes más directos serían los ODM, que supusieron por primera vez un marco de asociación explícita hacia el desarrollo entre países desarrollados y países en desarrollo (McArthur, 2014). En la Agenda 2030, no solo los gobiernos están llamados a actuar, sino también se incluyen nuevos agentes de cambio, como las empresas, los gobiernos locales y toda la sociedad civil (Hajer et al, 2015;Kamphof y Melissen, 2018;Zelenev, 2017). Éste es uno de los puntos novedosos que encuadra esta agenda.…”