Building skills and knowledge for effective multi-stakeholder collaboration

A 3 day training course for staff and consultants at all levels from UN agencies and their partners in the development sector who wish to build their knowledge, understanding and skills to implement effective collaborations. 

UN agencies facilitate co-operation to address some of the world’s most complex social and developmental issues, and partnerships and collaborations are increasingly at the heart of UN strategies. However, implementing partnerships which are effective and achieve their goals requires specialist skills, and an understanding of how to work with other sectors of society.

The Partners in Action course is designed to enhance the abilities of UN programme, country and regional teams and their development partners to engage in effective multi stakeholder partnerships.

The course is a specialist skills training programme for staff and consultants at all levels from UN agencies and their partners who wish to build their knowledge, understanding and skills to implement effective collaborations with other sectors.

TPI has been training UN staff since 1998 and previous iterations of the course, delivered with the UN System Staff College (UNSSC), has trained more than 600 participants from 35 UN agencies.

Who is the course for?

The course is for staff and consultants at all levels from UN agencies and their partners who wish to build their knowledge, understanding and skills to implement effective collaborations.

Aims of the course

Participants will gain:

• Understanding of the rationale for, and risks of, partnering and when, and when not, to partner (including guidelines around partnering with business);
• Appreciation of the drivers, societal roles and mindset of the different sectors;
• Clarity over what constitutes a ‘transactional collaboration’, what is a ‘genuine partnership’ and where each may be appropriate;
• Appreciation of the ‘guiding principles’, challenges and success factors behind effective partnering;
• Understanding over what it takes to be a ‘good’ partner, and development of some of the skills and mindset required;
• Understanding of how to implement, manage and review partnerships successfully;
• Familiarity with the ‘Partnering Cycle’, a framework for the development and management of partnerships.

Participants in the course can optionally submit for a Certificate in Partnering Practice following the course.

Upcoming course dates:

March 14-16 2012

Venue: John Knox Center, Geneva.

Cost: $1500 (US)

To register to attend, please contact us: info@thepartneringinitiative.org

Brief History of the Partners in Action programme

Partners in Action was initiated by the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) and the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) in 1998 with seed funding from the United Nations Foundation for International Partnerships.

A report detailing the impact and activities of the Partners in Action programme, 2005-2008 is available for download here.

The following organisations have participated in the programme:

•ACER •AFRICASO •Alliance Nationale de Lutte contra le SIDA •ARC •Badan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstrucksi •CEDECOM •CETU •CIP •DESA •DPA •DPKO •EANNASO •HAPCO •ECLAC •FAO •IFAD •IFRC •ILO •Indonesian government •Islamic Relief • ITC •ITU •Mercy Corps •MDG •MSF •National Partnership Forum against HIV/Aids (Ethiopia) •NEP+ •NPF • OCHA •OECD •OHCHR •OLA •OSIWA •Plan International •Stop TB •UNAIDS •UNCTAD • UNDGO •UNDP • UN-DPA • UN-DPKO •UNEP •UNECA •UN-ECLAC •UN-ECE •UNESCO •UNFPA •UNEP •UN-HABITAT •UNHCR •UNICEF •UNIDO •UNIFEM •UN-ISDR •UNITAR •UNIC •UNMAS •UNOB •UNOCI •UNODC •UN-OLA •UNON •UNOPS •UNORC •UNSSC •UNV •WFP •WHO/PAHO •WMO •World Bank

For enquiries about partnership capacity building within the UN system, please contact Elena Korf, Programme Manager on firstname.lastname@iblf.org