Working Together for Sustainable Development

1. Working Together for Sustainable Development International Institute for Sustainable Development

2. IISD’s Partnerships and Network activities • Trade Knowledge Network • Climate Change Knowledge Network • Sustainable Development Communications Network • KyotoSmart • Consultative Group on Sustainable Development Indicators • Youth Creating Digital Opportunities

3. Changes in network operations • Time bound as well as purpose driven; audience oriented; focused on change • Myth: it is a sign of failure if a network ceases operations • Size and membership of networks • Myth: one should work with one’s friends • Myth: power inequities undermine networks • Myth: networks should grow • Use of ICTs to improve interaction within the network • Decentralization of responsibilities and increased accountability of members • Myth: networks are self organizing and self sustaining • Role of young professionals

4. Lessons from the Trade Knowledge Network • Joint Value Creation • Mutual capacity development in research and communications • Influence on policy and practice

5. Joint Value Creation • Move beyond basic information exchange • Become more than a collection of independent research projects • Facilitate the development of new insights, through the interaction of different perspectives and approaches • Support joint projects involving two or more members; Support processes for network members to review and advise on the work in progress of other members

6. Capacity development • Skills acquired and strengthened for: • Research • Collaboration with members • Effective communications and engagement with decision makers • All participants in a network contribute to and learn from each other • Each of the members becomes stronger

7. Bridging the Gap • Information alone does not leverage change • Influencing and changing policies and practices is based on the building of relationships and leveraging those relationships for change • Research and communications must go hand in hand

8. Global Body of SD Knowledge Network contributions to global knowledge Other influences Decisions or changes the network wants to influence Monitoring and assessment Who? Identify and define Relationships: Network members; Decision makers; influencers; Civil society; media; etc. How? What? Capacity development; publishing Consulting; partnerships, etc. What research exists; What needs to be tested; what new knowledge is needed

9. One tool for building influencing strategies • Mapping relationships: who are the network members working with? • Recent review of Global Knowledge Partnership : examined interactions among ICT4D organizations • Tool reveals who members are working with (increasing reach and influence) and where they are not yet working (not having influence)

11. Additional challenges with networks • Governance and accountability • Management of members • Network coordination: transactional costs • Clash between institutional and network priorities among members • Financing • Support for young professionals • Monitoring and evaluation

12. Monitoring and evaluation of networks • Five areas for review: • Effectiveness (monitoring against the strategic plan) • Structure and governance (organization and decision making mechanisms) • Efficiency (mitigation of transaction costs) • Resources and sustainability (staff, finances, time) • Life cycle (performance in comparison to others at similar stages of development)

13. Role of youth • Youth as experts • Youth as actors rather than marginalized or disaffected target groups • Youth as the “connectors” in networks • Youth as principal beneficiaries of networks • Non-linear professional growth of youth