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Multilateral collaboration needs a reboot to meet our shared goals
In the aftermath of the Summit of the Future, the world is falling significantly behind in meeting the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with just 17% of the targets on course. International actors must now find ways to tap into the collective expertise of all those invested in achieving these development objectives.
Writing in NextBillion, Simon Sommer, our Co-CEO, and Dina Ghobashy, Microsoft’s Director for Global Education Transformation, argue that the Summit of the Future presented a crucial opportunity to reassess how governments, private companies, and philanthropic organizations collaborate, and they note that ‘in the Summit’s aftermath, the need for a new approach is clearer than ever.’
Fostering greater collaboration between public, private, and third sectors
Private and philanthropic actors have the capacity to assist governments and international bodies in developing innovative solutions, yet the multilateral system is currently failing to effectively engage these actors and take advantage of their insights and expertise alongside their funding.
One key reason for this is that most private and philanthropic actors do not operate on an equal footing with other institutions and organizations within the system. At the end of this year, the Jacobs Foundation will cede its seat on the SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee to Microsoft, which will represent the private and philanthropic constituency. The authors note that the grouping of private companies and philanthropies into one seat suggests that these sectors are not viewed as equals to the public sector within the multilateral framework.
Using evidence in education and addressing many of the world’s learning challenges through technology
When thinking about the opportunities for change provided by effective collaboration, Simon cites the World Bank’s recognition of the Jacobs Foundation’s Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF) in Côte d’Ivoire as a best-practice example of private-public collaboration. This coalition, led by the Ivorian government, brings together the government, philanthropic sector, and the cocoa industry to work collaboratively to improve the quality of education and prevent child labor in cocoa-growing regions across Côte d’Ivoire.
In a similar vein, Microsoft and UNICEF’s Learning Passport initiative is an example of cross-border innovation that facilitates access to learning and supports millions of out-of-school children in their education. The platform is a tool that enables governments to localize their education curricula for underserved populations and demonstrates the global scale at which partnerships can have a tangible impact.
To achieve SDG4, the multilateral system must be restructured to integrate private and third-sector actors as equal partners—recognized for their expertise and empowered to share their experiences with the policymakers steering our collective efforts toward achieving the SDGs. Read the full article to learn more.