In September 2019, the UN Secretary-General called on all sectors of society to mobilize for a
decade of action on three levels: global action to secure greater leadership, more resources and
smarter solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals; local action embedding the needed
transitions in the policies, budgets, institutions and regulatory frameworks of governments,
cities and local authorities; and people action, including by youth, civil society, the media, the
private sector, unions, academia and other stakeholders, to generate an unstoppable movement pushing for
the required transformations.
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, the role of partnerships to deliver sustainable, inclusive and
resilient development has become more essential or more urgent. COVID-19 has caused untold damage to
people, economies and societies, laying bare and exacerbating many of the systemic challenges the SDGs
were trying to address. In the face of the extreme aftermath, we are seeing the limits of government in
every country in the world and a newly-found understanding of the interconnectedness of business, society
and the environment. The whole of society, from individuals, to Governments, to Institutions and to the
United Nations, has risen to action - whether individually or through innovative multi-stakeholder
partnerships - to mitigate COVID-19. And as we move from this aftermath phase, through to rebuilding,
multi-stakeholder collaboration will be even more essential to take advantage of the momentum and
collectively build more inclusive, resilient and sustainable societies.
While Goal 17 of the SDGs explicitly talks about a ‘global partnership for development’, and has a target
(17.17) specifically related to multi-stakeholder collaboration, the reality is that all of the goals necessarily
require the involvement of, and significant collaboration across, all societal sectors. It is partnerships at the
national, subnational and city level – those that can best harness and optimize the resources available – that
will drive forward the real change required to deliver the SDGs and impact people’s lives for the better.
The challenge for all stakeholders is thus: how can we systematically collaborate across different societal
sectors toward delivering the shared vision of the SDGs? How can partnerships genuinely become ‘the
new normal’?
Aparajeyo-Bangladesh Interventions:
Partnerships with the beneficiaries: Our direct beneficiaries are the key actors of the whole process. The
programmes strive to teach them how to organise themselves in the form of representative
child/teenager/youth/women groups, animated by leaders. As they are directly concerned by the
programmes, they participate in all meetings, preparation sessions, and implementation of activities, project
management and evaluation. This responsible approach stimulates their rehabilitation process and
reestablishes their lost hope in the future. They are positioned to propose their vision, give their analysis,
and ensure information feedback on on-going activities. They also ‘technically’ take part in the programme
through various works in created structures (painting, repairs.), use of their vocational training (carpentry,
electrical, manufacture of jute products, etc.), domestic activities (cooking, housework, organisation of
public awareness campaigns, school support to young people.). We believe that such partnerships and
participation enables the social appropriation of the programmes.
Partnerships with communities: The cutting edge of our development practice is described in the terms
of “participation”, “community-driven action”, and “empowerment”. The broad aim of participatory
development is to increase the involvement of socially and economically marginalized people in decision
making over their own lives. The assumption is that participatory approaches empower the local people
with the skills and confidence to analyze their situation, reach consensus, make decisions and take actions,
so as to improve their circumstances. The ultimate goal is more equitable and sustainable development.
Regular linkages between the civil society and the public authorities will enable to set up institutional
protection and development systems. As significant as the NGOs’ role may be, child welfare is first under
the responsibility of the State. The CCL project will address the identified failures: public schools that are
not very able to ensure child safety, degrading imprisonment conditions of the victims rescued from
abuse/exploitation/trafficking, slow judiciary system that makes the victims feel guilty, insensitive police
force. Actually the SAARC Convention called for such collaboration between the civil society and the
public authorities.
Partnerships with Private Sector: While no company can survive without healthy financial returns, no
company can survive if it makes decisions purely on short-term financial considerations either. Leading
companies thus balance financial considerations with wider social, economic and environmental factors,
and invest in their own sustainability. In general, companies that are more mature, larger and financially
stable will have more resources (both in terms of people’s time, skills and money) to focus on their longterm
sustainability and their impact within society. A fast growing number of leading companies are
moving well beyond the concept of ‘corporate social responsibility’ (doing no harm/philanthropy) and
towards an agenda of ‘shared value’, ‘purpose-led’ business, or ‘stakeholder capitalism’ – which integrates
value creation for society along with their own financial value creation. There are also a growing number
of ‘social enterprises’ with an explicit mandate to deliver societal benefits through a commercial business
approach. When looking to partner with a company, understanding their interests and capacities with
respect to sustainability and social responsibility can help shape the initial approach and conversation.
However, we need to be realistic in our expectations of companies. While there are more and more
companies out there that understand their responsibilities and/or the longer-term business value gained
through shared value investments, the reality is that the majority – particularly among smaller companies –
do not have sufficient incentives, time or resources to engage in partnerships for development.
Partnerships with Donors: IOur partners are organizations and institutions that share a common interest
and philosophy. They are entrepreneurial, innovative and open to experimentation. Aparajeyo-
Bangladesh’s partners are the hosts and guardians of our programms in their country. They are
experienced in our methodology and are keen on making it available to their regional networks of peers.
Source: Annual Report 2022