PARTNERSHIP – WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Mr Henrik Bergman, FCA

Partnership in development work

Partnership can be understood in various ways, depending on the context and our personal experience. This short discussion reflects partnership from a development cooperation perspective. Partnership can be understood technically as a joint business between two parties. A deeper analysis shows that it is also a question of relationships between two or more individuals, groups, organizations, countries or networks involved in an activity together.

Understanding partnership and its dimensions is a fundamental require-ment for successful developrequire-ment cooperation. Depending on what kind of organization we represent and with whom we are hoping to cooperate with, give partnership different rules. A small NGO can relatively easily work to-gether with a similar organization, but if we want to enter into a working relationship with a bigger or global NGO, network or governmental body, we enter into new areas of partnership rules. Moreover, many intergovern-mental bodies dealing with development work have their own policies and standards for partnership, which NGOs have to follow.

Fruitful partnership forces us to define according to which principles, po-licies and practices we ourselves are willing and able to cooperate with ot-her organizations. We have to define partnership criteria for our operations,

according to which we are willing to enter into a partnership with potential organizations. There might also turn out to be a need for capacity building either for our partner organization or for ourselves in order to secure suc-cessful operations.

All this needs resources. It is helpful to assess already before entering into a partner relationship, what we are willing and able to do. In development cooperation NGOs usually enter into a partnership in order to carry out a joint task. This relationship should reflect equal partnership, mutual respect, intensive and careful listening and appreciation of both parties. It is walking together for a common purpose with defined responsibilities and activities for both partners, where the responsibility for the implementation of the work stays with the local partner.

This kind of relationship also means that we must be ready to discuss and evaluate together the attitudes and values we consider self-evident. This can lead us into a painful process of replacing our familiar, deep rooted va-lues, behaviour and attitudes with new ones, more suitable for international cooperation.

A complete partnership is difficult to achieve in international interaction and it is wise and helpful to admit it. This does not, however, mean we should not strive towards it by all means we have at hand.

Four dimensions of partnership

In development cooperation we can identify four dimensions, which are helpful in understanding partnership in international cooperation.

The dimensions can be defined as: Values, Rules for cooperation, Joint operations and Genuine interaction.

Values

Basic values for fruitful cooperation are the equality of both organizations and mutual respect. Partners should be able to show mutual trust, be trans-parent and honest in their operations and behaviour. A democratic decision making practice and the participation of people involved in the project are also important.

Rules for cooperation

Partnership usually leads into a long-term working relationship, which helps the partners to learn to know each other and how to work together. In fruitful cooperation both parties participate actively, according to their defin-ed roles, in the work and are responsible for the operations. They also show a joint ownership and commitment to carry out the task, although they both have different, well defined practical responsibilities. The cooperation should

always result in a sustainable outcome and have continuity.

Joint operations

Before entering into project execution, it is important to plan jointly the work and define its goals. Equally important is to decide on the participation and responsibilities of each partner and individual. It is often helpful to com-pile and sign a Cooperation agreement, where the rights and responsibilities of each partner are defined.

In order to be sustainable, relevant and sensible, the initiative for the pro-ject should come from the Southern partner. Respect for local working con-ditions and culture cannot be emphasized too much. Many good intentions have turned out to have no or little effect on the wellbeing of the local people or have been disastrous to them, if the intentions don’t pay enough attention to the local context and culture.

Genuine interaction

In order to enter into a genuine interaction, it is important to know your partner as well as possible. This can be reached through effective commu-nication in both directions and by reserving enough time for mutual inter-action. This includes creating and nurturing a culture where it is possible to discuss also difficult issues. This requires cultural sensitivity, as criticism must always be expressed appropriately in each culture.

Summary

In ideal partnership the partners in the South and North plan and agree together on the goal, implementation and evaluation of the project. Both parties have equal responsibilities and possibilities to influence the work. In development cooperation the Southern partner should ultimately be able to carry on with the work and operate independently in the future. In order to reach this, capacity building is most often needed. This helps to build up the self-respect and self-esteem of the partner, which is a prerequisite for in-dependent behavior. Establishing a good partnership takes time and is hard work. This is helpful to realize, but should not intimidate us from struggling towards it.

Finally it is helpful to demystify partnership. It can be discussed acade-mically and theoretically, which should not be distracting us from its real essence. Partnership and its rules is a question of human relationships and can be practiced in everyday life. The Golden Rule: Treat your partner as you would like yourself to be treated, is a good guide to effective and fruitful partnership.