Partenariats avec la société civile

Initier le partenariat

1. Identification of the need for partnership based on strategic priorities

Key times when UNICEF might initiate a partnership include:

• As part of the country programme development process, including the development of the expected results in the country programme action plan (or United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) action plan as appropriate), a UNICEF country office may decide that some desired results of the country programme would be most effectively realized through CSO partnership(s).
• UNICEF might then carry out a mapping exercise to identify potential partners and then select suitable organizations. This could occur during preparation of the situation analysis, an emergency preparedness and response plan or during 'scoping' of the development environment. This progress may also take place following identification of a new problem that requires a response through a new partnership or additional partners.

Partnership can also be initiated by CSO. The steps in this process include:

• Obtain and review information about the current UNICEF strategic priorities and programming;
• Determine where the UNICEF country office is in the country programme cycle;
• Carry out a self-assessment to see whether the organization meets the UNICEF requirements and expectations for partnership (remembering that an inability to meet these requirements does not automatically preclude a partnership but should be discussed at the initial meeting);
• Consider and assess the CSO's comparative advantage in relation to the UNICEF strategic priorities and programming;
• Contact the UNICEF country office to set up a meeting to discuss how the CSO's work could add value to UNICEF and how UNICEF could strengthen the CSO's work for children;
• Prepare documents and materials that provide further information about the CSO's work in the field, its organizational structure and other details.

2. Discussion between a prospective CSO partner and UNICEF

Some of the issues that should be discussed during metings between UNICEF and a prospective CSO partner include:

• Each organization's strategic priorities;
• Each organization's internal structure and procedures governing partnerships;
• Each organization's existing partnerships, including with the host government and within the UN system;
• Expected results of the UNICEF country programme, both longer term (programme component) and shorter term (intermediate) results;
• Specific areas of collaboration in the country;
• The meaning of partnership and its implications for each organization;
• The potential structure for the partnership in accordance with the UNICEF partnership framework (formal or informal)

3. Determination of the most strategic form of partnership agreement

The formal agreement chosen depends on the goal of the partnership, as the three forms of agreement (Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA), Small Scale Funding Agreement (SSFA)) have different requirements. For example, if a CSO seeks to partner with UNICEF in order to strengthen joint advocacy around shared goals, an MoU may be the most appropriate form of partnership as it does not involve the transfer of resource. For partnerships that involve carrying out joint programming, or where the capacity of a CSO is limited, a PCA or SSFA may be more appropriate. Both of these agreements require the CSO to be screened to determine whether it fulfils the UNICEF eligibility criteria. The benefits and limitations of these agreements should be discussed with the UNICEF country office's PCA Review Committee.

4. UNICEF assessment of the CSO to determine capacity and compliance with integrity requirements

Discussions on the development of a partnership may begin with an in-depth review of each organization's capacities, particularly in regard to their technical, managerial and organizational strengths. Generally speaking, UNICEF considers three levels of organizational capacity prior to entering into a partnership: programme, integrity and financial.

During this stage, any capacity gaps should be identified and discussed. The CSO should therefore expect that UNICEF will review its work to ensure its ability to execute the partnership as agreed. UNICEF also needs to ensure that the CSO's work is consistent with its mandate, core principles, strategic priorities, etc.

Note that the capacity requirements for partnership vary depending on the type of partnership. For example, issues of financial capacity will weigh much more heavily during considerationfor a partnership formalized through a PCA as opposed to an MoU, since the latter does not involve a financial transaction. Where a need for greater capacity has been identified, the possibility of integrating capacity development into the partnership agreement may be discussed.