Public-Private Partnership Dialogue

A dialogue including government, NGO, United Nations and corporate leaders to discuss the role of such partnerships in achieving A World Fit for Children.

9 May 2002. United Nations, New York. Eight leaders of global corporations and foundations gathered together today because of their common concern for the challenges facing children, and to express their commitment to work together to expand continuing dialogue and to building public-private partnerships for children over the next 10 years.

The business leaders included Bill Gates, III, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Rolf Dorig, Chairman Switzerland, Credit Suisse Group; Eduardo Gonzalez, President, Bancafe; Steve Hilton, Conrad Hilton Foundation; John Morgridge, Chaiman, Cisco Systems; John Pepper, Chairman, Procter and Gamble; Azim Premji, Chairman and CEO, WIPRO; Tim Wirth, President, United Nations Foundation.

In a statement adopted by the participants prior to the meeting, the business leaders agreed in principal to work to widen the participation of corporate support to children; to recognise business responsibilities to children and the social and environmental impacts of business operations can have on children; ensure no corporate exploitation of children; and, to promote a fair market-place that builds healthy communities.

Participating Heads of State included President Fox, Mexico; President Halonen, Finland; President Museveni, Uganda; President Toledo, Peru. Mr. Mark Byford, Director of the BBC World Service also participated, representing the role of the media. NGO leaders participating included Michael Aaronson, Save the Children Alliance; Peter Bell, CARE; John Greensmith, Plan International; Charles Lyons, U.S.Fund for UNICEF; David Morrison, NetAid; David Toycen, World Vision, Canada. Also participating from the United Nations was Ms. Louise Frechette, Deputy Secretary-General. The moderator of the dialogue was Riz Khan, Riz Khan Productions.

The corporate leaders participated in a lively and unscripted two hour dialogue with the four Heads of State and with the leadership of seven leading child-related NGOs. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan made opening comments to the group, and the co-chairs were Carol Bellamy, Executive Director UNICEF, and Dean Hirsch, World Vision International.

• Dean Hirsch set the stage for the dialogue by noting that the UN Special Session had heard from children during the Children’s Forum, that Heads of State were making their views known in the General Assembly, and that 96 million persons from around the world had pledged to “Say Yes” for children. He noted the many ways in which the private sector had already contributed to the cause of children, and that the opportunity of the dialogue would be that of a forum to explore how to carry forward the contribution on the business community toward future challenges.
• The Secretary General welcomed participants and noted that the private sector is an indispensable partner and that many of the corporations at the dialogue were also members of The Global Compact. He noted that direct and practical outcomes have already been made through public-private partnerships in the areas of aids, water and sanitation and debt relief. The Secretary General stated that “such alliances are the way to the future.”
• Bill Gates noted the experience and success already achieved by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in bringing together the public and private sectors. These include GAVI – Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations, a partnership between different groups, UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, and others to provide and promote access to vaccination/immunisation programmes. Also the GAIN initiative – The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a specially focussed public-private partnership established to eliminate the vitamin and mineral deficiencies that threaten the lives and health of millions around the world, particularly children. He noted that soon GAIN will be up and running and will have the resources and staff to begin financing food fortification in developing countries.

The moderator, Mr. Riz Khan, then outlined three questions for the participants to consider:

• Public-Private partnerships in development have increased in recent years – why? What is underlying this positive change?
• Is the development community, the UN, the NGO’s tapping into the resources of the private sector effectively? Do we truly know what the private sector has to offer? Is it all about money?
• Engagement among the sectors has increased, but has been spontaneous. The Special Session will set new goals for children. How can we ensure the public-private partnerships will be focussed on these key goals? How do we carry this dialogue forward over the next ten years?

The participants made a number of observations during the dialogue, including some of the following.

• The need to “promote a new culture of giving” among businesses based in, and working in the developing countries was identified as a future goal. And that building a sense of business social responsibility was important for small and medium size business as well as larger ones.
• Several participants noted that government and NGOs can not do it all, and that the private sector has technology and management skills that it can bring to the work of development. Another participant noted that the benefits work both ways, and that employee involvement in development concerns energizes employees and the whole company.
• Another participant commented that the key to success in private-public partnerships is to build successful models that can be transferred to many countries. That there are certain things we already know how to do well, such as in the areas of nutrition and immunisation. We have learned that organisation and technology transfer are critical to making these enterprises successful.
• Good partnerships take time to develop, commented another participant. It takes time to understand and respect each others point of view and perspectives. These relationships are built incrementally. One example of how to foster these understanding is to have staff exchanges between the private sector and development organisations, such as those between CISCO and CARE. (Bell)
• Many participants agreed that development issues require “holistic” approaches. They require security, technology and money for a sustainable campaign; the political will of government to act. And while pre-natal care, education and employment are issues that could all benefit from private-public partnerships, the biggest problem for many countries in access to markets in the industrialised countries.
• Several government leaders noted that the private sector might help in persuading governments to open borders to trade from the developing countries. “Don’t give us your food. Open your markets!”
• However, caution was expressed about the contribution to overall global development that can be expected from private sector partnerships. That the biggest role of business is to create jobs. The motivations of the private sector, as businesses, and the resources they have available, may not be enough. In this regard, the participant noted that there is a danger in allowing private-public partnerships become a “mirage” for solving all problems, but only certain specific types of problems instead.
• A participant commented that, while it is the primary responsibility of government to improve health care, etc, the challenges facing children are such that the resources of the business community also must be brought to bear.
• Several participants noted that capacity building on the ground is essential to deliver on the promise of these partnerships, and that making the most of lessons-learned is important, for example, working closely with local governments and other local entities in programme development and delivery.
• Another participant noted the use of communications technologies and the role the media can play both in terms of delivering development information to poorer countries, as well as information about development in the donor countries. That is important to keep people aware of what the issues are facing children in the developing countries.
• The Dialogue’s moderator confirmed that the individuals representing the various sectors in the room have agreed to continue to work together to developing a specific plan of action to promote partnerships in furtherance of the new global agenda for children.

Carol Bellamy delivered concluding remarks to end the Dialogue. She stated that the Dialogue confirms that the private, government and civil society sectors have increased their collaboration since the World Summit for Children in 1990, though without formula. She noted that focus on specific goals and some initial critical mass of support have certainly been catalysts. She stated that such partnerships were directly responsible for some specific successes over the decade, such as the reduction in IDD and in immunisation, particularly polio eradication. She stated that this Dialogue was about how to move the partnerships forward into the future with the foundation that has been built. And, with their help, to achieve progress toward the new agenda for children.

Following the Dialogue, the Peruvian Ambassador made clear President Toledo’s strong interest in a national level Dialogue which will bring the various sectors together to explore implementation of Peru’s national plan of action for children.