Partnerships

Purpose

This Guide briefly explores UNICEF’s range of partnerships available to support the integration of conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding approaches to WASH, including civil society, donors and the private sector. It provides guidance and resources to support the sector to strengthen partnerships in fragile and conflict-affected contexts (FCCs). Partnerships are the backbone of UNICEF’s work on the ground and, as the WASH sector embraces conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding as critically important approaches in FCCs, so new and strengthened partnerships must be developed in the sector to leverage and engage the right capacity and expertise. The 2022 ‘WASH in the Strategic Plan’ report notes that “partnerships with local civil society, youth and faith-based organizations will be expanded to strengthen the linkages between WASH and peacebuilding”, and that the inclusion of “children and adolescents into decision making processes via youth networks for sector policy and strategy development at global and national levels” will be critical. Moreover, partnerships must reflect the role of gender transformation and disability inclusion as key dimensions of UNICEF’s contribution to peace through WASH.

The UN Partner Portal is available to UN staff and includes a database of over 23,000 partners across multiple UN agencies. Under cross-sectoral areas, selecting the ‘Conflict Sensitivity and Humanitarian Access’ category brings up 1,103 partners, including 594 national NGOs that list diverse conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding experiences and expertise.