Communication and Coordination

UN Sustainable Development Goals

 

The UN Sustainable Development Goals are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. ("Sustainable Development Goals,") The goals are interconnected and targeted for achievement by 2030.

 

How are we doing in terms of meeting these goals? Let’s quickly run through what they are:

 

·         Goal 1: No poverty

·         Goal 2: Zero hunger

·         Goal 3: Good health and well-being

·         Goal 4: Quality education

·         Goal 5: Gender equality

·         Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation

·         Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy

·         Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth

·         Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

·         Goal 10: Reduced inequalities

·         Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities

·         Goal 12: Responsible production and consumption

·         Goal 13: Climate action

·         Goal 14: Life below water

·         Goal 15: Life on land

·         Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions; and

·         Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals.

 

Today we’re going to talk about partnerships for the goals – Partner Coordination.  

 

The objective of this module is to give you a foundational understanding of partners and stakeholders. By the end of this module, you should be able to:

 

·         List key principles of a partnership framework;

·         Describe ways to coordinate international surge personnel in an emergency; and

·         Organize a framework for partner coordination.

 

Paris Declaration

 

As we all know, partners are great to have. A common sense of purpose unites us.

 

The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness says it all: “Aid works when we work together.” ("Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda for Action,")

 

The Paris Declaration offers a roadmap to improve the quality of aid and its impact on development. It outlines five fundamental principles for making aid more effective:

·         Ownership: Developing countries set their own strategies for reducing poverty, improve their institutions, and tackle corruption.

·          Alignment: Donor countries align behind these objectives and use local systems.

·          Harmonization: Donor countries coordinate; simplify procedures and share information to avoid duplication.

·          Results: Developing countries and donors shift focus to development results and results get measured; and

·          Mutual accountability: Donors and partners are accountable for development results

Accra agenda

The Accra Agenda for Action --- or AAA – charts the progress and sets the agenda for accelerated advancement to reach the Paris targets. The Accra agenda proposes the following main areas for improvement:

·         Ownership: Countries have more say over their development processes through wider participation in development policy formulation, stronger leadership on aid coordination and more use of country systems for aid delivery.

·         Inclusive partnerships: All partners - including donors in the OECD Development Assistance Committee and developing countries, as well as other donors, foundations and civil society - participate fully.

·         Delivering results: Aid is focused on real and measurable impact on development.

·         Capacity development - to build the ability of countries to manage their own future - also lies at the heart of the AAA.

 

In 2004, the database of the Initiative on Public-Private Partnerships for Health of the Global Forum for Health Research listed 91 international partnership arrangements in the health sector, which qualify as “public-private partnerships.” (Nishtar, 2004)

 

Ninety-one arrangements!

 

That’s an extraordinary number of combinations, relationships, partnerships, organizations, agencies, governments – and people. Is it any wonder that communication and coordination are challenging?!

 

The launch of global health initiatives – or GHIs – and the support of funding partners have changed the landscape of health financing in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa.

 

For better or for worse, the efforts of funding partners often influence country policies, even though their governance structure is often separate from those of the countries in which they operate. (Mwisongo & Nabyonga-Orem, 2016)

 

We can all agree that even the best of intentions can be undermined when there’s a lack of a framework to coordinate efforts between government ministries and other partners.

 

What ‘public-private’ arrangements are in place in your country?

 

 

The aim of the coordination of health aid is to increase the effectiveness of health systems and to ensure that donors comply with national priorities. (Sundewall, Jonsson, Cheelo, & Tomson, 2010)

 

At the same time, the aim of aid and investment is to ultimately build capacity – at every level – and develop an in-country system that is self-supporting.

 

 

If we apply the ICS principle of “Management by Objective” – we can see that clearly articulating WHAT we need is the only way to actually GET what we need. These decisions are driven at every level.

 

There’s work to be done in determining what we need and how to support responsible stewardship of resources – both financial and personnel.

 

From policymakers on down the food chain, knowing WHAT we need and developing a framework to achieve it, is the only way to ensure success.

 

Key principles of a partnership framework include:

·         Country ownership

·         Alignment with recipient country priorities

·         Harmonization between donors and implementers who are coordinating programs;

·         Transparency and accountability

·         Aid predictability: Assurance of longer term and predictable funding; and

·         Civil society engagement. The government is responsive to the concerns and demands of civil society. (Wickremasinghe et al., 2018)

 

 

In an emergency situation, it’s critical to have a framework in place to manage incoming assistance from partners. The Incident Command Structure is that framework.

 

What does that mean? We’ve already talked about how the ICS is built around ‘Objectives.” And the objectives must be SMART – that is: Specific, Measurable, Achievable (and Action-oriented); Realistic; and Time-sensitive.

 

We can also apply another acronym to the ICS in this context: PPOST – Problems, Priorities, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics. Note that “objectives” is third in line after priorities and problems.

 

There’s a reason for that. If we don’t identify the ‘problems’ and ‘priorities’ – the first two Ps – how can we effectively state our ‘objectives’?

 

Our ‘priorities’ must ultimately relate to our ‘problems’. From there we go on to establish strategies and tactics that ultimately solve our ‘problem’. That is, achieve our objective. So remember the PPOST acronym.

 

Management by ‘objective’ works.

 

So what does that mean in terms of partner coordination during an emergency? As we know from experience, lots of well-meaning organizations and people show up and want to help during an emergency. Some are more organized than others – have more training or more experience. Others, not so much.

 

 

Foreign medical teams bring skill and expertise to emergency response. However, their areas of expertise and skill levels often vary.

 

To maximize coordination efforts, WHO put together a handbook with guidelines for foreign medical teams in sudden-onset disasters. (Classification and Minimum Standards for Foreign Medical Teams in Sudden Onset Disasters, 2013) The guidebook, “The Classification and Minimum Standards for Foreign Medical Teams in Sudden Onset Disasters” is one more excellent tool for coordination in your preparedness and response planning.

 

 

As part of your preparedness efforts, consider what standard training should be in place for coordinating partners. What do they need to know to maximize their effectiveness within your country’s framework and processes? WHO may provide disease-specific training, for example. But what of the internal structures unique to your country and unique to the region?

 

Clearly articulating WHAT we need is the only way to actually GET what we need.

 

For these reasons and among many others, the Incident Command System creates a consistent baseline for emergency planning and response. There are a limited number of elements that may be standardized across emergency preparedness and response.

 

Standardize what you can. The Incident Command System can help.

 

Classification and Minimum Standards for Foreign Medical Teams in Sudden Onset Disasters. (2013). World Health Organization Global Health Cluster Retrieved from https://www.who.int/hac/global_health_cluster/fmt_guidelines_september2013.pdf.

Mwisongo, A., & Nabyonga-Orem, J. (2016). Global health initiatives in Africa - governance, priorities, harmonisation and alignment. BMC Health Serv Res, 16 Suppl 4, 212. doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1448-9

Nishtar, S. (2004). Public – private 'partnerships' in health – a global call to action. Health research policy and systems, 2(1), 5. doi:10.1186/1478-4505-2-5

Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda for Action.   Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/development/effectiveness/parisdeclarationandaccraagendaforaction.htm

 

Sundewall, J., Jonsson, K., Cheelo, C., & Tomson, G. (2010). Stakeholder perceptions of aid coordination implementation in the Zambian health sector. Health Policy, 95(2-3), 122-128. doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2009.11.010

Sustainable Development Goals.   Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

Wickremasinghe, D., Gautham, M., Umar, N., Berhanu, D., Schellenberg, J., & Spicer, N. (2018). "It's About the Idea Hitting the Bull's Eye": How Aid Effectiveness Can Catalyse the Scale-up of Health Innovations. Int J Health Policy Manag, 7(8), 718-727. doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2018.08