Catalysts to Step-Up the Pace of Actions

Most challenges addressed by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have root causes in the so called “Wicked Problems”. Wicked Problems refer to “issues that are difficult to define and can be assessed as either problems or opportunities. To address these problems an inter- and multi-disciplinary perspective is essential since they require other ways of thinking, and also need the involvement of a diverse set of interested parties to work on solutions.

?That’s why I have chosen the following title for my research:

?“Embracing the Complexity (Wickedness) of Our Collective (inter)Connection.

with a tagline that reads: Upscaling the Impact of Cross-Sector Partnerships of Civil Society Organizations to Accelerate the Collective Progress towards 2030 Agenda.

?What it basically means is that I believe if we want to scale our impact to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, we have to appreciate and understand the different levels of complexity we face in our problems whether they are at societal, or economic or environmental, or any other level. And I believe we can only manage to solve these wicked problems if we work together across various sectors.

?Based on the United Nations Economic and Social Council report in May 2019, there has been progress on certain SDGs and their targets; nevertheless, the slow progress on many SDGs is considerable and the most vulnerable people are still suffering. The same report states that the global response is not ambitious enough to guarantee the achievement of the SDGs by 2030; Therefore, in a series of cross-cutting areas action is needed to dramatically accelerate progress and this requires political leadership, urgent and scalable multi-stakeholder approach.

We have less than a decade to reach the goals we set for ourselves in 2015, after the closure of Millennium Development Goals. And by just doing things as we did before, we are not going to achieve SDGs by 2030. That’s why I decided to dedicate my life, in different domains, to play an active role in not only raising awareness about SDGs but also to find solutions to step up the progress. So in 2019, I started a part time PhD at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University in the Netherlands.

In my research, I aim at identifying, and modifying the inter-connectedness of the three components that, I consider, act as catalysts to step-up the pace of actions. Actions we are collectively going to take in the next decade for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

These three components/catalysts are:

1.???The positioning and motives of civil society organizations at the local and international level as not merely implementers of international development (as defined in the 2030 Agenda) but also as agents of change that play an active role in the “balanced” society;

What it means is that we need to understand what encourages civil society organizations to form cross-sector partnerships, and we need to hold them accountable as agents of change and not just as organizations who implement series of projects without any agency. We need to look at the role of every component of a balanced society.

2.??The effect and configuration of cross-sector partnerships for not only accelerating the pace of international development, but also to make it lasting and truly sustainable;

When I talk about cross-sector partnerships, I am referring to partnerships between the three components of a balanced society i.e. the market, the government and the civil society. And we need to understand how the configuration of these partnerships impacts their effectiveness and efficiency.

3.??The impact of applying the Complexity Sensitive Theory of Change to the intended international development, that not only includes an “alignment” between the complexity of the problem and the complexity of the solution, but also the complexity of the changing context.

As a practitioner in development aid sector, I have witnessed first hand how the complexity of theory of change of the solution does not match the complexity of the problem. Or how it could not be adjusted to the changing context of the problem. And therefore, it is very important to align these complexities prior to starting any projects.

Interestingly enough, there has been so many research and case studies on each of these elements that I mentioned. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive and holistic approach/framework to enhance the impact of cross-sector partnerships of civil society organizations. And that’s what I am trying to achieve with my research.?

In my other articles, I delve deeper in each of these componants/catalysts.

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