Increasing equality in partnerships – views from the field, from policy makers and from funders

David Beran, University of Geneva, Switzerland Partnerships are the pillar of any effective project. Diversity of projects means a multiplicity of possible partnerships, between different institutions, different countries, different fields, different types of organisations (public and private, community based or state based), etc. All of these have their challenges, and need to be managed with […]

Read more

Beyond good intentions – the Research Fairness Initiative (RFI)

Carel IJsselmuiden1, Jon-Andri Lys2, David Beran3 1COHRED, Switzerland; 2KFPE, Switzerland; 3University of Geneva, Switzerland   Why partnerships – in research Research is all about partnerships and is increasingly about large networks of collaboration to deal with increasingly complex global problems – in health, food security, climate change and more. Partnerships provide access to expertise, capital, […]

Read more

Alternative knowledge production for social transformation

Elizabeth Pollitzer1, Remko Berkhout2, Beatrice Bertho3, Dominique Lucy Malatesta3 1Portia Ltd., UK; 2 Transition Companions, Austria; 3 University of Applied Sciences and Arts | Western Switzerland/EESP, Switzerland   How can we enhance the transformative potential of development programmes that attempt to bridge gaps between scientists and laypersons; between academic disciplines; between ‘north and south’, and between […]

Read more

Partnerships for producing and effectively using knowledge that advances transformations towards sustainable development

Eliud Abucheli Birachi¹, Manuel Vogt², Martina Zapf³ ¹International Center for Tropical Agriculture, CIAT, Kigali, Rwanda; ²ETH Zürich, Switzerland; ³Interpeace, Switzerland   Aim of theme: To significantly advance discussion of different perspectives and critical reflections on innovative approaches to transformative partnerships. Approach: Use of engaged panel dialogue between scientists, policymakers, civil society, and the private sector […]

Read more

Towards Transformative Partnerships for Sustainable Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Cases from South Africa and Myanmar

Willem Fourie¹, Joan Bastide² ¹Social Ethics, University of Pretoria, South Africa; ²OneMap Myanmar, University of Bern, Switzerland   We are envisioning a traditional session in which five presenters provide insights from distinct perspectives including academia, national government, environmental sector and civil society. Each presenter will discuss initiatives aimed at strengthening partnerships in order to promote […]

Read more

Transformative partnerships by participatory modeling

Enrico Celio, Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich   Participation is considered a key concept of bridging science and society. Participatory modeling aims at involving stakeholders in the modeling process, from data collection through model construction and the development of solutions that are more useful for local decision-making than those designed by scientists […]

Read more

Uses of evidence in contested contexts. Political? Technical? Transformative?

Stefan Bächtold, Laurent Goetschel; swisspeace, Switzerland   Extensive data collection has become one of the hallmarks of efforts to reduce poverty, address fragility and conflict, or to make development processes more sustainable. Most of those efforts are underpinned by the idea that more or better knowledge, drawing on scientific data collection, should lead to better […]

Read more

Securing and enhancing access to land for smallholders in shifting cultivation systems

Andreas Heinimann1, Athong Makury2, Joan Bastide3 1University of Bern, CDE, Switzerland; 2Chairman of Council of Naga Affairs, Myanmar; 3Onemap Myanmar, University of Bern, CDE country office Myanmar   For decades, shifting cultivation has been a widespread land use system in the uplands to the humid tropics especially in southeast Asia, securing the livelihoods of millions. […]

Read more

Scientists are from Mars, Policymakers are from Venus: How to Build Transformational Partnerships in a World of Conflicting Priorities

Vanja Westerberg1, Jesse Hastings1, Mark Schauer3, Paulo A.L.D. Nunes5, Louise Gallagher2, Samuel Vionnet6, Daan Groot4 1Altus Impact, Switzerland; 2Luc Hoffman Institute, Switzerland; 3Economics of Land Degradation Secretariat (GIZ), Germany; 4HAS University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands; 5UNEP, Nairobi; 6Valuing Nature, Switzerland   In a world of 7.4 billion humans and counting, sustainable development is about understanding […]

Read more

Building transformative partnerships between health services and communities as a means to advancing the Agenda towards Sustainable Development: A pathway foward

Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman1, Janet Perkins2, Tapas Mazumder1, Cecilia Capello2, Shams El Arifeen1, Carlo Santarelli2 1icddr,b, Bangladesh; 2Enfants du Monde, Switzerland   Achieving the ambitious goals set out in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will require transformative and collaborative partnerships at various levels. This is particularly true within the health sector. In our session, […]

Read more