At the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Conference hosted last fall by Georgetown University’s Master of Science in Foreign Service program, former Administrator of USAID, Rajiv Shah, highlighted the changing landscape of foreign aid. In particular, he noted the game-changing emergence of the private sector. “This is the first time in history we are actually succeeding at reducing extreme poverty, and we have the ability to end it altogether,” Shah observed. “At the same time, the development sector has widened, and private companies are responsible for much of what has brought people out of poverty.” The lesson for the development community, he said, is to welcome in the private sector and operationalize PPPs to solve future problems.A Brief History of Partnership.
Partnerships are intended to de-risk a project, but carry risks of their own,” Judy Brown, the Chief Advisor for External Affairs in the East Pacific and Latin America at Rio Tinto and a veteran of field-level sustainability work, advised a group of 15 students in the Georgetown Master of Science in Foreign Service program. For both the public and private sector, the advent of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) make partnerships that catalyze the development of local markets especially important. Brown had joined Whitney Shinkle, a senior advisor to Bancroft Global Development, and me to speak with my class on public-private partnerships about the ethics, risks, and benefits of partnering with local governments and NGOs, something large companies are increasingly being
Building a responsible business is a lot like baking a cake. Most cake recipes have certain ingredients in common—the flour, the milk, the eggs, and the sugar. The recipe tells you which ingredients to use, how much, when, and at what temperature. All of these affect whether or not you end up with a delicious cake or one that goes into the garbage. Similarly, responsible businesses have common ingredients—sustainable strategies, processes, and implementation practices. However, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all recipe that will spark an overnight business transformation.
Tyson Weinert is a lively and ingratiating veteran trainer, who after 18 years of service, separated from the U.S. Coast Guard last year. Since then, he has traveled the country training groups of people from all walks of life to embrace the application and benefits of human-centered design. He had come to D.C. with a simple mission: to induct our group of 18 wannabe designers into the discipline of developing solutions in the service of people.
On the occasion of World Hypertension Day 2016, the Novartis Foundation and its partners, including the international nonprofit organization PATH, are announcing the launch of the Ho Chi Minh City Communities for Healthy Hearts Program, which is designed to improve health outcomes of adults with hypertension living in low-income households in urban Vietnam.
Long committed to making products out of the best, most responsible materials, outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland is raising the bar to reduce the environmental impact of all of its products – across footwear, apparel and accessories, by implementing new environmental product standards and setting robust five-year goals to achieve by 2020. Whether it’s a beautifully crafted pair of boots or a leather jacket, Timberland knows consumers want to look good and feel good about what they’re wearing. Building on the legacy of its Earthkeepers® collection, Timberland is increasing its use of eco-conscious materials by setting environmental targets for every product beginning with the spring and summer 2016 collections, available in stores and online now.
In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Cox Enterprises today announced a new partnership with the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF). Through the partnership, the Cox Enterprises Scholars program will annually provide $2,500 scholarships for 10 students.
Can a large supermarket chain really practice sustainability? One of the largest supermarket chains in the U.S. proves they can.
Albertsons Companies is one of the winners of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award. The EPA recognized the company, which operates stores in 35 states and the District of Columbia under 18 different banners, for its commitment to bringing awareness of the federal agency’s Safer Choice Program for sustainable products. The Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award recognizes businesses and organizations that advance the goal of the program to promote chemical safety.
