C. International Knowledge Management and The Dissemination of Best Practices through the Global Learning Network

Bradford Gentry
UNDP/Yale Collaboration for the Urban Environment
New Haven

What is the PPPUE Global Learning Network?

The Global Learning Network ("GLN") is an integral part of UNDP's Public-Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment Facility ("PPPUE"). By co-ordinating the collection, analysis, dissemination and application of lessons learned and gathering information on all of the different types of PPP applications in practice around the world, the GLN eventually produced a spectrum summarising the range of existing options. PPPUE now applies this spectrum approach to identify the most suitable PPP arrangement for individual urban scenarios and needs.

What are the objectives of the Global Learning Network?

The objective of the GLN is to become the world-wide focal point for analysis, knowledge transfer and regional and global exchange of PPP experiences. The immediate objectives of the Global Learning Network are to:

• Develop policy guidelines and training materials which help national and local governments set adequate policy frameworks for private sector participation in water, waste and energy services;
• Expand UNDP's internal and external learning networks for horizontal information sharing on PPP among practitioners and experts world-wide.
• Support research and training institutions in developing countries to strengthen their own capacities for providing expert advice on PPP in their countries/regions;
• Facilitate regional best practices exchange and learning among both municipalities and private sector actors;
• Provide an international market place where public and private actors can exchange investment opportunities.

The GLN builds on modern information technology and networks of internationally recognised institutions from development and academic fields to achieve these objectives.

What has been accomplished to date?

• A comprehensive internet site (www.undp.org/pppue) The GLN has played a major role in the development of the PPPUE web page, which features the following services and information:

• Databases containing information on PPP projects and implementation agents;
• Over 50 articles, research and policy papers for downloading;
• Materials for distance-learning;
• Links to related sites;
• Information on PPP courses and events; and
• Facilities for information exchange among practitioners and experts from around the world.
• Searchable and interactive databases on public-private partnerships

The databases contain information from the internet conference, research papers, and other sources. As of September 1999, the databases include over 400 reference cases for PPP's, over 350 contacts of PPP practitioners and experts, and over 800 bibliographic entries in the PPPUE Library. The databases are interactive -- users can not only search through the PPPUE databases; they can also upload data on their own experiences or contact information.

• Extended internet conferencing

Over 250 experts and professionals from governments, NGOs, businesses, ODA Programmes and academia participated in an extended internet conference focusing on PPPs for providing urban environmental services. The seminars had three rounds: (1) an email discussion of major issues facing any type of public-private partnership; (2) separate break-out groups focusing on public-private partnerships for water, waste, and energy; and (3) an in-person workshop held at Yale University to distil lessons learned. Summaries of the results can be viewed on the PPPUE web page.

• Publications, training materials, policy and research papers

Through the UNDP/Yale Collaboration for the Urban Environment, the GLN developed the Spectrum Approach on PPP Options as a result of the analysis of different PPP experiences and lessons learned. The approach is now used as a leading principle for the whole PPPUE facility. Other topics covered in GLN papers and publications include public-procurement, the Clean Development Mechanism as a method to increase private investment in cleaner energy, lessons learned from the first phase of the PPPUE Programme, linking formal and informal providers of urban water and waste services, and many more. Most of these materials are available on the web site, and more are being added.

• Distance Learning

Yale personnel under the UNDP/Yale Collaboration Programme teamed up with students in South Africa, China, the UK and the US to implement a distance learning course entitled, "Using Public-Private Collaboration to Improve the Delivery of Urban Environmental Services in Developing Countries." Faculty at Yale, the University of Western Cape ("UWC", South Africa), and the Centre for Sustainable Technology Transfer ("CESTT", China) worked with local students to test the content and see how it applied to their local environmental priorities. The Chinese collaborators are now adapting the course materials for broader use in China - precisely the desired result.

• Regional PPP workshops and presentations

In December 1998, the first of a series of PPP workshops and study tours for Latin America, Africa and Asia was held in Lima, Peru, sponsored by CDG, UNDP/PPPUE and the UNDP Urban Management Programme. UMP and Yale University provided organisational support, speakers and materials. In addition, PPPUE and Yale personnel have given well over 20 presentations on PPPs at conferences in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe and North America.

• Application of the lessons learned

Several country offices have asked the GLN to help them respond to requests from local governments for PPP assistance. For example, PPPUE and Yale personnel worked with the country office in the Philippines on partnerships in the water sector. Similarly, the Country Office in China sought information on partnerships for solid waste services and with industry - leading to CESTT's participation in the distance-learning course and local application of the techniques covered.

What are the components of the future Global Learning Network?

The GLN will build upon the results of the previous phase and continue to be a dynamically evolving facility that works with a variety of partner Programmes and organisations from around the world. It will develop in the following areas:

• Policy development and research

By building on the analysis of existing experiences , the GLN will develop policy approaches and tools which help governments to set enabling frameworks for private sector participation and which help municipalities and private sector partners create their own PPP arrangements.

• Feedback loops between GLN and PPPUE National Programmes

In order to ensure effective learning and knowledge management, the GLN will be engaged in the following activities on an ongoing basis:

• Piloting of handbooks, toolkits, training modules, and others in PPPUE National Programmes.
• Pick up important policy issues from country level experiences and analyse them in comparison to other countries.
• Train PPPUE Programme and Country Office personnel in Regional Workshops.
• Use national research institutions for policy advice, monitoring of projects, and so forth.
• Use the policy framework as guideline for monitoring and evaluation processes.
• Analyse the experiences from PPPUE National Programmes against the background of other experiences, distil lessons learned and feed results back into the network.
• Outreach and external networking

In addition to maintaining and expanding web site functionality and outreach, the GLN will make use of modern information technology systems by:

• Initiating and moderating a PPPUE Email Forum (a question and answer listserve).
• Maintaining and expanding PPP databases.
• Making PPP related documents available through the PPPUE website.
• Searching for new best practices and contacts.
• Developing a roster of consultants for different types of PPP assignments (for example, legal, financial, technical advice).
• Introducing new facilities for information exchange, for example bulletin and message boards.

• Support to partner institutions in developing countries

Building up relationships with research and training institutions in countries with PPPUE National Programmes or other PPPUE activities is a GLN priority. Learning and Programme activities at the country level will be linked through the provision of services like expert advice, monitoring of projects, research of country specific topics, training courses and others.

• Regional best practices exchange

The regional or sub-regional level provides the stage for learning among peers looking across the local horizon. The sharing of best practices and lessons learned on the regional level is an important element of practical knowledge transfer among local practitioners. This component includes the following activities:

• Best practices exchange workshops where examples of different regional PPP options and arrangements are presented and discussed;
• Study tours for public and private partners to visit existing PPP projects;
• Workshops that help municipalities formulate strategies for implementing a PPP and finding adequate partners for each project.
• Market place for PPP opportunities Through the GLN, PPPUE intends to provide a forum where municipalities and the private sector can meet to initiate joint projects, thus reducing the transaction costs of finding an appropriate partner. The following two activities are planned for this purpose:
• A marketplace during Expo2000 for municipal or utility managers to present project opportunities and to arrange collaborations with international companies.
• A permanent, interactive marketplace for the exchange of project opportunities on the PPPUE website.

Who are PPPUE's partners in the Global Learning Network?

PPPUE can leverage a tremendous amount of expertise and resources through the GLN in order to promote and to catalyze learning and networking in the water, waste and energy services sectors. The GLN has already acquired substantial experience with partnering by collaborating with the following types of organisations:

• Other UNDP Programmes and initiatives;
• The UNDP/Yale Collaborative Programme on the Urban Environment.
• Partnerships with institutions in developing countries;
• Partnerships with other international institutions and Programmes (for example, DfID, CDG, IDRC)

The GLN approach to partnering is dynamic and will continue to benefit from substantive contributions and research from a variety of new sources over the next couple of years. The GLN always invites and encourages new partners to join the network - either by linking sites to the PPPUE web site on the Internet or by participating in research and distance learning activities.

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