To support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) developed a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that empowers professionals in the public and private sectors to design, manage, and monitor partnerships for sustainable development. The course, titled “Partnerships: A Vehicle for Advancing Sustainable Development,” is open for registration and will officially begin on October 24. It is intended to serve as a practical guide for promoting and implementing effective development partnerships.
Announced at the International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, the course seeks to fill the knowledge gap that currently impedes the development of partnerships at a moment in which they are recognized globally as a key instrument for achieving the SDGs. The MOOC is based on SDG #17 (Partnerships for the Goals), which calls on governments, companies, foundations, and others to collaborate on SDG implementation in hopes of meeting the 2030 deadline.
Through theoretical content and practical case studies, the course analyzes the “why” behind partnerships, opportune moments for establishing collaborations, the diverse actors with which one can partner, and best practices for developing successful partnerships. In addition, it seeks to provide participants with the concrete skills needed to work in partnerships across diverse sectors.
The course features the participation of international experts representing organizations such as the United Nations, the Open Society Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Coca-Cola, FEMSA, Avina Foundation, Fundación Bancaria “la Caixa,” Google, Microsoft, and PepsiCo. It is part of a series of courses developed by the SDG Academy on the 17 SDGs and is the latest installment in the IDB’s robust portfolio of free, open courses.
About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Besides loans, grants and guarantees, the IDB conducts cutting-edge research to offer innovative and sustainable solutions to our region’s most pressing challenges. Founded in 1959 to help accelerate progress in its developing member countries, the IDB continues to work every day to improve lives.
About SDSN
The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was commissioned by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012 to mobilize scientific and technical expertise from academia, civil society, and the private sector to support practical problem solving for sustainable development at local, national, and global scales. SDSN operates national and regional networks of knowledge institutions, solution-focused thematic networks, and is building the SDG Academy, an online university for sustainable development.
Alvarez-Rodriguez,Isabel María
