Donors should include local actors into public-private collaboration projects in LDCs
Endeva discussed the recommendations of a new study published by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the UNDP, and the UN Global Compact at the 4th UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries last week in Istanbul. The study and workshop were focused on the topic, “How Donors Can Better Engage the Private Sector for Development in LDCs.”
The discussion centered around four key themes following the life cycle of donor programs to engage the private sector for development – design, outreach, implementation, and evaluation and learning. Conclusions reached included the need for donor programs to reflect the special social, political, and economic challenges of LDCs, better coordination of donor activity in LDCs. The main message from participants was, however, to use of more local knowledge in LDCs to more efficiently link programs to their development agendas, gain trust, and ensure sustainability of projects. This includes collaboration projects with the local private sector, but also the involvement of local experts and consultants in the development and evaluation of projects.