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Power and partnerships: necessary ingredients for action

Bangkok, 09 September 2004 --Partnership is an important prerequisite for the empowerment of women. However, there is a serious ambivalence on the concept of partnership and empowerment of women even by women themselves. These were the statements made by Dr. Patricia Licuanan, President of Miriam College in the Philippines and Chairperson of the South East Asia Watch: Eyes in the Beijing Platform for Action (SEAWatch) in the panel “Moving Beijing Forward: Strategies and Approaches for Creating an Enabling Environment.” The panel was held as part of the ongoing Asia-Pacific High Level Meeting to review the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA).

Licuanan stressed the need to understand the different types of partnership. She pointed out that over the years, various terms have been used to refer to the acts of coming together and the results of such acts. Some of these are “coalition”, “collaboration”, “cooperation”, “networks”, “partnership”, “forum” and “watch groups.” She also underlined the different reasons for coming together. According to her, a common goal is the basic reason for forming partnership. Goals are either prescribed in national statutes such as the constitution which leads governments to form partnerships with other sectors. However, Licuanan underscored that goals are often dictated by needs. In the extreme, needs are realised during crisis situations, for example, when there is a high incidence of trafficked women for employment purposes or when some countries register high maternal mortality rates. Another reason for forming partnership is the need to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency. Partners could consider their goals in a more holistic and comprehensive manner. In the process, they also benefit from each other’s expertise and resources. They are also able to give their cause a “louder voice.” In some cases, organisations are mandated to work with other entities. Licuanan cited the representation of women NGOs in government-convened inter-agency groups as a case in point. In certain occasions, the opportunity to form partnership is facilitated by a third party who is engaged in macro planning or development work. The availability of technical assistance from international development agencies on the design of indicators and indices on gender equality and women’s empowerment is one example. This could facilitate the establishment of a common monitoring and evaluation system, an element that Licuanan identified as crucial in the sustainability of partnership.

Licuanan identified the different sectors that form partnership for women’s empowerment. These are government, civil society, NGOs, private sector, academe, the United Nations and other intergovernmental organisations. The Fourth World Conference on Women and its review processes illustrate important partnerships, according to Licuanan. They involve complex consultation process at national, regional, and international levels that entail GO-NGO partnership every step of the way.

Licuanan also noted how partnership and networking have evolved greatly from the rapid development of the new information and communication technologies (ICTs). The new ICTs are being used in broadening and strengthening networks, particularly for more rapid and wider-reach information and communication access, for linking local issues to regional and global strategies and actions. However, Licuanan also put in some words of caution in relation to the use of the new ICTs in networking. She stressed that while regional and international organisations, have used the new ICTs widely, linkages to women at the national level or in rural communities remain sparse and few.

Licuanan discussed that while partnerships are generally desirable, and beneficial to partners and their goals, they are not without problems. She identified some of the problems and pitfalls to include:

unequal partnerships—particularly around decision-making and outcomes;
ideological clashes—conservative and patriarchal governments will always find trouble working with feminist NGOs;
style conflicts—NGOs may find government procedures and requirements too bureaucratic while governments may be uncomfortable with the informality and seemingly lack of organisation of many NGOs;
leadership issues—some competition and negative stereotyping still exists between groups. For regional and international networks, there is the issue of their actual links with women in their home countries; and
sustainability of partnership—a possible contributory factor [in the lack of sustainability] is the dwindling of material support for the implementation of the Beijing Platform, particularly for monitoring and evaluation.

Licuanan added that another possible reason why sustainability has not been ensured [after the Beijing conference] is gender mainstreaming which was a favorite post-Beijing strategy for women’s empowerment. However, she pointed out that the gender mainstreaming strategy “seems to be suffering from lack of clarity of the original concept and actual misuse in the hands of those whose commitment to women’s empowerment may be suspect.”

Licuanan called on the delegates of the HLM to face the challenges of partnerships to realise the objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action. She stressed that partners should confront gaps and emerging issues and strengthen their partnerships by drawing on their diverse experiences and creativities. She expressed hope that ten years after the Beijing Conference, [women’s NGOs, governmental and intergovernmental organisations] are “less conflicted about and thus more committed to the empowerment women and have a better understanding and appreciation of the meaning and possibilities of partnerships. After all, power and partnerships are necessary ingredients for action.”

Dr. Meena Shivdas, a gender and development consultant who has worked with NGOs and intergovernmental organisations shares Licuanan’s views on partnership. “Partnership is about finding allies across sectors,” she says. Shivdas believes that the women’s movement and national machineries can forge strategic partnerships to influence policy change. She underscores that while partnership is always a give and take situation, each party should be clear about the ‘non-negotiables.’ “When we speak of women’s empowerment, women’s human rights and gender equality are non-negotiables, Shivdas adds.”

Reference: Licuanan, P. Partnerships and Strengthening Civil Society Participation. Paper presented in the panel “Moving Beijing Forward: Strategies and Approaches for Creating an Enabling Environment” in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific High Level Meeting to review the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.

Report from Mavic Cabrera-Balleza of Isis International-Manila and AMARC-Women’s International Network