Long Abstract:
The relationship between Africa and Europe is under pressure in particular regarding questions such as:
How to settle more equitable economic, social and political relationships
What can the role of multinational enterprises from Europe be in triggering ‘inclusive development’ in Africa either alone or in collaboration with local stakeholders
What competencies should be developed in Africa to distinguish between companies that can contribute positively to the national development agenda, or companies that exploit relatively weak regulatory agencies?
How can the economic relationship between Africa and Europe become one of mutual reinforcement?
How can corporate and national strategies be aligned around the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
What type of partnerships (often cross-sector) are needed to empower African sectors, countries, citizens and companies?
Addressing these types of question also requires the development of knowledge capabilities, today better known as ‘sustainable diplomacy’. This form of diplomacy is not necessarily organized by governments, but actually refers to partnership configurations that are linked to concrete purposes, in particular the SDG agenda. Knowledge generation and teaching experience must be triggered to support this new ambition. This panel will consider the conditions under which the SDG agenda can be further enhanced both in teaching, research and in practice. [Initiated by RSM Erasmus University (Partnerships Resource Centre)].
Accepted papers:
Session 1
European economic diplomacy: towards partnerships for sustainability?
San Bilal
(European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM))
Paper long abstract:
The European Union (EU) is in the process of establishing an active economic diplomacy, in the context of a more geostrategic EU. One of the aims of the EU is to combine the promotion of its economic interests with the defense of its values, while building on and seeking synergies with the interests of its partner countries. This paper will assess how the EU is formulating its economic diplomacy, and to which extend it includes sustainability objectives, building on its economic, trade and development policies. Particular attention will be paid to Africa, and how the EU builds on its partnership with Africa, at national and regional levels, how African economic interests are taken into account in the EU economic diplomacy strategy, and the extent to which sustainability dimensions are integrated, notably in the promotion of responsible business conduct, poverty, and environmental, labour and social considerations. In doing, the paper will seek to identify whether, and if so, how a more active European economic diplomacy is compatible with supporting African own development strategies and initiatives.
(This research is part of an EU Horizon 2020 project RESPECT http://respect.eui.eu/)
What fundamentally will enable a sustainable partnership between Africa and Europe
Siphamandla Zondi
(University of Pretoria)
Paper long abstract:
The Relations between Africa and Europe are longstanding and comprehensive in that they affect a large number of policy areas including educational exchange. But it is a deeply and structurally unequal relationship is need of fundamental transformation. While the need for this change has long been recognised, discussed, declared and committed to it simply has not happened. In fact, cleavages and mistrust have grown in certain ares such as security and governance. Partnership agreements have not yielded significantly better results in the past decade than a decade earlier. While the African region is agonising about its own internal change and seeking a new agenda to inspire the next fifty years, the Europeans are also going through their own change internally and their international roles are being redefined by tectonic changes in world affairs. Both face the task to implement the sustainable development goals in a manner that assist to redefine both the wider world in which they exist and their individual circumstances. The demands differ as for Africa is assistance to achieve the most modest of the goals and help to get to its feet and fend for itself. For Europe is the international responsibility to be exemplary and Agreements that frame the current partnership between the two continents have fundamental flaws that we will argue arise from an erroneous analysis of what is hindering a positive evolution in Africa-Europe relations. This paper will propose a diagnosis that has been known in Africa for a long time and on that basis suggest short-term and long-term interventions that may bring fundamental transformation needed closer to reality.
Who got the power? Civil Society interactions in Kenya between partnership and power imbalance
Samantha Ruppel
(German Institute of Development and Sustainability)
Paper long abstract:
It is quite common that local and global or international civil society organisations work together towards peace and development in constrained settings. How this "together" is defined varies with every interaction and with the actors involved. Further there is an identified need for a reflection of the power and knowledge-imbalances and the promotion of a localization of civil society.
This paper focuses on the German Civil Peace Service (CPS), working worldwide in (post-)conflict countries with the aim to involve and work together with local actors in local peace processes. On a theoretical level, the paper outlies the basics of criticism on liberal peace and identifies new theories like hybrid-peace and the local turn that try to answer the question what type of partnerships are needed to empower local actors. Looking into the CPS the paper gives insides on 1) the self-understanding of global civil society organizations working with local approaches, 2) the dynamics of civil society actors in conflict affected societies, 3) on practical challenges and benefits occurring due to local-global interactions. The paper uses background information from organizations in Germany and Kenya.
By focusing on empirical data the paper provides examples how power- and knowledge- imbalances can occur but also how they can be tackled and used in a positive way.
De la Responsabilité Sociale et Environnementale aux marchés à la base de la pyramide : L'implication des multinationales dans la création de solutions de logement abordables et durables
Joana Messan
Paper short abstract:
This paper explores the opportunity of leapfrogging in Developing Countries. More specifically the implementation of innovative strategies in the construction sector taking into account Corporate Social Responsibility management theories.
Paper long abstract:
Ce mémoire explore l'opportunité d'un leapfrogging vers une technologie disruptive dans les Pays en Développement par la mise en place de stratégies d'activité innovantes dans le secteur du BTP (Bâtiment et Travaux Publics). Il consiste en une recherche pluridisciplinaire à propos du logement abordable et durable, et de ses applications en Afrique subsaharienne. La méthodologie utilisée consiste à introduire puis analyser les caractéristiques du marché et de la stratégie concernée, celles du secteur et des technologies envisagées ; afin d'expliciter les facteurs de succès de cette opportunité de captation voire de création d'un marché. Pour cela, cette recherche s'appuie sur le management de la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises (RSE) présenté comme l'une des réponses nécessaires aux problématiques du développement durable et de l'éthique des affaires. En effet, une telle gestion correspond à un changement de paradigme dans la culture de l'entreprise qui, en s'éloignant de l'objectif unique de maximisation du profit, s'oriente vers des considérations sociales et environnementales, durables. L'intégration de la RSE parmi les enjeux stratégiques d'une entreprise, peut conduire à un modèle stratégique permettant de répondre aux défis de notre temps : la croissance démographique, la répartition des ressources nécessaires au fonctionnement de notre économie mondiale, la réalisation des objectifs internationaux pour limiter l'accroissement de la pauvreté.
Ce mémoire propose donc des stratégies innovantes afin de répondre de manière durable à la pénurie de logements dont souffre une grande partie de la population à bas revenus en Afrique Subsaharienne. Il invite à comprendre les réalités des sociétés africaines, et des facteurs socio-économiques qui influent sur la démographie et l'urbanisation locale, afin de pouvoir y apporter des réponses adaptées.
En plus de présenter les apports du management de la Responsabilité Sociale et Environnementale (RSE) sur la structure et la culture d'entreprise, élément permettant de faciliter la mise en place de stratégies innovantes ; ce travail explore les stratégies de Social Business et de marchés à la Base de la Pyramide, en s'appuyant sur l'étude de quatre entreprises françaises du secteur de la construction (Saint-Gobain, Lafarge-Holcim et Eiffage) ayant des projets de logement abordable et/ou durable dans les Pays du Sud, plus précisément en Afrique Subsaharienne.