Activities of the Forum

I. Building a network

Identification and networking of institutions.  The Forum further develops the partnership networks built by the OECD Study on Local Partnerships and the Austrian Co-ordination Office for Territorial Employment Pacts. This network includes partnership organisations and national partnership co-ordination bodies in OECD Member countries and countries of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.  The work consists of the identification of relevant institutions and management of structured distribution lists.

II. Building a database

Documentary base.  The Forum collects data on partnership initiatives in OECD Member and non-member countries (list of partners, management structure, strategy, objectives, target groups and evaluation results) and gathers research reports, thematic reviews and studies carried out on partnership issues.

The Forum Document Database website contains over 300 English links, records published between 1999 and present.

Successful partnerships – A guide. In January 2006, the OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance published Successful partnerships - A guide in order to assist partnerships in their further development and help countries learn from existing experience. 

III. Information exchange

E-Bulletin: News at a Glance. Issued to announce new events and activities, and to publicise first results, the E-Bulletin is providing information in a short and informative way. You can find brief summaries of events, insights into OECD LEED research and policy advice activity, library items, forum discussions and more, all related to local governance & partnerships and local development.  Are you interested in receiving the E-Bulletin -  please send us an email to subscribe. You can also send us by e-mail news and information you wish to publicise in a forthcoming issue.

Download the FORUM E-Bulletin 01/07 (released on 10 December 2007)
Download the FORUM E-Bulletin 01/08 (released on 17 January 2008)
Downlaod the FORUM E-Bulletin 02/08 (released on 16 December 2008)

Electronic newsletter.  Thematic e-newsletters have been issued and circulated to Forum members and all interested institutions.  The topics cover cross-border partnerships co-operation activities, development of synergies between different programmes, partnerships instruments and examples of successful experiences. Download here the special issue e-newsletter (released in July 2009).

Download here the first e-newsletter (released in December 2004)
Download here the second e-newsletter (released in May 2005)
Download here the third e-newsletter (released in September 2005)
Download here the fourth e-newsletter (released in April 2006)
Download here the fifth e-newsletter (released in August 2006)
Download here the sixth e-newsletter (released in January 2007)
Download here the seventh e-newsletter (released in April 2007)
Download here the eighth e-newsletter (released in March 2008)

Forum website.  The website you are currently visiting is an integral activity of the Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance and the LEED Programme.

Annual Brochure. In November 2006, an updated edition of the Annual Brochure ’FORUM_PARTNERSHIPS_2006’ has been issued. The Brochure presents a variety of area-based partnership models showing methods, tools and results achieved.

"forumpartnerships2009" – Country Fact Sheets provides an update on what has changed over the last 3 years, with new information added on regions that have not been included before. Read more...

IV. Forum and Board meetings and International Partnership Fair

Forum Board meetings. Board meetings are held on the eve or during each Annual Forum Meeting, and at other times at the request of the Board members.

Forum meetings.  

• The Sixth Forum Meeting "From Recession to Recovery: Local Partnerships to Rebuild Employment", Vienna, Austria, 16-17 February 2010

  Although the latest economic indicators suggest that a recovery may be in sight, the experience of previous economic downturns shows that it will take long before employment gets back to pre-recession levels. While solutions are put in place to address urgent needs, new ways of working are required to create more sustainable, more productive and more equitable employment for the future.  New approaches are needed to help people stay and progress in employment through greater skills utilisation. New skills are crucial to the development of a greener economy and in order to release its job creation potential.  Social entrepreneurship can contribute to providing sustainable solutions to those most at risk of exclusion from the labour market. Working in partnership is required to address these multiple challenges.  Partnerships, many of which were first created to deal with social and unemployment consequences of previous economic downturns, have accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge and know-how in bringing different stakeholders together, ensuring coordination and policy adaptation to local needs.

• The Fifth Forum Meeting on "Building Strong Partnerships with the Private Sector for Better Jobs and Inclusion", Vienna, Austria, 9-10 February 2009.
  The 5th Annual Meeting of the OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance addressed an issue of central importance to most partnerships today: how can collaboration with the private sector be strengthened to deliver better and more sustainable outcomes on the labour market? Excellent examples exist of partnerships that have established strong collaboration between business and the public sector/local community, and which have managed to contribute significantly to a more inclusive local economy. In many of them business representatives play a leading role in the collaboration process or actively support local initiatives designed in partnership.

• The Fourth Forum Meeting  ‘Partnerships for Skills and Competitiveness’ was held at Hotel Penta-Renaissance, Vienna, Austria on 18 – 19 February 2008.
  It sought to identify the best ways for partnerships to contribute to the design and implementation of skills development strategies which can boost competitiveness and make the economy more inclusive. More than 130 partnership practitioners, managers, national co-ordinators of partnership networks, and policy makers from OECD Member and non-member countries joined fruitful debates.

• The Third Forum Meeting, Improving cross-sector and multi-level collaboration was held at the Hotel Penta - Renaissance in Vienna, Austria on 1 – 2 March 2007, attended by 131 participants from 24 OECD members and non-members countries.
  The meeting focused on cross-sector and multi-level collaboration, supporting the exchange of experience and practice between partnerships and exploring ways to overcome common obstacles. The Forum meeting provided a unique occasion for such an exchange, providing opportunities for in-depth discussion within a series of interactive working sessions.
  In order to deepen common understanding within the Forum and its members, the Forum Meeting aimed to build on the outcomes of the interactive workshops and to develop a “Vienna Action Statement on Partnerships”, adopted finally by the meeting’s participants.
  The “Vienna Action Statement on Partnerships” aims to enhance governance by improving dialogue and co-operation between policy makers, and between policy makers and other stakeholders at the local, regional and national levels. It thereby seeks to improve the contribution that local partnerships can make to fostering economic development, social cohesion, environmental sustainability and quality of life.

• The Second Forum Meeting was held back to back to the International Partnership Fair at the Parkhotel Schönbrunn (Vienna, Austria) on 13 – 15 February 2006.
  Effective Capacity Building and Partnership Performance Indicators were themes for discussion and conclusions from lively workshops will be summarised in the fourth Forum Newsletter, to be issued in March 2006. For further information, please contact Ms. Jana Machacova from the LEED Forum at ZSI (Centre for Social Innovation) in Vienna.
  International Partnership Fair was held at the Parkhotel Schönbrunn (Vienna, Austria) on 13 – 15 February 2006 and provided opportunities to meet, learn from each other and build new co-operation relationships. The conference was organised for partnership practitioners, such as co-ordinators and partners of alliances, as well as policy makers aiming to exchange partnership experiences. This spectacular conference was attended by 240 participants from 33 OECD members and non-members countries. 33 partnerships covering countries from the European Union, South-East Europe, America and Asia Pacific presented themselves at exhibition stands and shared their practical partnership experiences with Fair participants. For further information and registration, please visit the Fair webpage or contact Ms. Jana Machacova from the LEED Forum at ZSI (Centre for Social Innovation) in Vienna.
  Download here information about each partnership presenting at the International Partnership Fair.
  Analysis of the participants’ evaluation sheets can be downloaded here.

• The First Forum Meeting was held at the Hotel Penta - Renaissance in Vienna on 26 - 27 April 2005.
  The aims of the First Forum Meeting were to bring together partnerships and exchange views and experiences on their development, operational activities, implementation of national strategies, management structures, use of policy recommendations and evaluation methodologies.  This unique conference was attended by 139 participants from 33 OECD members and non-members countries. Conclusions were highlighted in the second Forum Newsletter, published in May 2005.

V. Policy advice

Study visits and capacity building for partnerships
Previous activities of the OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships have demonstrated the growing interest of partnerships in capacity building activities to address such issues, and in the possibility of sharing and acquiring new experiences and know-how. As a response to this demand the Forum has designed a series of capacity building activities including seminars, workshops and study visits to participating countries.

• Capacity Building Seminar on "Getting the Young into Jobs: the Role of Partnerships", Trento, Italy 26-28 October 2009
  Ensuring a smooth and quick transition from education to employment and fighting education drop-out trends are key objectives of youth policies across OECD countries. The seminar was addressed to those already working in partnerships on youth policies, or in the process of establishing a partnership in one of the following areas: (i) promoting entrepreneurship; (ii) youth skills initiatives; and (iii) integrating youth with accumulated disadvantages.
• Study Visit to Territorial Employment Pacts in Austria on "Partnerships for Labour Market Inclusion", Innsbruck, Austria, 28–30 September 2009
  The study visit offered the possibility to: (i) get insights about the TEPs labour market integration strategies and programmes, their rationale, development and how barriers to their effective implementation have been addressed; (ii) learn about the organisational and funding structure of Austrian TEPs within the framework of the ESF; and (iii) network with people running local social inclusion projects.
• Capacity Building Seminar for Local Development Practitioners on “Routes out of the Crisis – New Strategies for Skills and Employment”, Trento, Italy, 10-12 June 2009
  The seminar began with a one-day session open to a wider audience of policymakers and practitioners involved in tackling the impact of the crisis on jobs and skills. Days 2 and 3 were structured around a mix of presentations by OECD experts followed by discussion and group work.
• Capacity Building Seminar for New and Nascent Local Development Partnerships in Central-East and South-East Europe, Trento, Italy, 10-12 November 2008
  The objective of this 2.5-day seminar was to improve the functioning of local partnerships. The seminar was aimed at local partnership practitioners and their counterparts in local and national governments. The seminar focused on three main themes: (i) what makes local partnership building successful?; (ii) what are the key elements of a national support framework for local development partnerships?; and (iii) how to manage and improve performance?
• Capacity Building Seminar for Partnerships on "Designing and Delivering Skills Strategies for Cities", Trento, Italy, 11-13 June 2008
  The objective of this seminar was to improve the capacity of partnerships to design and deliver integrated skills strategies. It focused on three main themes: (i) understanding local skills needs; (ii) building an integrated skills strategy and (iii) assessing the impact: moving from quantitative to qualitative assessment.
• Capacity Building Seminar: “Enhancing the Capacity of Partnerships to Influence Policy”, Dublin, Ireland, 18 - 20 April 2007
  After the lively first seminar in Vienna, this 2.5-day seminar allowed a more in-depth discussion on how partnerships can enhance their capacity to influence policy at the local, national and international levels. The thematic focus of this seminar was on skills development, in particular on the contributions of partnerships in designing and delivering local skills development strategies. The seminar was hosted by Pobal Ireland, a long-standing partner of the OECD LEED Programme.
• Capacity Building Seminar: “Enhancing the Capacity of Partnerships to Influence Policy”, Vienna, Austria, 5 - 7 December 2006
  A 2.5-day capacity building seminar on “Enhancing the Capacity of Partnerships to Influence Policy” brought together partnership managers from Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The seminar was held at the Centre for Social Innovation (Vienna, Austria) on 5 – 7 December 2006. The seminar was a unique opportunity to discuss the “Why”, “What” and “How” issues behind partnerships’ interest in influencing policy.

The OECD LEED Programme released a report on "Enhancing the Capacity of Partnerships to Influence Policy” which gathers the experience of the two capacity building seminars 2006-2007.

Mentorship system 
One of the key activities of the OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance is the creation of a mentorship system to provide assistance for countries interested in building partnerships on the basis of knowledge gained from already successful partnerships. Emerging partnerships will be accompanied by relevant well-established partnerships who will act as mentors. As a first step a list of countries/partnerships interested in being mentors and recipients will be prepared.  The mentoring activities will be funded by the mentors and recipients, though resources are available to cover some expenses for mentoring activities taking place with OECD Trento Centre target countries (Central, East and South East Europe). To take a part in the mentorship system, please complete the mentorship request and send it to Ms. Jana Machacova. A mentorship agreement between mentors and recipients can be further developed by the parties to encompass specific requirements.