LocationsThe Power of Collaboration: Empowering Sustainable Change through Private Sector Innovation Efforts with UNDP Accelerator Lab
September 3, 2024
Sensemaking discussion with the private sector and security forces on tourism development
By Ramiz uddin, PhD., Head of Experimentation, UNDP Accelerator Lab, Bangladesh
Samiha Akter Sima, Experimentation and innovation Associate, UNDP Accelerator Lab, Bangladesh
Nawmee Jessica Howladar, Innovation Associate - Climate Change and Environment, UNDP Accelerator Lab, Bangladesh.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require robust partnerships with the private sector in addition to governmental and intergovernmental action, as acknowledged by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for a long time. The creation of jobs, economic growth, and innovation are all influenced by the private sector, which is vital to the global economy. Businesses can help ensure environmental sustainability, promote gender equality, improve health outcomes, and reduce poverty by integrating their operations with the SDGs. This collaboration leverages the innovation, resources, and operational expertise of businesses to drive sustainable development on a global scale. In this blog, we explore the multifaceted approach UNDP takes to partner with the private sector and highlight some successful initiatives that illustrate the power of these collaborations.
UNDP’s Collaboration with Private Sector: UNDP Accelerator Lab Bangladesh since its inception has been jointly working with diversified partners and stakeholders including the private sector and government counterparts to speed up its programme and interventions. They have been collaborating with private sector for capacity development, job creation and enhance livelihoods in the vulnerable areas. These partnership focus on improving the vocational training and skills development to meet the market demand, ensuring that individuals are equipped for jobs of the future. UNDP Accelerator Lab Bangladesh is dedicated to address complex development challenges through innovative solutions and partnerships. One significant area of focus is sustainable tourism where the lab collaborates with Tour Operators Association in Bangladesh (TOAB) with its multiple branches in different districts to promote responsible travel and tourism with conserving the biodiversity and support the local economies. Similarly, the lab also been working together with Women Chamber of Commerce in Cox’s Bazar to improve live and livelihood of vulnerable women through capacity development in blue economy and blue tourism.
Illustration of some successful initiatives with Private Sector
Smart Tour Guide Approach
Tourism is a powerful sector for any country’s economic growth, cultural exchange, and environmental awareness. However, this sector can play a vital role for creating a large number of informal employments in the developing countries like Bangladesh where there are plenty of natural and historical attractions. The tour guides in many popular tourist spots lack the necessary skills in multiple areas while assisting the visitors. The majority of tour guides, operators, and informal workers are incompetent, which has a negative impact on Bangladesh's tourism industry. Tour guides are unable to connect with prospective tourists and make their visit easier without the required equipment
Tour guides are receiving capacity building training tools and techniques on basic first aid and photography
To flourish tourism sector and enhance employment in tourism, UNDP AccLab partnered with Tour Operators Association of Cox’s Bazar (TOAC) has facilitated capacity development training for 500+ tour guides in smart tourist service and provided smart tourism equipment in different tourist spots like, Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati, kuakata etc. Throughout the process, Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB), Bangladesh Tourist Police, Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Local Government, and other local representatives played crucial role as the facilitator, resource provider, and regulator to inclusive growth.
Behavioral Insights of informal workers- problem context and treatment process
Initially, the UNDP Accelerator lab with the support of private sector focused on informal workers after theorising the problem context. These workers included boatmen, jeep drivers in Thanchi, Bandarban & Belaichari, Rangamati, and instant hawkers at various sea beach locations at Cox's Bazar who directly interact with tourists. A series of initiatives were started, such as sensemaking workshops to gain insight into the circumstances, awareness-building for informal workers, tool development, and training modules. These activities have produced very satisfactory results and outputs. The informal workers were listed, and partners and pertinent stakeholders were contacted based on the results of the need assessment. The entire process changed the attitudes of informal workers and mobilised a large number of communities. In the end, this leads to an increase in supply change when visitor satisfaction starts to rise
Informal workers onboarded to have behavioral insights training
Capacity development of Vulnerable Women for Employment Generation
In contrast, the influx of numerous tourists creates a demand for new market opportunities, which in turn links local tourism and business institutions with the demand for basic commodities like tailoring, boutique, handicraft, and readymade dressmaking. Many secondary school-passed, disadvantaged women, such as landless, widows, vulnerable women, and women-headed family's jobless vulnerable women from vulnerable communities, are seeking work to mitigate family maintenance costs, but they have not yet found a job.
Capacity building session of Mini Garments Journey
In order to connect these two ends of the same spectrum, the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Bangladesh has implemented interventions aimed at enhancing community members' self-perceptions and quality of life while creating economic opportunities for the area's vulnerable young girls and women. Prior to the creation of the product co-design and process specification, the local government bodies, local public representatives, UNDP, Women Chamber of Commerce in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh government's Technical Training Institute, and national NGOs collaborated to assess the context, map the value chain, and identify market linkages.
Expected outcome of the women’s capacity building through entrepreneurship skill development
Future Collaboration and Anticipated Impact
Accelerated SDG Progress: By utilising the resources and experience of the private sector, improved collaboration will aid in accelerating the SDGs' attainment.
Creative Solutions: The infusion of private sector innovation will lead to the development of new and effective solutions to development challenges.
Economic Empowerment: By generating jobs, enhancing livelihoods, and encouraging inclusive growth, partnerships will advance economic empowerment.
Environmental Sustainability: By encouraging green practices and lowering the carbon footprint of communities and businesses, combined efforts will help to promote environmental sustainability.
The UNDP's partnership with the private sector has enormous potential to advance sustainable development in the future. UNDP and private businesses can collaborate to develop creative, scalable solutions that tackle some of the most important problems facing the planet. These collaborations will be essential in creating a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future for everybody as they develop.
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