multistakeholder initiatives (msis) are needed now more than ever · uk +44 7545 780048...
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December 2018 MultiStakeholder Initiatives (MSIs)are needed now more than everIn the early 90s it all seemed so simple. Business and civil society wouldcome together to define standards for sustainable management – say forforestry or fisheries. Businesses would commit to implementing thestandards if civil society would commit to supporting them when they didso – in particular by promoting certified products to consumers by meansof a product label. And consumers would pay more for these products,covering any costs and adding in an attractive premium that would bringin more and more businesses. Multi-stakeholder standards, certificationand consumer choice would save the world.
Today, the model in this simplistic form looks naïve, for all sorts ofreasons. Some civil society organizations and businesses have concludedthat true multi-stakeholder standards are all too much trouble. Wedisagree. In this edition of ‘Perspectives’ we explore the power of themulti-stakeholder approach.
Civil society and MSIsIn March 2018, Greenpeace International (GI) announced that it was notrenewing its international membership of the Forest Stewardship Council(FSC), of which it was a founding member. They, and other civil societyorganizations, have been questioning their engagement in multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Every organization is different. One part of GI’s thinking was its analysis ofthe nature of the threats facing forests, and of FSC’s limitations inaddressing these kinds of threats globally.
Other organizations raise other concerns about engaging with MSIs.Effective engagement in a multi-stakeholder process needs significanttime and effort. Some civil society organizations fear that their namemight be used to promote an initiative, when they don’t have theresources to ensure that their issues are being fully addressed. Better notto be involved at all, than to risk having their name exploited.
These are real concerns, and they raise serious questions. Voluntarystandards will not save the planet on their own (there’s a clue in thename), so what is their role? What is the role of civil society in supportingand maintaining improvement, in addition to stating a desired end point?Can we use technology to reduce the burden of participation? For modelswhich include consumer claims and labels, does civil society participationin the MSI also have to imply endorsement of a particular claim?
Achieving your mission matters to us. Ourpassion is working with initiatives to effectively andefficiently achieve their economic, social,environmental and organizational goals.
Knowledge, connecting the dots, ideas and solutions:tap into our diversity of skills and practicalexperience. We’ve been working with and forstandards systems and their stakeholders, includingthe private sector, governments and NGOS, for morethan 25 years. We bring our knowledge, experienceand perspectives to help you see and do things moreclearly and differently. We’ll help you move quicklyand more strategically to deliver greater impact. Areyou ready? Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.
are a collaboration between ( )private and public actors — such ascorporations, governments, civil society, andaffected communities — who share an interestor concern ( ) about some issue.Beyond this basic unifying aspect, MSIs takemany forms, from promoting exchange anddialogue to establishing standards andcertification processes as the basis forconsumer-facing labels.
– are a set of specifications, criteriaor guidelines dictating how something shouldbe made or how processes should happen.Standards take many forms and may supportcompletely different theories of change.Standards do not necessarily implycertification.
One thing we do know - without activecivil society participation and support,there can be no credible multi-stakeholder initiatives.
And there are considerable upsides. MSIsoffer civil society organizations:• : the best
initiatives are a “coalition of the willing”– they attract the private sector leadersthat want to address sustainability andrecognize that they and/or their supplychains need to change – but to achievetheir potential they need civil societypartners.
•the content of the standard, certificationsystem and governance from the inside.
• with civil societyservice providers on the ground, drivingchange through training and support forstandards implementation.
Six steps to succeeding inmultistakeholdernegotiationsMost negotiation training and guides are focused onhelping two parties to resolve single-issue problems(e.g. the price of a car or your neighbour’s loudmusic). Negotiations around sustainability issuesare different. They involve many variables (oftenhundreds) and include many individuals, groups,governments, businesses, etc. that are allnegotiating at once.
Multi-issue/multi-party negotiations can bedaunting because these are the kinds of negotiationthat most people have had the least experience andtraining to handle.
Don’t be daunted – you can learn the skills you willneed to achieve your objectives. Here are a few tipsthat can be game-changers for anyone negotiatingstandards:
Always…1. Send the same person or team to each meeting.
2. Volunteer to be on the drafting committee andspend time writing.
3. Come to each meeting knowing your own bottom linebut prepared to be flexible on how to get there.
4. Read and re-read the notes of the previousmeeting(s).
5. Seek to understand the other groups’ underlyingneeds and goals, and wherever you can, help themachieve them, even if you disagree on some specificissues (see tip 3!).
Never…6. Equate a position with a person. You should be able
to leave a meeting and have a relaxed meal or drinkwith someone with whom you disagreed.
BONUS TIP: Spend the first few meetings learning themajor concerns of all the participants and prepare aframework document that you give to all theparticipants.
In praise of collaborativedialogueMany MSIs emerged in the last decades asdemocratic platforms to bring together actors forshared goals around sustainability.
One fundamental difference this approach hasmade has been to create a space in which dialogueon some genuinely challenging issues has movedfrom the adversarial to the collaborative. Systemicchange can only happen if the main stakeholderswork together with shared understanding of issuesand with common purpose.
In our increasingly polarized world with declininglevels of trust such approaches are needed morethan ever.
The multistakeholder modeland landscape approachesCollaborative action is needed to tackle thefundamental challenges of providing food, fuel andfibre for the world’s growing populations.
Many organizations are starting to developjurisdictional or landscape level approaches toaddress these challenges. Multi-stakeholderinitiatives are often the backbone of theseapproaches, so let’s make sure our collectiveexperience and learning from working in MSIs istransferred to drive impact.
Individually and organizationally we gain human(learning, leadership) and social (networks, trust)capital. These are prerequisites for collaborationand should be considered as key outputs. MSIdesign features — such as good governance androbust accountability mechanisms — influence aninitiative’s effectiveness and potential to achievepositive impacts. We can align Key PerformanceIndicators (KPIs) in order to monitor progresstowards the collective goals and better understandwhat is working (or not). This is the power of MSIs.
has 25 years of experience in projectand operations management,monitoring for impact, organizationaldevelopment and strategic planning.Aimee is known for her practical, resultsbased solutions to real world conditions.
USA +1 202 657 [email protected]
designs tools and facilitates processesthat empower clients to achieve theirsustainability ambitions and measuretheir impact.
UK +44 7545 [email protected]
is a sustainabilitystandards and certification specialist.She is currently working full time asHead of Knowledge & Learning with theAlliance for Water Stewardship (AWS)Switzerland.
CH +41 79 776 [email protected]
has worked in social andenvironmental certification for over 25years. He specialises in assurancesystems, accreditation andorganizational development.
CAN +1 902 233 [email protected]
set upOneWorldStandards in 2006 to supportsocial and environmental standardsinitiatives worldwide. He is currentlyworking full time on the development ofthe ResponsibleSteel programme.
MultiStakeholder Initiatives (MSIs)are needed now more than everIn the early 90s it all seemed so simple. Business and civil society wouldcome together to define standards for sustainable management – say forforestry or fisheries. Businesses would commit to implementing thestandards if civil society would commit to supporting them when they didso – in particular by promoting certified products to consumers by meansof a product label. And consumers would pay more for these products,covering any costs and adding in an attractive premium that would bringin more and more businesses. Multi-stakeholder standards, certificationand consumer choice would save the world.
Today, the model in this simplistic form looks naïve, for all sorts ofreasons. Some civil society organizations and businesses have concludedthat true multi-stakeholder standards are all too much trouble. Wedisagree. In this edition of ‘Perspectives’ we explore the power of themulti-stakeholder approach.
Civil society and MSIsIn March 2018, Greenpeace International (GI) announced that it was notrenewing its international membership of the Forest Stewardship Council(FSC), of which it was a founding member. They, and other civil societyorganizations, have been questioning their engagement in multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Every organization is different. One part of GI’s thinking was its analysis ofthe nature of the threats facing forests, and of FSC’s limitations inaddressing these kinds of threats globally.
Other organizations raise other concerns about engaging with MSIs.Effective engagement in a multi-stakeholder process needs significanttime and effort. Some civil society organizations fear that their namemight be used to promote an initiative, when they don’t have theresources to ensure that their issues are being fully addressed. Better notto be involved at all, than to risk having their name exploited.
These are real concerns, and they raise serious questions. Voluntarystandards will not save the planet on their own (there’s a clue in thename), so what is their role? What is the role of civil society in supportingand maintaining improvement, in addition to stating a desired end point?Can we use technology to reduce the burden of participation? For modelswhich include consumer claims and labels, does civil society participationin the MSI also have to imply endorsement of a particular claim?