Guidelines for Knowledge Partnerships

The Guidelines for Knowledge Partnerships establish a structured approach for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to leverage external expertise and collaborative learning. Grounded in the bank's Strategy 2020, the guide defines knowledge partnerships as associations that share a purpose and contribute resources to create solutions for development challenges. It provides a performance framework based on OECD DAC criteria—relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact—and details essential building blocks for partnership design. The document also outlines various organizational models, from strategic alliances to grassroots collaborations, and identifies key success factors such as focus, leadership, and risk management to ensure that partnerships translate into tangible development outcomes.

• Knowledge partnerships are defined as associations and networks of individuals or organizations that share a common goal and contribute knowledge, experience, resources, and connections through two-way communication.
• The document adopts the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) criteria to evaluate knowledge partnerships: relevance (suitability to priorities), effectiveness (attainment of objectives), efficiency (optimal use of resources), sustainability (likelihood of benefits continuing), and impact (intended or unintended changes).
• Effective knowledge partnerships must be purpose-driven and time-bound, focusing on creating influence and solutions that extend beyond the partnership itself.
• The guide identifies several organizational models for collaboration, including point-to-point exchange, strategic alliances, information hubs, and networking hubs, each with different governance and management structures.
• Key success factors for managing these partnerships include focus management, leadership and coordination, partner management, benefit management (both short- and long-term), risk management, and communications management.
• High-level strategic partnerships with other multilateral institutions, such as the World Bank or UNICEF, require specific considerations, including alignment with corporate priorities and the appointment of relationship managers to operationalize knowledge processes.
• Partnerships with grassroots or community-based organizations require a focus on power relations and capacity differences, emphasizing trust-building through small joint activities and 'learning by doing'.
• Sustainability in a knowledge network is not defined by lasting forever, but by functioning until goals are achieved, members are no longer willing to continue, or the network becomes irrelevant.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2011). Guidelines for Knowledge Partnerships. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/guidelines-knowledge-partnerships.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Guidelines for Knowledge Partnerships. 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/guidelines-knowledge-partnerships.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Guidelines for Knowledge Partnerships |date=2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/guidelines-knowledge-partnerships.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2011guidelines, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Guidelines for Knowledge Partnerships}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/guidelines-knowledge-partnerships.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }