SDG 17 (partnerships) and its targets emphasize the role of global and national actors, providing little guidance on how to promote partnerships at the local level. We argue that universities have a key role in addressing the SDGs: promoting and facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships to foster the system-level transformations needed to achieve the goals. While this role has been generally recognized, it requires a new mindset as well as institutional and organizational changes within universities to be performed correctly and to nurture effective collaboration and collective action. To do so, a coherent framework is needed to guide universities’ efforts to build lasting alliances that spur transformational change. We will introduce a methodology developed by the Collaborative Innovation Lab (LINNCO) at Anahuac Mayab University to promote and facilitate multi-stakeholder partnerships from the bottom-up. We will also present an ongoing project that seeks to transform the food system in Merida, Mexico, through a multi-stakeholder partnership leaded jointly by LINNCO and Merida’s Municipal Government.
*As there was an error in webinar recording, we are unfortunately only able to share the slides used during the presentation.*
Presenters
Eugenia Correa Arce, Director, Sustainable Development Unit, Merida’s Municipal Government
Emilio Martínez de Velasco Aguirre, Director, Collaborative Innovation Lab, Anahuac Mayab University
Moderated by: Catalina González-Uribe, Director of International Affairs, Universidad de los Andes