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Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Sensing opportunities to localize SDGs through our current UNDP portfolio in the municipality of San Miguelito
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
EXPLORATORY
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is that our CO approach to complex development challenges and territories is not articulated in our practice. In order to explore what that could look like, we embarked a learning journey to understand how we can localize SDGs with a holistic, territorial approach through the case of the Municipality of San Miguelito and the starting point of solid waste management (SWM).
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
UNDP is undergoing major transformations in the way that it does development. One of the main ones is that transition from 'projects to portfolios', which implies using a systems' lens in the way that we do development, moving from silos towards integration and transitioning from traditional results-based management and theories of change to designing new ways of measuring impact and learning. In addition, this approach aims to generate reflexivity on why we have the projects we currently have and rethink our value proposition for our partners - and ourselves. The case of San Miguelito makes a compelling one: It concentrates about 10% of the population of the country in just about 52 km2, it is the most densely populated municipality of Panama and includes some of the most multidimensionally poor corregimientos of the country. One of the most visible challenges of San Miguelito is the waste management crisis, which is a manifestation of other systemic issues that we seek to explore through this portfolio approach.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
We first mapped all current UNDP initiatives in San Miguelito, understanding where these are located, who do they work with and how articulated these are in the field. We used GIS to map them. In addition, we also explored a diversity of sources of data, from socioeconomic indicators, to environmental and topographic. Based on that data, we collaborated with the Urban Risk Center of Florida State University in Panama to conduct a multivariable analysis to understand determinants to the current critical SWM conditions of San Miguelito. The results showed critical areas not just related to solid waste, but also for the wellbeing of citizens and high vulnerability areas to risks and disasters (red in the map).
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
When understanding the opportunities to articulate UNDP actions in the field, we had an internal discussion with thematic leaders and project coordinators to understand the levels of influence of or interventions in San Miguelito. This discussion showed how - at least for the case of San Miguelito, our interventions did not have a close relationship with local actors, nor showed a considerable articulation of actions in the field. It showed the need to further explore why and how are we doing development. In addition, it seemed as if the thematic issue of solid waste management did not have the buy-in of most of management - and (it was highlighted) the municipality of San Miguelito has not been a prioritized territory for UNDP Panama. It then raised the question: If it is not in San Miguelito, then where?
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
The value add we are bringing to this process is that becoming of an 'enabler of the enablers' of our strategic plan, even though we did not move into the rapid ethnography process, the need to further explore and develop a portfolio approach for our CO and a new value proposition became more evident.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
Can we really localize the SDGs with a holistic, territorial approach? Read more on how Panama's CO - with the support of its AccLab is integrating UNDPs development solutions through a portafolio approach in the Municipality of San Miguelito.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Urban Risk Center at Florida State University
What sector does our partner belong to?
United Nations
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The Urban Risk Center supported us with the mutivariable analysis using GIS to visualize results and insights.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Revisalud
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The private company that manages waste collection in San Miguelito. It provided critical waste collection points in the district.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Municipality of San Miguelito
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
We held a few meetings on progress on the process; however, their interest was ambiguous.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Strategic Innovation Unit
What sector does our partner belong to?
United Nations
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Towards the end of our process, the SIU helped us make sense of our learnings and articulate them to request to be part of the Portfolio Initiation Framework, joining more than 40 COs that are currently learning on the application of the portfolio approach.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
Can we really localize the SDGs with a holistic, territorial approach?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense, Explore
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Data visualization: to show data and information insights resulting from the multivariable analysis and [internal] focus groups and interviews. Sensemaking: to understand what the portfolio of UNDP looks like in San Miguelito, its levels of influence and articulation at a territorial level. Solutions mapping: To identify actors taking action in San Miguelito on multiple fronts.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
We found multiple data on San Miguelito, however, there hadn't been many analyses related to the determinants of the critical waste conditions of the municipality (root causes) through geospatial data, which also shed light on other interrelated issues and showed the need for a systemic approach to tackle them strategically. The sensemaking process helped reflect on the levels of influence and coherence of our actions and map not just the problems, but also the opportunities for a portfolio approach to face complex territorial contexts.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
Even though the journey on this case in on pause, it is what we now refer as the 'preface' to our kick-off as part of the Portfolio Initiation Framework, where we are currently co-defining a theme and territory to continue this journey together with other 40+ COs that are also part of this process.
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