Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed.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.
[Portafolio Approach] Transforming Panama through social cohesion and collective action.
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.
BIG BET
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is the decreasing trust between citizens and the state, and among citizens. In a recent survey by (CIEPS, 2020), 80.9% of citizens believe that people in Panama are little to no-trustworthy at all. Similarly, the Latinobarometer (2020) indicates that, in 1996, 76% of Panamanians trusted the democratic system, in 2020, that percentage decreased to only 35%. The social cohesion of Panama is fragmenting and limiting our capacity to take collective action towards the achievement of the SDGs.
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?
Panama has seen unprecedented demonstrations in recent months, garnering attention from international media outlets, a most recent one from the Washington Post: “Panama has erupted in deadly protests over copper mining,” while protesters hold up signs that read “Panama is not for sale.” Historians liken the situation to the 1980’s – when Panama witnessed widespread civil unrest as citizens tried to reclaim sovereignty over the US occupied Canal Zone territory.
Despite millions of dollars in losses, which economist project will take years to recover from, Panama is still projected to have the highest economic growth in the region for 2024. How can a country in such social, economic, and political distress be on track to becoming one of the most prosperous in the region? What is evident is this: high GDP does not equal a high quality of life for all.
Panama is the third country with the highest inequality in the region. Given Panama’s level of development, financial inclusion is lower than expected. Water shortages are frequent. Based on the research carried out by Latinobarometer (2023), despite de increase in trust to democracy from 35% to 46%, there is a contrast where there is also increase in indifference to it. The report remarks that there is a democratic recession that is growing in the region. This conclusion also reinforces the global trend of 'social recession' identified in the Future Signals & Trends System of UNDP (2023).
Furthermore, there is a fragile relationship between people and government: a resounding 80% of Panamanians perceive people as untrustworthy (CIEPS, 2020). In 2019, UNDP’s National Human Development Report sternly advocated for strengthening institutions. Almost four years later, distrust remains high. Preserving or rebuilding people’s sense of trust and community is especially important when polarization is growing, and social contracts need to be rethought or reinvigorated (UNDP, 2023)
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.
informe_ECD_CIEPS_2023.pdf
encuesta_protestas (cieps.org.pa)
Latinobarometro (2023)
Why aren’t we talking about a social recession? | United Nations Development Programme (undp.org)
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.
As part of our portfolio process, with the guidance of the Strategic Innovation Unit, we have designed a iceberg model to visualize social cohesion dynamics in Panama. It has been iterated as we have conducted research, interviews and CO bootcamps that have shed light into this issue and emerging signals of change.
There is a clear trend in terms of the increase of intensity in social unrest events, with two massive protests in both 2022 and 2023 that manifest the fragility of trust between Panamanians and the state, which goes also in hand with a sense of 'social decline' due to lack of jobs and economic opportunities, long commutes from 'dormitory cities' to Panama City (where most opportunities and public services concentrate) and signals of a new generation that claims for a 'green' development, which was one of the main claims in the protest of 2023 against the mining contract between Panama and First Quantum Minerals.
The analysis of power structures, we identified a stark centralization of policies and services that are also highly disconnected from the realities and needs of citizens. While mechanisms that can strengthen cohesion are disempowered (community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, unions). However, there are significant efforts from these grassroots actors, but lack the support to be sustained in the long run and often (intentionally or unintentionally) go under the radar of national and local governments and institutions.
Going even deeper, there are the paradigms that sustain these power structures, one that prioritizes growth over sustainable development and primes individualism, which also sustain a sense of hopelessness in collective action and the idea that "the government is guilty of everything". Continuously analyzing these dynamics has been the base to define our intention to transform, the strategic shifts and the portfolio 'positions' we are setting out to explore and socialize as part of this ALP for Q1 (see image).
More can be read in this blog: Stitching Panama’s Social Fabric: A Portfolio Approach | United Nations Development Programme (undp.org).
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 portfolio process is a CO process that is being co-led by the Accelerator Lab, where we are bringing a diversity of methods and tools to advance this systemic approach to thinking and doing development within UNDP Panama. By working together as a unit to undertake this ambitious process, we are also embedding the Labs practice within colleagues and the organization, which is key to build a resilient and Future Smart UNDP.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
UNDP Panama #AccLab maps early signals of change and connects them to a portfolio that encourages social cohesion. Through this, they support UNDP in making transformative shifts like building citizen-centric institutions and collective well-being model.
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 partner:
Strategic Innovation Unit
What sector does our partner belong to?
United Nations
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The portfolio process is being guided and supported by the Strategic Innovation Unit (SIU).
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
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 partner:
Ministry of Environment
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Through the National Plastics Action Platform (NPAP) project with UNDP, Ministry of Environment and WEF we seek to articulate systemic actions to our portfolio position on circular economy.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
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 partner:
Urban Risk Center at Florida State University
What sector does our partner belong to?
Academia
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
We have already collaborated in pre-stages of the portfolio process to understand critical solid waste hotpots in Panama City.
In this case, building on the existing and ongoing research from the URC and our work on solutions mapping, collective intelligence and experimentation for both circular economy and climate change, we seek to advance portfolio positions under a systemic approach that can harness the capabilities, resources and partnerships of UNDP and the URC to take action towards the transformations we seek through social cohesion.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
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 partner:
Mallol Arquitectos
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The intention is to develop a partnership with this architecture firm (one of the biggest of the country) to design and deploy portfolio interventions related to social and cultural infrastructure in Panama.
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 partner:
Escala Latam
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
We will jointly design and deploy an innovation challenge related to plastics circularity in Panama, which will be part of the National Plastics Action Platform of the Ministry of Environment-WEF.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
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?
In which of the positions we have designed for the portfolio process there is the most energy to operationalize it and take collective action with key stakeholders?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Explore, Test
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?
The main objective of our learning question is to make sense on where the energy is to advance the portfolio process. The intention will be to do a sensemaking process internally with key project within the CO; as well as with key actors/potential partners to answer this question. The sensemaking process will consist of direct bilateral or group discussions to present the systemic thinking of the portfolio we have designed and identify opportunities to operationalize interventions with key UNDP projects and initiatives such as the HDR/PAPEP and key potential (external) partners.
The socialization process will also include a process of 'analogue' and citizen participation (with key partners TBD) that can generate citizen insights and perspectives that will nurture a more bottom-up approach in the design of the portfolio interventions, under a human-centric design. Lastly, we seek to start the design of at least one pilot (which most likely be an innovation challenge on plastics circularity) that links to the position on circular economy of our portfolio process.
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?
Citizen generated data: the purpose is to generate data with citizens through informal interactions that can be a 'reality-check' for our portfolio process; as well as generate not just data, but insights on social cohesion dynamics and opportunities for collective action.
Focus group: These spaces will be held to start socializing the portfolio in a 'quick and dirty' way, it will allow us to validate the portfolio design and identify where there is energy for action.
Sensemaking & systemic design: both the focus groups and citizen generated data will be part of the sensemaking process as to where to take systemic actions and design, under the same principle, the interventions to activate the portfolio process with external actors.
Hackathon: we are already designing an innovation challenge related to the circular economy position, which will focus on plastics circularity, specifically, on behavior change and plastics value chains. The solutions identified can be potential allies for systemic actions on the ground.
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?
The portfolio process and the intention to transform through social cohesion is already a key priority for our country office and our CO priorities for 2024 have this process at its core. Therefore, this process will have impact in the whole organization. It is our big bet (not just for our Lab, but the country office!) Wish us luck!
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10Reduced innequalities
16Peace, justice and strong institutions
17Partnerships for the goals
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