Private sector stresses the Importance of the post-2015 Development agenda in shaping international PPP Best Practices

A group of the world’s leading international companies involved in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have argued that international PPP best practices and standards should be inspired by the objectives in the post 2015 Development Agenda that is being developed under the aegis of the UN.

Meeting in Geneva on 13 February, under the auspices of the UNECE PPP Business Advisory Board, participants recalled that although PPPs in Europe have largely been used as a procurement tool that delivers ‘value for money’, PPPs are increasingly seen in other regions as a tool for achieving sustainable development.

James Stewart, Chairman of the UNECE PPP Business Advisory Board and of KPMG’s Global Infrastructure Practice declared: “PPPs already are improving accessibility of essential services to the socially and economically vulnerable in society and the private sector, along with the public sector, has a strong social ethos to ensure that these projects are beneficial to citizens.”

A lack of information on international best practices has been identified as holding back PPPs both in the UNECE region and beyond. Without clear project templates and guidelines, governments at all levels lack a clear ‘road map’ for implementing PPP successfully.

In addition, participants agreed that for PPPs to create a developmental impact Governments would have to improve their governance. In this respect, participants called for good governance and improving the enabling environment for PPPs, including zero tolerance for corruption, to be part of the Post-2015 Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

There was a consensus that PPPs will play a critical role in the implementation of the post 2015 Development Agenda – even though the precise SDG goals have still to be defined.  It is believed that many of the goals will focus on improving accessibility to basic services and that governments do not have the funds to fill the infrastructure gap.  Thus, it will be up to the private sector to make up the short-fall in funding. For example, according to the International Energy Agency (2011), around 1.3 billion people in the world lack access to electricity and 2.7 billion still use traditional energy to meet their cooking requirements.  

On the same day, the UNECE Business Advisory Board agreed on a programme of Experience and Knowledge sharing in PPPs with a number of countries, including the Philippines, Morocco and Turkey, that will take place during 2014.

The aim of the UNECE Business Advisory Board is to help the UNECE International PPP Centre of Excellence  develop international best practices and standards in PPPs and to assist countries in their successful implementation. The elaboration of international best practices covers projects in sectors such as health, water and sanitation, ICT and broadband, renewable energy and roads.