Getting Started with Effective Partnerships: Lessons from the Integration Review

In today’s interconnected world, building strong partnerships is not just an advantage—it’s a necessity. For organizations focused on peace, development, and human rights, effective collaboration can amplify impact, enhance resource mobilization, and integrate diverse expertise. However, creating these partnerships requires strategic planning, action, and a focus on overcoming structural and behavioral barriers.

The findings of the UN Integration Review shed light on practical strategies to strengthen collaboration within the United Nations system. These lessons are not just theoretical—they are drawn from real challenges and successes in integrated settings worldwide.

Understanding the Business Case for Integration

The Integration Review stresses that partnerships should not be approached as a “box-checking” exercise but as a business case for impact. Integration succeeds when it is grounded in pragmatic analysis: How does collaboration advance shared goals efficiently and effectively?

To avoid fragmentation, partners should co-develop strategic frameworks—tools like the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) or the Integrated Strategic Framework (ISF) within the UN system can serve as models. A robust UNSDCF or ISF aligns goals, prioritizes activities, and creates accountability for delivery, linking planning processes to resource allocation and measurable outcomes.

For example, organizations working on peace and development should tailor their partnerships to context-specific priorities, emphasizing the value of integration to overcome silos.

Identify Common Goals Through Pragmatic Dialogue

A recurring theme from the Integration Review is that successful collaboration emerges when entities focus on common objectives rather than mandates. Leaders who prioritize pragmatic solutions over institutional rivalry unlock greater impact.

Start by identifying mutual goals through structured dialogue. This approach not only cultivates trust but also ensures that partnerships are aligned with overarching priorities, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In contexts like Burkina Faso and Sudan, joint planning around prevention and peacebuilding has shown how effective partnerships can advance localized impact.

Overcoming Barriers: Trust and Behavior

Behavioral barriers—such as siloed identities, lack of incentives, and perceived risks—often hinder collaboration. The Integration Review identifies seven key behavioral barriers to successful partnerships, including assumptions of bad faith or competing mandates.

To address these issues:

Facilitate Trust-Building: Create opportunities for interpersonal connection and joint activities, such as collaborative training sessions or small pilot projects. These steps help overcome institutional inertia and build a shared culture of cooperation.
Recognize and Incentivize Collaboration: Publicly highlight and reward successful partnerships. For example, showcasing case studies of integrated work can shift perceptions and encourage broader participation.

Strengthen Leadership and Accountability

Effective leadership plays a decisive role in fostering partnerships. The Integration Review emphasizes the importance of senior leaders setting the tone for collaboration, particularly in complex, multi-entity settings.

Leadership Must Model Integration: Leaders should explicitly demonstrate their commitment to partnerships by participating in joint processes and removing administrative hurdles that impede collaboration.
Promote Cross-Pillar Experience: Staff with cross-pillar experience are better equipped to enable principled action. Organizations should facilitate mobility and knowledge-sharing to bridge divides between humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding activities.

For example, embedding integrated leaders into country teams or missions ensures that partnerships are driven by practical needs, not bureaucratic demands.

Prioritize Monitoring and Adaptive Learning

Partnerships thrive when they are guided by clear metrics and a commitment to continuous improvement. The Integration Review underscores the need for integrated performance monitoring to track progress and adapt strategies based on evidence.

Establish success metrics upfront, linked to the partnership’s business case.
Use regular evaluations to refine approaches and identify bottlenecks.
Create feedback loops that promote adaptive learning across all partners.

For instance, regular reviews of a project’s ISF can highlight successes and identify areas for recalibration, fostering greater accountability.

Leverage Existing Networks

Partnerships do not need to start from scratch. The UN’s vast network of governments, civil society, and private sector actors provides a valuable foundation for collaboration. The Integration Review highlights the importance of streamlining existing forums and processes to reduce unnecessary demands on staff and maximize collective focus.

Engaging in regional dialogues, global consultations, or UN-hosted platforms like the High-Level Political Forum enables organizations to tap into established networks, share knowledge, and identify strategic partners.

Conclusion: Making Partnerships Work

The lessons from the UN Integration Review show that successful partnerships require more than goodwill—they need strategic vision, pragmatic solutions, and behavioral change. By framing partnerships as a business case for shared impact, organizations can move beyond rhetoric to action.

Collaboration grounded in trust, clear goals, and adaptive learning will unlock innovative solutions to global challenges. For organizations focused on peace, development, and human rights, prioritizing effective partnerships is not just about achieving goals—it is about creating lasting, transformative change.