Knowledge-sharing has become increasingly important in international development cooperation in recent years, and an increasing number of united nations agencies have integrated knowledge management as part of their operations as an important means of supporting sustainable development goals. Several agencies, including the united nations development programme (undp), the international atomic energy agency (iaea), the international labour organization (ilo) and the international fund for agricultural development (ifad), have taken the importance of knowledge management to a strategic level, with knowledge-sharing strategies in place. In this context, cooperation between think tanks and international organizations should be actively promoted to enhance the sharing and dissemination of development knowledge and experience in support of sustainable development goals。
United nations focus on knowledge management and sharing
A major objective of international development cooperation was to help developing countries address the issue of what to do, and sharing of knowledge, experience and programmes was key to addressing it. The united nations defines knowledge more broadly, including development concepts, research findings, information, data, experiences and programmes. Knowledge management can be summarized in four ways across the km strategies proposed by multiple international organizations. One is the extraction and generation of new knowledge from development practices, including the publication of studies, either alone or in cooperation with other institutions, and the financing of research. The second is knowledge sharing, which is also at the heart of knowledge management, in the form of the publication and dissemination of knowledge reports in multiple languages, the sharing of knowledge and programmes through digital platforms, the pooling of good practices, the organization of workshops, the construction of policy and programme databases, etc. The third is partnership, which provides support, such as matching, advice and training, based on the knowledge needs of developing countries and relevant partners. Fourth, knowledge is adapted and applied to policy design and project practices。
From staff perceptions of knowledge management, united nations staff generally agree on the importance of knowledge in achieving sustainable development goals. According to the 2016 joint inspection unit survey on knowledge management in the united nations, 96. 6 per cent of the 6634 united nations staff surveyed considered knowledge management to be important and 71. 7 per cent considered that a knowledge management strategy should be put in place. At the same time, there is room for improvement in the development and practice of knowledge management strategies of united nations agencies. For example, only 25. 3 per cent of respondents to the survey indicated that their departments were truly engaged in knowledge management. This suggests that the development, sharing and use of knowledge needs to be further strengthened at the operational level. In addition, different united nations agencies have different locations for km, with separate km strategies in their respective areas that need to be coordinated and synergized。
Knowledge management strategies and south-south cooperation cases
While knowledge management is not yet a strategic priority throughout the united nations system, an increasing number of institutions are integrating knowledge management into their operations. For example, since its establishment, the international atomic energy agency has served as a centre of knowledge and information in the field of atomic energy. As early as the ilo strategic policy framework for 2002-2005 noted the importance of knowledge management and announced that it would develop and implement knowledge management policies and commit to becoming the lead knowledge institution in the area of employment. The knowledge management strategy of the international fund for agricultural development was launched in 2007 and some knowledge management elements remain relevant to date. In addition, the united nations development programme, the world health organization, the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization, the united nations environment programme, the united nations human settlements programme and the world intellectual property organization have developed or implemented their respective knowledge management strategies。
Overall, development agencies place particular emphasis on knowledge-sharing. In terms of knowledge management, undp has some more typical experiences. The focus on knowledge management is reflected in some major strategic plans. The united nations development programme proposes strategic frameworks for knowledge management for 2009-2011 and 2014-2017, respectively, and integrates knowledge-sharing into the long-term development planning of the agency. Second is the initial emergency knowledge-sharing to build knowledge-driven institutions. The united nations development programme's knowledge management strategy for 2009-2011 focuses primarily on knowledge sharing, which is urgently needed and timely, while the corporate strategic plan for 2014-2017 proposes to build undp into a knowledge-driven, innovative and open institution. Third, knowledge-sharing through south-south cooperation focused on strengthening platforms. Undp emphasizes the promotion of global knowledge-sharing and partnership-building through the promotion of knowledge-sharing in developing countries to achieve sustainable development goals, with enhanced knowledge-sharing and platform-building set out in the strategic plan for 2018-2021。
Developing countries are both creators and beneficiaries of knowledge-sharing for development and knowledge-sharing is one of the main elements of cooperation and exchange among developing countries, namely south-south cooperation. The united nations office for south-south cooperation, with the institutional support of the united nations development programme, is responsible for promoting south-south cooperation globally and for coordinating united nations system-wide support for south-south cooperation. Knowledge sharing is one of its core business areas. The report of the second united nations high-level conference on south-south cooperation, held in 2019, confirmed the importance of sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices and invited all stakeholders to share knowledge, experiences and development solutions to work together to eradicate poverty through south-south and triangular cooperation。
The knowledge management operations of the united nations office for south-south cooperation are mainly reflected in the following areas. One is the publication of knowledge products. The publication series includes a stand-alone thematic report on south-south cooperation, a series of studies on the concept of south-south cooperation, a compendium of good practices in south-south and triangular cooperation for sustainable development, and a brochure on south-south cooperation in the action series. Second is the promotion of systematic knowledge sharing and partnerships through digital platforms. In 2019, the united nations office for south-south cooperation launched the south-south sky platform, which provides effective links to relevant knowledge networks in the united nations system and provides a one-stop service for south-south cooperation, such as information interface, knowledge-sharing, partnership-building and finance corridors. There are currently 340 registered members, including member governments, united nations agencies, ngos, development banks, think tanks, etc. In order to take into account the weak digital infrastructure in ldcs, the south-south sky platform was designed to be as simple and low as possible. The third is to unite the think tanks of developing countries to expand the dissemination of the concept of south-south cooperation and to enhance the use of knowledge and intellectual support for south-south cooperation. In 2017, under the joint initiative of the office for south-south cooperation and undp, the global consortium of think tanks for south-south cooperation was officially launched as an influential platform for funding research, disseminating think tank research and promoting dialogue between think tanks and global governance systems in developing countries. There are currently over 250 think tanks from around the world, covering regions such as asia, africa, latin america and europe, many of which are from least developed countries. These think tanks will also provide intellectual support and advisory services to the united nations system, as well as to more south-south and triangular cooperation projects, leading to a virtuous circle of knowledge development, sharing and practice。
Harnessing the potential of think tanks to cooperate with international organizations
As can be seen from the above analysis, enhanced cooperation between think tanks and international organizations can be initiated in the following areas。
First, to promote strategic partnerships between the two sides, particularly by leveraging the strengths of think tanks in terms of talent, scientific research and policy recommendations. Strategic partnerships can be achieved in a number of ways, including joint planning of multi-year knowledge-sharing cooperation frameworks, collaborative publication of knowledge products, global thematic think-tank networking, provision of professional technical advice, expert committees participating in focused reports and projects of international organizations, joint series of seminars and training courses。
Second, emphasis is placed on enhancing the sharing of knowledge already available, especially on case studies, research findings and theoretical innovations in the development agenda. With regard to what to share, knowledge needs, in terms of existing knowledge management strategies, focus mainly on three areas: knowledge and experience relevant to the 2030 sustainable development goals, time-bound knowledge and specific knowledge needs identified by partner countries. As a result, think tanks have several possibilities for collaboration with international organizations in promoting knowledge sharing. One is that knowledge products related to the sustainable development agenda have greater potential for sharing value and cooperation. For china, knowledge and typical cases related to poverty alleviation and poverty eradication are most typical. At the same time, china's policy practices in promoting a low-carbon economy, sustainable development finance, infrastructure connectivity and digital transformation are also important for global sustainable development. Second is the importance of urgency and timeliness. The most effective knowledge today is to combat the epidemic and the economic and social recovery of the “post-emergence era”, including emergency measures and medium- and long-term structural adjustments. Third is linked to specific needs. On the basis of the demand-driven principle, other member states have identified knowledge needs in a particular area, with international organizations matching them to seek knowledge and expert advice in the relevant areas。
Thirdly, knowledge-sharing is facilitated through an inclusive, multi-platform, stereo-based approach, which includes not only traditional major official events, but also digital knowledge-sharing platforms and social platforms. The sharing of knowledge is largely in two forms: official publications, i. E. The publication of multilingual reports in collaboration with international organizations, and outreach nodes have an important impact on advocacy effectiveness. In addition to specialized seminars, major events, such as the side events of high-level meetings under the united nations and international multilateral mechanisms, the global south-south development expo and others, are good points for launching formal knowledge products. Second is a short volume of knowledge products, typical case stories, good policies and programmes that can be promoted through digital knowledge-sharing platforms。
Fourthly, emphasis is placed on strengthening cooperation with relevant development operational agencies to effectively advance the use of knowledge and translate it into development results through south-south and triangular cooperation. Knowledge-sharing in the united nations is primarily knowledge-sharing that responds to the needs of developing countries and responds to sustainable development challenges, and cooperation through the paradigm of south-south cooperation can effectively translate knowledge into development policies, practices and results. South-south cooperation is based on solidarity and mutual trust among developing countries and the proximity of the stage of development, which are good foundations for learning from each other's experience and common innovation. Through a good start in south-south cooperation and drawing on the comparative advantages of financial resources, technology and relevant experiences of developed countries, triangular cooperation could further shape the global impact of practice and policy。
Fifthly, increasing the awareness of think tanks in cooperation with international organizations, providing a policy environment and enhancing the coordination of think tanks with other government agencies has made their interface with international organizations more efficient and smooth. In advancing the sustainable development goals, knowledge should be seen as an important resource and tool and used strategically. For think tanks, external academic exchanges are not limited to exchanges with universities and scientific institutions abroad, but can have greater audience and collaborative platforms through exchanges and sharing with international organizations. At present, cooperation between think tanks and international organizations is not systematically carried out, and coordination between the relevant government departments and think tanks should be strengthened to facilitate such interaction and cooperation, in particular by acting as a bridge between the governments of member states of the united nations. In addition, through talent cooperation, support for more think tank experts and scholars to interact with international organizations through expert exchanges, the appointment of young professionals, etc., could also provide a bridge for enhanced cooperation between think tanks and international organizations。
