2,275 research outputs found
Business-NGO Collaboration in a Conflict Setting: Partnership Activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo
While business-NGO partnerships have received much attention in recent years, insights have been
obtained from research in ‘stable’ contexts, not from conflict-ridden countries where such
collaboration may be even more crucial in building trust and capacity and in addressing governance
problems given the absence of a reliable state. This paper aims to shed light on business-NGOs
collaboration in a conflict setting, exploring partnership activities in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Most partnerships found are philanthropic, and deal with ‘traditional’ issues such as health and
education in a donor-recipient mode with limited community involvement. There are only a few real
transformative partnerships, which address aspects directly related to the conflict from a wider
community focus; these involve extractive companies most exposed via mineral
development/production. We also found so-called ‘engagement’ collaboration which can be divided
into activities including the transfer of funds (and characterised by service delivery), and those without
funds, focusing on knowledge exchange that furthers companies’ awareness of conflict-sensitive
issues into their operations. Peculiarities of the different types of partnerships are discussed as well as
implications for research and practice
Multinationals, CSR and Partnerships in Central African Conflict Countries
Attention has increased for the potential role of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) in helping address conflict issues and/or furthering peace and reconciliation as part of their corporate social responsibility policies. However, while existing literature emphasises the importance for MNEs to collaborate with various stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), research on the scope, peculiarities and impact of such cooperation has been limited, particularly in those countries in Central Africa with a fragile state and weak governance structures. Furthermore, until recently, MNEs and NGOs in conflict countries had antagonistic relationships, which has created impediments for positive engagement. This article examines MNEs and conflict issues, including interactions with NGOs, and sheds light on possible MNE contributions to peaceful societies by highlighting a few innovative partnerships of MNEs and non-business partners in Central Africa. Innovative partnerships take the conflict context into account, have a learning or capacity-building component, are part of a more comprehensive development plan yet are embedded at the community level, and tackle issues directly related to the conflict, such as governance, human rights, artisanal mining and transparency. The article also discusses implications of such activities for the role of the state in fragile contexts
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