The Power Of Global Partnerships

Ever since France provided the military support that was a game-changer in the fight for America’s independence, the United States has reached out across the globe to forge bilateral and multilateral partnerships. Such collaborations have strengthened national and global security, established global trade and commerce rules, advanced scientific discovery, provided humanitarian aid, and built greater cross-cultural understanding.

Today, these partnerships go well beyond government-to-government agreements and include alliances and large, multi-lateral institutions, such as NATO and the UN. These collaborations consist of ground-level partnerships that address the challenges and opportunities all levels of the economy and society face.

Many nations have interests and risks that stretch beyond their borders, especially as the world becomes more connected through trade and commerce, global supply chains, digital communications, cross-border data flows and expanded transportation. We see this in how the Russian invasion of Ukraine fomented an energy crisis in Europe, stoked global inflation and closed-off key regional markets. The more complex the challenges we face, the greater the need for global partnerships and collaboration across sector and discipline. Here are some ways we can do this:

Expand Partnerships Beyond Governments

We need global partnerships among governments, NGOs, researchers, and technology developers. Such partnerships can help us find solutions for problems in the developing world, such as the need for cleaner, cost-effective power generation and more sustainable agriculture and industrial development. Global firms see the developing world as important future markets. We can leverage that interest to drive more sustainable production, cleaner power and improvements in safety, water, and sanitation systems.

Share Natural Assets

Societies must use natural assets, such as oil and natural gas, oceans and waterways, lands and forests, and minerals and metals, to fuel economies and improve standards of living. Yet many natural assets cross borders. More than three billion people worldwide depend on water that traverses national borders. The use of these assets will grow; global consumption of materials is projected to double in the next 40 years. We need partnerships to develop and deploy new ways to leverage natural assets more sustainably.

Collaborations Across Digital and Physical Infrastructure

Every nation relies on physical and digital infrastructure and data that flows across the global nervous system. Whether physical or virtual, we need these assets as their incapacitation or destruction could debilitate the global economy, public health, and safety. To ensure the security and resiliency of these critical systems, we need global partnerships among the private sector, government, and communities.

Address Technological Inequities

Rapid technological change and increasing automation risk more economic disenfranchisement and labor unrest around the world. If we do not address skills development at speed and scale, then the gaps between rich and poor will only grow and challenge global stability. Global partnerships between governments, companies, education institutions and communities must create new economic opportunities for displaced people.

In addition to serving as president and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness, I am the founder and president of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC), a network created to address these emerging, multidimensional challenges faced by many nations. Our coalition includes 50 members from 21 countries spanning nearly every continent. We aim to make progress at the ground-level as GFCC members work domestically in partnership across all sectors of government, industry, academia, and NGOs.

As COVID-19 swept our member nations, we put the GFCC platform into action by conducting 19 webinars that paralleled the arc of the pandemic. More than 1,000 participants from 60 countries joined the program. They exchanged critical information on how their countries were managing the crisis, what innovations they deployed to battle the virus, and how they used digital technologies to keep businesses afloat. As the pandemic eased and countries looked to the future, the GFCC convened the “Frame the Future” dialogue on new strategies for a post-pandemic economy. Next, we are launching “Driving Growth in Times of Turbulence” to advance knowledge about crises, identify research needed to improve preparedness and resilience, and co-create innovative solutions.

In mid-November, the GFCC will convene its 13th Global Innovation Summit in Athens, “Building Competitiveness: From Local to Global,” in partnership with Compete Greece and the Delphi Economic Forum. This event will explore placed-based innovation and the many dimensions of building competitiveness, local to global.

From the economy to the environment, the world is reshaping before our eyes. These changes affect every country on the planet. While we must address domestic problems, we must also expand our outward engagements and work together in partnerships – at the ground level, and between governments and private sector leaders. These partnerships are critical to navigate the turbulence of disruptive change, ensure positive transformation, and co-create a prosperous and sustainable future for all.