Plenary 3B: Building bridges: the importance of donor-implementer relationships for systemic approaches to PSD

Systemic approaches require trust and a mutual understanding between donors and implementers about key issues including programme design, staffing, flexible planning, and accountability (MEL). This plenary explores the incentives and realities for both donors and implementers to build better relationships, with examples of how individuals and organisations are tackling these key challenges during different phases of the project lifecycle.

• Mike Klassen will moderate this conversation between champions of market systems approaches from both donor and implementer perspectives
• Kristin O’Planick will share lessons learned from USAID on how to support and enable mission staff to take up a challenging role as programme managers for MSD projects
• Anirban Bhomik will compare and contrast the incentives and realities for working for donor agencies (DFID Bangladesh) and implementers (Swisscontact)
• Elisabet Montgomery will share Sida’s experience developing toolkits and other types of support for Embassy staff as they grapple with implementing market systems and what ‘adaptive management’ means for donors.
• Helen Bradbury will share insights as a team leader for a long-standing, multi-phase MSD project now funded by a consortium of three donors. This includes tactics for building relationships and trust.

Photo Credits: Christina Wocintechchat