v>EPA
                          United States Environmental
                          Protection Agency
                                       Office of Policy
                                       (1807T)
                       December 2011
                       EPA-100-F-11-031
   EPA Evaluation  of the Partnership for Clean Fuels
   and Vehicles (PCFV) Lead Campaign:
   Summary of Findings on Design Principles for Successful Voluntary
   Global  Partnerships
  Fact  Sheet
  http://www.epa.gov/evaluate
  For more information on
  completed evaluations at
  EPA or the Evaluation
  Support Division, visit the
  above link.
Introduction
In  2011,  the US  Environmental Protection
Agency (US  EPA) sponsored a  third-party
evaluation of the design and implementation
of the Lead Campaign of the Partnership for
Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV).  PCFV is a
voluntary, global,  public-private partnership
that  promotes the reduction of  air  pollution
from vehicles in developing and transitional
countries  through promoting use of  lead-free
and low sulfur fuels, and clean vehicles. A key
purpose of the evaluation was to identify the
characteristics  of  a successful  partnership
that   could    inform   other    voluntary
partnerships.  Through a qualitative analysis
and  review of  the literature on  voluntary
partnerships, the  evaluation  identified the
elements   of  PCFV's  Lead  Campaign  that
contributed to  its  success and found  it was
particularly well conceived, timed, designed,
and implemented.

This  Fact Sheet highlights  the evaluation
findings   on  design principles  that  could
support   successful voluntary  partnerships.
While the basis  for these observations came
from a targeted  assessment of the PCFV Lead
Campaign, they are   consistent  with  the
broader   literature  on   partnership   best
practices.

Partnerships in Context
In  the past ten  years,  actors from non-
governmental organizations, civil society, and
the public and private sectors have  launched
hundreds, if not  thousands, of partnerships in
the arenas of  the  global  environment and
sustainable   development.    From    an
international perspective, the 2002 World
Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
in  Johannesburg,  South  Africa,  sparked  a
dramatic  increase  in emphasis on voluntary
approaches, as evidenced  by the launch of
over 200 such  partnerships at the  WSSD.  Not
all of these partnerships have succeeded and
some  have been  discontinued, while  others
have  continued and  even  expanded their
efforts.

Partnerships address a broad array of issues.
A common factor, though, is the belief  that
bringing  separate  parties  and   sectors
together can be a powerful way  to advance
the public interest and  contribute to  the
common good of the parties involved. Yet the
term  "partnership"  is  often  not  clearly
defined  or  understood,  and   partnership
design  considerations, operating practices,
and results differ substantially.
                                                                            WHAT IS A PARTNERSHIP?
  The term "partnership" has several
  definitions. The following definition from
  the United Nations applies in this context:
    "Voluntary and collaborative
    relationships between various parties,
    both public and nonpublic, in which all
    participants agree to work together to
    achieve a common purpose or
    undertake a specific task and, as
    mutually agreed, to share risks and
    responsibilities, resources and
    benefits."

  - United Nations General Assembly
  Resolution 60/215 "Toward Global
  Partnerships"

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Opinions vary widely on the efficacy of voluntary
partnership  approaches  compared  to   other
methods of achieving a desired  outcome, such as
binding, formal agreements between governments
or initiatives within civil society or private industry
to enact a particular change.  This study did not
evaluate  or  compare  the  benefits  of  these
different approaches.

The  timing  of this evaluation  coincides  with
preparations for the 2012 WSSD, also known as
Rio+20, and corresponding  reflections  on  what
has (and has not)  been accomplished in the past
two decades since  the first WSSD in 1992. Lessons
from  PCFV  and other observations on voluntary
partnerships may help to  provide insight on when
an optimally  conceived and  designed voluntary
partnership approach may be effective to achieve
global sustainable development goals.
   "Addressing global challenges requires a
   collective and concerted effort, involving all
   actors. Through partnerships and alliances,
   and by pooling comparative advantages, we
   increase our chances of success."

   - UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon
Partnership Design Principles
The following design principles can provide guidance
for structuring and  implementing a partnership to
maximize  its chances for accomplishing  its goals.
Though not a guarantee for success, these principles
can  help   a  partnership  engage  its   partners
productively  and  avoid  some of  the  risks often
associated  with  a  voluntary  approach,  including
uncertainty  of commitment, lack of  initial  partner
trust, misunderstandings about process, and fear of
lack of progress due to the voluntary nature.

•   Develop clear goals:   Develop  clear,  specific
    (and preferably  measureable) goals that define
    the objective  of the  partnership and focus
    attention  and  action on  mutually  beneficial
    results over a sustained period.
•   Build  a  strong core  membership:   Carefully
    choose  initial  core  membership  to  include
    stakeholders who have a strong interest in the
    outcome, who can bring required expertise to
    establish early  credibility, and  contribute to
    early  demonstrable  progress that  can attract
    additional partners over time.
•   Thoughtfully design the  partnership and utilize
    this process to engender buy-in and trust: Take
    the  time  needed  to  carefully design  the
    partnership, including roles and responsibilities,
    governance   rules,    membership   criteria,
    partnership duration and exit strategy, decision
    making  process, financial  responsibilities,  and
    monitoring and reporting.   During the design
    phase, build critical  buy-in and establish trust
    among the partners.
•   Make clear the power and  authority of each
    partner: As part of the governance rules, clearly
    identify  partner status if it is  deemed  necessary
    to  differentiate  among partners  for  legitimate
    reasons  such as  safeguarding  against  unfair
    advantage of any partner or partner group.

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•   Maximize   voluntary   and   comprehensive
    participation:  Determine what motivates key
    stakeholders   to   participate   and   design
    accordingly,  emphasizing the  comprehensive
    and inclusive nature of the partnership.
•   Ensure  neutral  management:     Consider
    establishing  a  secretariat  or similar function
    housed in  an organization or institution that  is
    seen as "position neutral" to facilitate the  work
    of  the  partnership   in   an   efficient   and
    trustworthy manner  and manage resources in a
    way that optimally leverages funding.
•   Secure commitments for funding sufficient to
    launch the partnership, while also identifying
    long-term funding opportunities:   Acquire  a
    sufficiently stable source  of funding for the
    partnership  to successfully launch with,  at  a
    minimum, strong indications of future support
    for  longer-term  funding commensurate  with
    the   partnership's   scope  and   duration.
    Securing     long-term    funding    is   an
    acknowledged challenge, and in  some cases
    depends on  demonstrating results  early on to
    garner or justify additional support over time.
•   Build in the ability to adapt and course correct:
    Accept  that  adaptability   in  strategy   and
    implementation  will  likely  be   required  to
    maximize effectiveness; learn from experience
    and adapt to changes in the external landscape.
•   Empower sustained change in the field: Utilize
    the partnership to build capacity and empower
    those who will routinely implement the change
    on the ground after the partnership  ends its
    work.
•   Guarantee  transparency  and accountability:
    Build   in   transparency,    reporting,    and
    accountability    around    decision    making,
    implementation, and progress.    Third-party
    monitoring and evaluation can be a helpful tool
    in this regard.
What Lies Ahead
Pursuing a voluntary partnership approach,  even
when the conditions are particularly well suited to
that approach and the  partnership is well designed
and implemented, does not guarantee success. The
above considerations and principles can nonetheless
increase  the  chances  that  governments,  non-
governmental  organizations,  civil   society,   and
business interests can effectively work together for
the common good.
Learning from the collective experience of voluntary
partnership efforts can increase the  likelihood that
future partnerships  be  pursued wisely to maximize
the ability of partners  to work together toward  a
common interest.  As the  global challenges faced
become   more   complex   and  interdependent,
enhancing the ability to conceive, select, design, and
operate  voluntary  partnerships will  support  the
collective need to meet those challenges.

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                                FOR MORE INFORMATION
The EPA Evaluation Report, Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles: Evaluation of the Design and
Implementation of the Lead Campaign, December 2011, EPA-100-R-11-008, is available at:
www.epa.gov/evaluate/reports.htm

A 2010 study conducted by California State University assessed of the global  benefits of phasing out
leaded fuel. The study found that, among other benefits, over one million deaths are avoided each year
and over US $2 trillion (or 4% of global GDP) is saved by eliminating lead from fuel. For more information,
see: Tsai, Peter L. and Thomas H. Hatfield, "Global Benefits from the Phase out of Leaded Fuel" Journal of
Environmental Health, Volume 74, No. 5  December 2011

The United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP's) independent Evaluation Office commissioned an
evaluation to assess the impacts of the PCFV Lead Campaign in Sub-Saharan Africa and to learn lessons
from the PCFV public-private partnership model. This evaluation, entitled Outcome and Influence
Evaluation of the UNEP Based Partnership for Clean Fuels and  Vehicles, was published in 2010. The
evaluation found that, as a very conservative estimate, it would have taken ten years rather than five to
achieve the elimination of lead from fuel in Sub-Saharan Africa in the absence of PCFV. It further found
that the role of PCFV contributed in several ways to the phase out. This report is available at:
http://www.unep.org/transport/pcfv/PDF/leadphaseoutreport.pdf

Information on the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles is available at:
http://www.unep.org/transport/pcfv/

Information contained in this document is based on materials  provided to EPA by Ross & Associates
Environmental Consulting, Ltd. under subcontract to Industrial Economics, Inc. for the US EPA Evaluation
Support Division and the Office of International and Tribal Affairs. Anna Williams, the lead evaluator for
this project, can be contacted at anna.williams@ross-assoc.com.

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