Sustainable Success of PPPs are determined by the ability of the PPP operators in engaging a multi-stakeholder dialogue and partnership. A lack of inclusion of civil society and particularly of CSO citizens who are impacted positively or negatively by an infrastructure PPP can result in conflicts which in the worst case can lead to a premature end of a PPP project.

Raymond Saner gave a presentation during the Conference-Debate session at the Fédération Nationale des Travaux Publics in Paris which took place during the Paris InfraWeek on 11th October 2023

Raymond Saner, (2021) « PPPs and SDGs, the Missing Stakeholder Is Civil Society”

In A. Farazmand (ed.), Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance, pp 1-10, Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_4320-1

The SDGs suggest the achievement of sustain able economic, social, and environmental goals (triple bottom line) for each member country of the United Nations. To implement the SDGs, each government is supposed to set its triple bottom line goals, communicate them to their citizens, make the goal setting inclusive and participatory, and provide for means to review and monitor the implementation of the SDGs from 2015 to 2030. The UNECE PPP standard setting process is too crucial for the future of our societies to be left to private sector providers (construction companies, financial brokers) and government offices often short of democratic legitimacy. Without the inclusion of the civil society actors like consumer groups, cooperatives, labor unions, academic scholars, and teaching faculty, the risk of misguided investment decisions and related rent- seeking behavior by private and public sector actors is too high to be left to experts alone, however competent they might be. What is needed is a PPP Observatory which could add information on PPPs that are often missing or not fully reliable. Such a PPP Observatory could support UNECE and other international organizations but also governments and civil society stake holders involved in PPPs. A PPP Observatory could help the PPP-SDG process stay on course and ensure that the implementation of PPPs is aligned with SDG principles such as inclusiveness, participation, and transparency.

UNECE PPP Forum 2022, Barcelona, 6th May 2022

Panel session on “Strengthening coordination of urban development PPPs with the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs”.

Co-Chairs: Prof Raymond Saner, University of Basel & Prof Mateu Turró, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). with the participation of PPP experts:

· Mrs Sedef YAVUZ NOYAN, Head of PPP Department, General Directorate of Sectors and Public Investments, Presidency of Republic of Türkiye, Presidency of Strategy and Budget

· Mrs Angelina Nuñez (Lead Operations Office, World Bank) and Mr Yan F. Zhang (Senior Urban Specialist, World Bank)

· Mr Juraj Jurik, Director, Nature-Based Solutions, Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB)

· Prof Irina Zapatrina Chairman of the Board, Ukrainian PPP center, Founder of the PPP Academy, Kiev- UKRAINE

· Mr Andrea Tinagli (EIB - Union for the Mediterranean) & Prof Mateu Turró (ESGPAR - UPC Barcelona)

· Prof Lichia Saner-Yiu, President, CSEND- Geneva & Prof Raymond Saner, University of Basel