CO-Effective partnership mgt - Oxfam Uga Considering the growth of the Oxfam in Uganda programme and the subsequent increase of the number of active partnerships the CO hasa need for increasing its core capacity to ensure proper partner relationship management.

The CO considers the current partnerships as a main risk area. In our recent discussion you indicated that some funds have been reserved for enhancing the partnership relations management. We would like to make a submission to this fund to strengthen our core capacity as the partnership management is currently scattered amongst an ever-increasing number of projects-all having their own specificity regarding partners. The CRA for this year as well as well as the currently projected shortfall in covering the CO core costs are main obstacles in funding this position from existing means.

Please find here below the rationale and costs for the creation of a Programme Partner Coordinator position as part of the core structure of the CO.

If any additional information is required, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Vincent Koch

Programme Partnership Coordinator position for Oxfam in Uganda, 2018-19

Rationale

Oxfam in Uganda, in year 2018-19, has pegged its annual outlay at Euro 20 million. The annual budget for two previous years were respectively Eur 6.5 M (for 2016-17) and Eur 14.0 M (for 2017-18). This shows the accelerated growth path the country programme has embarked on.

In year 2016-17, Oxfam in Uganda maintained more than 50 funded partnerships (grantees) andseveral non-funded or strategic partnerships. The partnerships vary from peer INGOs, local organisations # National <(>&<)> sub-national CSOs, research <(>&<)> academia and advocacy organisations- and cover both the development and humanitarian pillars.

Considering the recent developments within Oxfam confederation, a further reflection on Oxfam#s work with partners was undertaken and the following concerns were established on both the side of partners and Oxfam:

# On partners side key issues were: inadequacy in compliance with Oxfam partnership policy, complacency by existing and long-term Oxfam partners (including safeguarding policies), delays in reporting, poor accountability, misuse of resources and transparency, poor documentation and reporting by partners, gaps in the existing MOUs as well as poor relationship between Oxfam and some partners.

# On the side of Oxfam: delays in decision making, inadequate coordination/collaboration, weak partnership management, gaps in the MoUs signed with and among partners, conflicting implementation strategies, overlap in contracting same partners for different projects, collective review <(>&<)> reflection and above all no focal person for partnership coordination resulting in a scattered approach.

To deliver effectively om Oxfam#s mandate as contained in the COP and address the above-mentioned concerns there is a need toinstitutionalize, incorporate and rationalize the partnerships. In addition to CO wide reflection on how to improve the partnerships and management of the relation, the inclusion of a dedicated Partnership Coordinator in the core structure who could solely focus on Partnership coordination, Partner engagement, capacity building, policy monitoring, management and reporting and upheld the functionalityof 6 partnership principles as led out by the Oxfam confederation appears to be prerequisite.

The position will lead Oxfam#s engagement with partner organisations, national NGOs, civil society organisations, working closely with Head of Program the ondelivery of Country Operating Plan (COP) in liaison with the three core thematic areas of humanitarian preparedness and response, resilient Livelihood and Governance and Accountability as well as the cross-cutting mainstreaming areas of Women rights and gender, research and policy, and media and communications.

The Programme Partnership Coordinator will focus on the Oxfam#s partnership Strategy (Partnership Engagement Tool - PET), carries out wider partner mappings, undertake partnership profiling, capacity assessment and review, capacity development and developing a database of capacity building portfolio across Oxfam partners. It is expected that the position will use innovative and holistic methods of capacity development. The role will also lead the periodic review, reflection, learning <(>&<)> feedback processes that will strengthen the partnership models within the country programme.