Reverse Linkage

16 REVERSE LINKAGE the countries of the Global South. In fact, SSC is already part and parcel of the SDGs with nine out of the 19 targets under SDG 17 relating directly to SSC. The IsDB Group is fully committed to helping its member countries (MCs) to achieve the SDGs. The motivation comes not only from the Bank’s dedication to solving MCs’ chal- lenges, but is also from the convictions and beliefs embodied within the principles and objectives of the Islamic Sharia’a. This is evident in IsDB’s new 10-Year Strategic Framework, and the President’s 5-Year Programme (P5P), with one of its major thrusts being Linkage by Partnerships. With this new vision, IsDB will transform itself into a network of devel- opers that can fill financing gaps and utilise cutting-edge, innovative solutions and products in the interest of the MCs. The Bank’s commitment to the SDGs is also being promoted inside the organization in which the “4As” – Awareness, Alignment, Advocacy and Adaptation – are being realised. Professional networks and platforms are being created to share experiences and expertise among staff, both horizontally and vertically, in order to ensure that best practices in achieving the SDGs are quickly and efficiently disseminated across the IsDB Group. An SDG Community of Practice (CoP) was launched within the Group in mid-2017 to spread awareness and develop core expertise, generate knowledge and develop innovative solu- tions to help MCs achieve the SDGs. IsDB is, by definition, an SSC organization since it is the only multilateral development bank whose members are from the Global South, and with all of its capital coming from those countries. Therefore, even before the formulation of the SDGs and the emphasis on partnerships as highlighted by SDG 17, IsDB has been working hard to promote coop- eration and solidarity-based partnerships among its MCs. Various programmes and initiatives have been implemented over the years, which have endeavoured to benefit from the vast network of 57 MCs and their expertise in various fields. The primary way of promoting partnerships used to rely on the mechanism of technical cooperation through the trans- fer of knowledge, expertise, and resources from one member country to another. As IsDB navigates the paradigm shift necessitated by the SDGs, and transforms itself into “A Bank of Development and Developers”, it is also taking a hard look at its behav- iour across the board, including the methods of mobilising resources, implementing projects, and promoting part- nerships. This is also happening in the promotion of technical cooperation, through which a new modality has been piloted. Known as Reverse Linkage, it is a long-term, results-oriented, technical cooperation mechanism with the aim of developing capacity in the MCs. This enhanced mechanism has proved to be useful in achieving develop- ment results on the ground. The current question is of how to scale-up and ensure the sustainability of the impact. The transformation from a centralised to a decentral- ised structure, has come at an opportune time for IsDB. With regional hubs spread out across MCs, the plan is to turn Reverse Linkage into a universal project implementa- tion modality, with the main purpose of developing much needed capacity within the MCs. This approach will help to further strengthen the solidarity among MCs, creating new opportunities for trade and investment and all aspects of socio-economic development. The flexibility of Reverse Linkage will not only help in achieving SDG 17, but also help IsDB support the MCs’ achievement of all SDGs, beginning with helping countries to exchange experiences in aligning National Development Plans with the SDGs. An example being considered is that of helping Sudan to benefit from Indonesia’s rich experience in localisation and planning for SDG implementation. If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. The challenge remains as to how we go, both fast and far, together. Forum on Harnessing Knowledge and Experience for the SDGs, organized by the SDG Community of Practice during the 2017 IsDB annual meeting, Jeddah Meeting between Ms. Amina Mohamed, UN Deputy Secretary-General; Dr. Bandar Hajjar, President, IsDB; Dr. Rami Ahmad, Special Envoy on SDGs; and IsDB Group staff to enhance awareness of, and promote alignment with, the SDGs Image: IsDB Image: IsDB