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Partnerships Activists, academics, policy-makers and media

Working in partnership is how TNI works. TNI believes that social transformation is only achieved by building partnerships, particularly with social movements actively combatting injustice and constructing alternatives. In a world in which predominant economic policies harm the majority while entrenching the power of a small few, forging collaboration and cooperation and building collective power is the first step to achieving a more just world.

TNI therefore in all our work seeks to build partnerships:

  • Bringing together academics, activists and policy-makers to exchange analysis, ideas and experiences.
  • Working jointly on research projects with individual or networks of organisations in order to pool resources, knowledge and impact.
  • Developing long-term partnerships with organisations, particularly in the Global South, that can bridge research and experience and building and often playing a key role in facilitating international coalitions working on critical global issues such as drug policies, corporate accountability, trade and investment.
  • Promoting partnership as a policy solution, for example in our work on public services, where TNI promotes partnerships between public utilities in order to exchange best-practice and build capacity.

TNI is deeply respected for the way we work in a horizontal and respectful manner, forging long-term relationships, and consistently prioritising the goals of joint work even when this results in downplaying our own role and profile.

"TNI's efficacy is partly because it always works in partnerships, and seems adept at forging the right ones, magnifying and globalising its impact." (Ruth Hall, Institute for Poverty, Land & Agrarian Studies / Future Agricultures Consortium, South Africa)

Strategic partner organisations

TNI works with many organisations that share our mission and values across the world, but we have a particularly strong relationship with a number of organisations with whom we have worked for a long time. These are strategic partners, with whom we share programme goals, collaborate on research and publications, and work in a spirit of mutual accountability.

These include:

TNI provides financial support to some of its strategic partners in the Global South which agree to be part of a commonly developed programme and to implement certain dimensions of that programme. Our partnerships are structured as forms of mutual capacity development, rather than stereotypical development aid relationships. Our goal is to work as respectful equal partners, harnessing different skills, experience, knowledge and learning in order to have a greater impact on policy and practice. TNI has a partnership policy and rigorous system for ensuring financial accountability for any funding we provide to our strategic partners.

In addition to partnerships with social movements, TNI also works with a number of strategic academic partners such as the Institute of Social Studies (Netherlands) and the University of Swansea (UK) [link to research institute page].

Coalitions/Networks

TNI is active in many coalitions and has also been instrumental in setting up and hosting many influential networks. Many of these coalitions bring together hundreds of organisations from all over the globe and have become significant global actors advocating for policy-change.

TNI currently hosts, founded or continues to play a leadership role in the following coalitions:


  • Fair, Green and Global (FGG) Alliance is an alliance of six Dutch organisations committed to building socially just, inclusive and environmentally sustainable societies. The alliance currently is participating in a five-year Strategic Partnership (2016-2020) called ‘Dialogue and Dissent’ with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Hands on the Land Network brings together 16 organisations across Europe advocating for land and food sovereignty policies within the European Union.
  • Stop Corporate Impunity has played a major role in advancing efforts at the UN towards a treaty to hold transnational corporations accountable for human rights abuses. International Drug Policy Consortium, a global network of almost 200 organisations that advocates evidence-based drug policies that minimise harm
.
  • Reclaim Public Water Network, that is formally recognised as a key stakeholder in the UN-Habitat Global Water Operator Partnership Alliance for its work in promoting democratic, public water utilities.
  • Seattle-to-Brussels network that advocates for trade justice policies at European level.
  • Asia-Europe Peoples' Forum, a gathering every 2 years of European and Asian civil society organisations that advocate people-centered development policies in both regions.
  • Municipal Services Project that brings together researchers and activists advocating alternatives to privatisation in the provision of public services
.
  • Energy Democracy network advocating clean, renewable, participatory, democratic and equitable energy services for all.

We are also active members of the Network for Justice in Global Investment; International Social Science Council, European Association of Development Institutes, ETO Consortium, Treaty Alliance, Our World is not For Sale, the World Social Forum, International Coordinating Committee of the Dakar Declaration against Land and Water Grabbing, Alter Summit, European Water Movement, RESPECT, a Europe-wide network for migrant domestic workers, as well as members of Partos, the Dutch association of international development NGOs, the Observatorio Internacional de la Democracia Participativa (OIDP), Financial Transparency Initiative and the Dutch Tax Justice Network.

Related: TNI's activist scholars

Fellowship Network of internationalist intellectuals with a track record of progressive activist-scholarship

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