“We help establish learning alliances globally
and support their initiatives”
We believe in sustainable development through solidarity and cooperation
We establish learning alliances to create synergies with governmental, non-governmental and academic partners
We foster participative action research to reinforce civil society initiatives
We develop advocacy strategies and engage in training, education & critical reflection
Introduction: Learning Alliance – the NGO
LearningAlliance – Building Knowledge Across Borders was established as an NGO in April 2014 in Geneva to initiate learning alliances as a method to implement educational and developmental projects in a participative way.
Our location in Geneva, the Humanitarian Capital of the world, means we are at the nexus of humanitarian networks and the headquarters of such organisations as the ICRC, the UN’s European headquarters, etc.
“We are a platform for co-operation and alliances with stakeholders at all levels, governmental & non-governmental institutions, NGOs and academic institutions.”
Origins of Learning Alliances: a Brief History
The Barrier Monitoring Unit (BMU) was a research and advocacy unit hosted by the United Nations in the oPt (hosted by UNRWA) which was operational between 2009 and 2013.
The BMU identified a need, a gap in the existing humanitarian provision in Palestine that was being ignored/overlooked despite the extensive presence of the international community and the vast numbers of NGOs, international organisations and academia.
The BMU was established to provide a platform for relevant stakeholders to create synergies, to exchange research findings and analysis and to facilitate networking connections. The BMU as an entirely new project was comparable to a private sector start-up enterprise.
The BMU initiated the Academic Cooperation Project Palestine (ACPP) as its first Learning Alliance between 26 governmental, non-governmental and academic institutions in the West Bank and internationally to foster research and develop knowledge into the Wall’s humanitarian impacts on 171 Palestinian communities.
The partners comprised six PA (Palestinian Authority) Ministries, numerous prominent local and international NGOs, as well as five prestigious European & US universities.
The Learning Alliance was designed with sustainability in mind to achieve long-term development goals.
“A Learning Alliance is not just a gathering of stakeholders, but a method by which to implement educational and developmental projects.”
ACPP was recognised by the UN as an effective method of achieving a practical development aims and the UN assessment team recommended that this model should be replicated.
For more see “Origins of a Learning Alliance” E-Learning Course 1
LearningAlliance – a Methodology
Following the success of the ACPP and the recommendation by the UN assessment team, the LearningAlliance NGO was consequently set up in Geneva to broaden and further develop the model.
The LearningAlliance NGO was established to promote collaboration among partners in learning and implementing educational and development projects.
Since then, LA has enabled the establishment of five such learning alliances further developing the model, e.g. the Education Learning Alliance (2017) and the Wall Learning Alliance (2014).
“We are innovative & creative, open & inclusive with our current partners and with our potential future partners.”
LAs are based on local needs assessments carried out by local actors at the grassroots level. This guarantees that beneficiaries have a voice in the development of their own communities and so the initiatives are not adversely affected by donor-driven, top-down criteria.
LAs are based on voluntary contributions, at least at their initial stage, and not for financial considerations.
The alliances are strengthened by the synergies achieved by the partners and their collaborative research, which in turn leads to new projects and new alliances.
Field-based research utilises innovative methodologies such as PAR (Participative Action Research).