The Tale of the Two Shoe Salesmen in Africa is often retold in business circles. Long ago, two shoe sellers with distinct mindsets traveled to Africa to gauge the local market. Upon arrival, the first relayed the following message back home: “No one here wears shoes because they are so poor! There is no market for us here.” In contrast, the other salesman had this to say: “No one here wears any shoes. There is a huge market for us here, send inventory fast!” For many years, the private sector adopted the former mindset and showed little interest in investing in developing countries, as its sole focus was pursuing maximum profit. Therefore, whether through official development assistance (ODA) or　nongovernmental organization (NGO) donations, the private sector has long avoided participating in joint efforts to help developing countries and their people lift themselves out of poverty.

However, the demand for international assistance funding is increasing in the face of climate change, environmental pollution, regional conflicts and other factors, and governments alone can no longer provide an adequate response to global needs. In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and called on the private sector to direct its investments to jointly achieve the ambitious goal of Leaving No One Behind (LNOB). Bringing the for-profit private sector into public welfare-focused international assistance work has now become an important goal, and the strategy for achieving this ideal may have been uncovered as early as two decades ago.

In The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits, a book written by the late Professor C.K. Prahalad of Michigan Ross in 2004, the author advocates taking the world’s poorest people as potential markets. Through co-creation, he argues, we can help these communities achieve economic development which will later lead to social reform. Under this business model, developing countries are now serving as the next gold rush destination for many companies, including Unilever, Coca-Cola and others. Moreover, the policy not only drives local economic and social development but also facilitates new partnerships in developmental aid. In the past, the private sector and international assistance organizations acted as two parallel lines. With this policy, their work can finally intersect. Therefore, this issue is themed “The Private Sector: A New Wellspring of Opportunity for International Assistance.” We have invited experts and scholars to discuss topics related to private sector participation in international assistance, such as the role private sector actors play in international assistance, Japan’s experience in public-private partnerships, incentives for private sector participation, and Taiwan’s experience in public-private cooperation.

For this issue’s special report, the topic is “Sharing Taiwan’s experience in private sector participation in international assistance.” We interviewed the Senior Advisor of Fubon Cultural and Educational Foundation, Shunmei Yang; the Co-founder of DOMI Earth, Corey Lien; and Senior Manager at Hyweb Technology, Stan Ma, giving them a platform to share their perspectives from the view of Taiwan’s private sector. They detail their original intentions for participating in international assistance, as well as the difficulties they encountered in the process. Finally, they summarize key strategies for attracting the private sector to development causes.

For businesses, minimizing costs and maximizing profits are top priorities. In the past, the latter goal referred simply to the act of money-making. From a modern point of view, however, maximizing profits also includes considerations of corporate image, social responsibility and related factors. Indeed, businesses are realizing that these values benefit their revenue streams. In this issue, we invite readers to consider how the private sector can play a larger role in international assistance, infusing development efforts with more energy. Meanwhile, we hope that the private sector will also reassess the possibilities of international assistance and endeavor to develop public welfare together.

Summary

Sustainable Public-Private Partnerships for International Assistance in the Post-COVID-19 Era
(Wei-Hua Chen, Associate Professor in the Department of Public Security at Central Police University)

Now that the world is bidding farewell to a COVID-dominated discourse, the international community is well-positioned to stop and take stock of global progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in 2023. Countries should reconsider and readjust their foreign assistance goals to bring sustainability into post-COVID-19 aid work. In this way, they can catch up on commitments and goals delayed by the pandemic. This article adopts the view that the present day represents a new stage in pursuing the SDGs, and it examines the crisis of global sustainable governance in the post- COVID-19 era. The article also argues that international public finance mechanisms and ODA agencies should allocate more resources from the private sector to poor and fragile countries.

With these points in mind, this article explores the current model of public-private assistance, as well as trends in private-sector participation in pursuing the SDGs. At the same time, it attempts to define concepts related to post-COVID-19 international assistance and sustainable governance so as to discuss the main ways Taiwanese civil society and private enterprises take part in international assistance. Finally, the article provides suggestions for future policymaking.

Public-private Sector Communication and Japan’s Policy on International Cooperation and Development
(Tadahiro Ishihara, Assistant Professor at the Program in Japan Studies of National Chengchi University)

During the Cold War, Japan recognized that it had become an economic power and committed itself to international development cooperation. The country’s aid during this period focused on helping developing countries and achieving the shared interests of the international community. However, long- term economic stagnation and deteriorating financial conditions caused Japanese citizens to pay serious attention to the nation’s development policies. Accordingly, Japan’s development cooperation began to refocus more on domestic interests, and the government advocated for international development cooperation through communication between the public and private sectors.

This article first summarizes the context of public-private communications in Japan’s international development cooperation. It then discusses the Palau International Airport project, which was implemented within a public-private cooperation model, as a case study. Finally, the article looks forward to explore future development trends and provide policy suggestions to the Taiwanese government.

Can SDGs Incentivize the Private Sector to Participate in International Assistance?
(Allen H. Hu, Distinguished Professor at the Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management, National Taipei University of Technology; Ali Ouattara, Graduate Student at the Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management, National Taipei University of Technology)

Since the United Nations released the 17 SDGs in September 2015, they have become a universal framework for cooperation, collaboration and partnership between governments, civil society and businesses. Although the SDGs primarily focus on governments, the UN calls for the private sector to play an active and essential role in developing the global economy.

This article explores how the SDGs can stimulate the private sector to participate in developing economies to help lift them out of poverty. Specifically, by considering concepts related to bottom of the pyramid (BoP) markets, it discusses how SDGs create an opportunity for the private sector to cooperate with other stakeholders to achieve win-win situations for environmental, economic and social goals.

This article also provides many examples of how international enterprises can create sustainable and mutually beneficial situations by pursuing the SDGs. Overall, this article reveals that, while the mechanisms for promoting private sector participation in international assistance are complex and diverse, SDG ideals can indeed serve as an incentive for the private sector to take part in global development.

A Framework for International Development via Public-Private Cooperation : The Blue Lake and Green Ocean of Taiwanese Enterprises
(Tim Tseng, Specialist at the Research, Development and Evaluation Department, TaiwanICDF)

The UN SDGs have become an important blueprint for global development. Moreover, they act as a new blue ocean filled with opportunities and challenges that enterprises cannot ignore, even when the global situation pushes them to prioritize their own resilience needs and economic interests. According to a study, global business opportunities in sustainable affairs are worth as much as US$12 trillion. In addition to developed markets, enterprises can also focus on business opportunities at the BoP to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes that support public welfare and interests. ODA agencies should also consider their roles as catalysts for public-private cooperation. More specifically, these agencies should understand the incentives that bring the private sector on board with development projects while making good use of blended finance as a strategic tool for development.

The TaiwanICDF uses a public-private-people partnerships (4P) strategy to create development opportunities for environmental, social and governance (ESG) through international assistance. As a result, the organization creates a green ocean and blue lake for large businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to create their own unique value. In order to normalize international assistance partnerships, Taiwan should continue building the capacity and standing of Taiwan’s assistance agency. In this way, the nation can create an open, fair, transparent and sustainable business platform to support the interests of both the public and private sectors.

• 更新日期: 2025/02/13
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