Title: People First PPPs (PfPPPs) as a tool for sustainable development and the achievement of SDGS.
by David Baxter, Sustainable public-private partnership (PPP) and Development Consultant
Date: 01-22-2021
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST

Registration: HERE

Abstract: 2020 was an eyeopener for PPP practitioners globally.  The challenges that PPPs presented to public-private partnerships seriously strained the contractual relationships in PPP service and infrastructure projects.  The realization arose that PPPs needed to be revisited and that they should not only be about value for money, but about value for people, and value for the future (future-proofing).  As a consequence, PPP practitioners from both the public and private sectors have been exploring how PPPs can be leveraged as tools for sustainable and resilient international development and as a way for countries to achieve their sustainable development goals.  Consequently, the idea of PfPPPs are gaining traction and are resulting in a paradigm shift where PPP project proponents are reconsidering their national PPP project pipelines and how they can implement projects with limited resources and share project risk better.  The presentation will explore these challenges and offer some ideas. 

Bio: Mr. Baxter is originally from South Africa.  He lives in the USA and is currently a Senior Advisor to the International Sustainable Resilience Center for PPP (ISRC) in New Orleans and a Steering Committee member of WAPPP. In addition, he is a freelance international development and PPP consultant. He has provided capacity building programs and infrastructure consulting services to over 40 international clients and business partners located in Africa, North and Central America, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Many client projects were sponsored by development/donor agencies including USAID, MCC, ADB, the Dutch Foreign Ministry, the African Development Bank, and the World Bank. He has also led alliance-building initiatives with institutions that have included the UNECE PPP Center of Excellence in Geneva, the African Development Bank, the PPP Center of Excellence in Istanbul Turkey, the Monterey Institute in Mexico, the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

Mr. Baxter holds a B.A. Political Geography & History, and a M.A. in Economic Geography from University of Stellenbosch. He is also a Ph.D. candidate.