Advancing United States-Mexico Binational Sustainability Partnerships (2021) / Chapter Skim
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The U.S.–Mexico border states have maintained longstanding collaborations around water management, flood control, fire management, and the sharing of information and scientific findings related to the region's sustainability. However, as both countries' priorities for the region change (for Mexico, to serve as the gateway for binational commerce and foreign investment, and for the United States, increasingly as a buffer against immigration)
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The committee defines U.S.–Mexico binational sustainability partnerships as: Organizations and individuals from different sectors and interest groups within the United States and Mexico, voluntarily coming together with organizations or individuals across the U.S.–Mexico border to address shared binational challenges and opportunities for sustainable develop ment that isolated efforts or national initiatives would not be able to effectively accomplish. To fully understand the state of partnerships in the region, the committee solicited input from stakeholders in the public and private sectors, government, academia, and civil society who are engaged in U.S.–Mexico binational partnerships.
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The following concerns, drawing from prior collaborative work between the two academies,2 were identified as priority areas by the committee for addressing sustainability challenges in the region: the increasing and evolving interactions and flows of people, resources, and services; a reconsideration of energy and industry based on the scarcity and abundance of natural resources; managing environmental and anthropogenic change in the midst of, and often resulting from, shocks and stressors, many of which are unique to the binational drylands region; and the benefit of governance and innovation that consider local communities and traditions while also keeping an eye on future challenges and opportunities for sustainable development. CONCLUSIONS Addressing these priority areas requires the fostering of strategic partnerships that engage a diverse set of stakeholders on either side of the border to devise strategies in support of sustainable development, by protecting the well-being of humans and ecosystems in the binational region.
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Furthermore, it is imperative that stakeholders respect the knowledge and culture of the region by establishing informal community relationships and integrating Indigenous and local knowledge into the partnership strategies. CONCLUSION 1: The U.S.–Mexico border region faces many ongoing challenges in safeguarding the sustainability of its natural resources -- scarce in some aspects yet abundant in others -- to ensure the economic vitality and livelihoods of its people while protecting its cultural rich ness and unique natural environment.
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SDG 17 acknowledges that "A successful sustainable development agenda requires partnerships between governments, the private sector, and civil society. These inclusive partnerships built upon principles and values, a shared vision, and shared goals that place people and the planet at the center, are needed at the global, regional, national and local level."3 Ensuring that sufficient means of implementation exist to provide countries the opportunity to achieve the SDGs will require international cooperation; collaboration across the U.S.–Mexico Border is no exception.
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Aligning partnership strategies with the SDGs can also promote systems thinking and integrated development. RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES FOR FORMING AND MAINTAINING SUCCESSFUL BINATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS To be effective, binational sustainability partnerships must be centered on trust and have clear, mutually defined objectives, the ability to navigate power dynamics, transparency in partnership implementation (including flexibility, timing, and sequencing of activities)
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Strategy 4: Establish a Stable Governance Structure Adopting strategies for effective partnerships requires a highly flexible and adaptive collaborative structure that incorporates robust decisionmaking and goal-oriented action. The overall approach requires strong leadership support to articulate and pursue short-, medium-, and longterm goals that set stakeholders' expectations for partnership effectiveness.
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Although there are numerous similarities between cities and industries in the U.S.–Mexico border region, each country and each stakeholder group's conceptualization of partnership success is likely to vary -- and they may at times contradict one another. While desired outcomes may evolve, mutual commitment and a trusted process can ensure that such evolution brings all partners forward in continued collaboration.
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Additional governance guidelines for partnerships involve setting and maintaining policies and procedures, including (where necessary) legal agreements, that enhance transparency and predictability as well as improve and ensure coherence of policy and institutional aims.
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