ABSTRACT
In the increasingly globalised world, the case for using multi-actor partnerships to address our most pressing challenges is undeniable. Trilateral cooperation, a relatively new form of aid, is founded on this partnership-based approach. In supporting a partnership approach, partnership brokers help partners to imagine a world in which money is 'off the table’. The Trilateral Malaria Project is still being implemented, but early indications are that, with the support of well-designed partnership approaches and dedicated partnership brokering support, common challenges associated with trilateral cooperation models can be mitigated and reduced. Early experiences generated through this Project suggest that trilateral cooperation models, when established using a partnership-based approach supported by a dedicated partnership broker, can in fact reduce transaction costs. Clearly, this model requires an active investment in good communication, but promoting shared decision-making means that all partners have a genuine stake in the outcomes of the work, and are committed to ensuring the success of each activity.
