The ACUNS-ASIL 2009 Summer Workshop was held on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton in partnership with the United Nations University (Tokyo) and the American Society for International Law (ASIL).

The theme was Global Public-Private Partnerships. The overall objective was to assess the potential of Global PPPs as a legitimate and effective governance mechanism in a range of issue areas.

• Training: young scholars and policy staff get sustained, one-on-one contact with guest experts and co-directors.

• Bridge-building and knowledge exchange: the workshop is founded on a commitment to interdisciplinary discussion across geographical and professional boundaries. The workshop gives researchers direct access to leading experts and UN policy staff with first-hand knowledge of Global PPP implementation. UN staff working in the emerging policy area of Global PPPs gain access to cutting edge research that can inform their policy choices.

• Advancing research: the experience of each participant allows him/her to advance his/her own individual project. Collectively, we will disseminate and publish the results of our discussions, which will focus on assessing existing Global PPPs, deducing lessons for policy areas where such arrangements are only now appearing, and drawing theoretical conclusions about the origins and implications of Global PPPs for effective, accountable governance.

• Informing policy: participants coming from a policy context leave the workshop with new ideas and fresh perspectives. In addition, our collective analysis of the successes and failures of existing Global Public-Private Partnerships will provide valuable input for those who participate in, monitor, and regulate such efforts.

Each workshop is made up of some sixteen to twenty participants drawn from the target groups listed above; and each workshop is led by directors drawn from international law and international relations. This core is supplemented by invited participants from these disciplines who serve as resource staff and lecturers.

The workshop typically runs for ten days, giving participants an extended period during which to interact with each other, with the workshop co-directors, and with the expert guest speakers. Each participant has an opportunity to present his/her research to the group and receive collective feedback. The ten-day format also allows ample time for each participant to have sustained, one-on-one attention from the co-directors and unparalleled access to the expert guests, a format that has proven very effective for training and networking purposes.

Among our past supporters are the Ford Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.