A deliberate choice in a fractured world: SNV and Enabel formalise strategic partnership

Global conditions for international cooperation are shifting rapidly. As geopolitical priorities evolve and pressures increasingly intersect across climate, food systems, energy, employment and stability, the urgency is clear—but so is the opportunity to strengthen alignment and build new, more deliberate forms of cooperation, rooted in mutual benefit and shared priorities. 

It is against this backdrop that SNV and Enabel have chosen to deepen their collaboration. By formalising a strategic partnership, we are taking a deliberate step towards closer alignment where it matters most today: sustained engagement in fragile, conflict- and violence-affected (FCV) contexts; integrated approaches linking agri-food systems, renewable energy and employment for young people; and more effective mobilisation of finance that can support initiatives from pilot to scale, while remaining grounded in local systems. 

This matters because the centre of gravity of global poverty has shifted decisively, with nearly 700 million people still living in extreme poverty and a growing share concentrated in fragile, conflict- and violence-affected contexts where institutional pressure and climate stress increasingly converge. In our increasingly interconnected world, these dynamics matter to and for us all. Effectively addressing these challenges means newer and better forms of cooperation, that are able to stay engaged in complex settings, recognise how economic and social systems interact, and sustain momentum over time. 

"In line with the Team Europe vision, and through our engagement with the Practitioners’ Network, this partnership reflects a choice to go a step further—combining efforts, expertise and relationships in practical, grounded ways rather than working in parallel. Designed to be adaptive, it brings together coordination at technical and leadership levels, shared thinking and learning from implementation, aligning and leveraging existing initiatives and relationships to act with greater coherence and continuity alongside communities, local institutions and market actors." Simon adds.

"This collaboration with SNV will enable us to align operations in partner countries where both organisations have a long-standing presence and trusted local partnerships, combining resources and avoiding duplication." says Jean.

Together, these priorities reflect a shared assessment that impact now depends less on isolated interventions and more on coherence, continuity and the ability to act together across delivery, policy engagement and financing. 

In line with the Team Europe vision, Enabel and SNV, as members of the Practitioners’ Network, are committed to harnessing their respective competencies and networks to deepen and expand their contribution to impact. 

SNV brings long-standing, systems-focused implementation and multidimensional influence across agri-food, energy and water systems, grounded in deep local partnerships and country presence alongside market systems expertise; and Enabel has a record of mandate-driven delivery, strong alignment with partner government priorities, and experience translating European cooperation into operational programmes at country level.  

Through this partnership, we will stay engaged and work better together in FCV settings—including, but not limited to, the Sahel—drawing on trusted local partnerships and global relationships that sit at the core of both organisations’ approaches. This includes deepening collaboration with humanitarian, development, peace and security actors, and where appropriate with private sector partners, to step up investment and impact in FCV contexts. 

We will also explore concrete opportunities to share resources, relationships, knowledge and evidence, and to contribute more coherently to the wider discourse on what effective engagement in FCV settings requires. With the EU’s upcoming integrated approach to fragility, we will align with Team Europe efforts in ways that strengthen resilience and inclusive partnerships in and with FCV countries, including through well-designed digital approaches that support delivery, monitoring and adaptation.

Economic, social and environmental pressures are increasingly interacting in ways that undermine sector-by-sector responses. In many partner countries, progress on food security, energy access and employment is shaped by the same constraints — market access, infrastructure, skills and governance — and by how these systems evolve together over time. 

Through this partnership, SNV and Enabel are aligning their engagement at the intersection of agri-food systems, renewable energy and youth employment, entrepreneurship and opportunity creation. The focus is on coordinating approaches where system interdependencies are most decisive, enabling interventions that reflect how livelihoods, markets and services actually function, and strengthening pathways to jobs and opportunity for young people that are viable beyond individual projects. 

With significant reductions in ODA, the emergence of new instruments, and the growing prominence of initiatives such as the EU Global Gateway, development cooperation is increasingly shaped by financing frameworks that extend beyond traditional funding alone. In this context, future-leaning development actors need to work across a broader impact capital continuum, while ensuring that finance remains closely linked to delivery and long-term outcomes.

Through this partnership, SNV and Enabel will collaborate to better leverage and sequence financial instruments across the EU toolbox—including grants, guarantees, equity, blended finance and carbon finance—alongside public and private investment. This includes strengthening collaboration with development finance institutions, as well as public development banks and philanthropic partners able to deploy more patient, flexible capital to support innovation and systems change. 

As members of the Practitioners’ Network, SNV and Enabel will endeavour to work more closely with EDFI, JEFIC and European DFIs in furtherance of more strategic, coordinated use of EU external financing tools. The aim is to support initiatives in the progression from start-up to scale-up, while remaining grounded in local systems and aligned with partner country priorities.

Ultimately, our strategic partnership reflects a clear choice to work together and harness synergies where complexity concentrates—and where long-term resilience, opportunity and shared outcomes matter most.