The UN Development Programme, operating at a global scale, is transitioning to a new approach for tackling complex national and international challenges. This involves moving away from single point solutions (initiatives) to a more flexible, multi-layered approach called ‘portfolios’. However, the transition has not been easy. This action research project, based in a number of countries with UNDP projects, explores how the portfolio approach can be made more accessible and comprehensible for UNDP Country Offices. Through examples that range from gender equality, waste management, and green transitions, we analyse how objects, and the stories that they unlock, can play a role in framing systemic understandings for a far wider range of actors and stakeholders than the portfolio approach currently allows. We design a workshop as a research action, to demonstrate how object-oriented storytelling can enhance systemic understanding and set the foundation for more effective interventions. ... Read more

In the midst of climate change, and the need to seek more sustainable ways of living, design is increasingly tackling problems at a societal level. This paper reflects on a strategic design project at a Brazilian foundation focused on sustainable development in the Amazon rainforest region. In this study, we asked what contributions design can bring to organisations involved in addressing development issues. The paper describes several experiments and strategies to make it tangible to non-designers howa design-led process unfolds and how design can support the organisation's efforts in delivering value to the communities they serve. The case study offers an example on how design practices combined with systemic approaches can spark increasing levelsof collaboration across siloed departments ... Read more