The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has published a study of 36 partnerships working to advance the SDGs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report titled, ‘Partnerships in response to COVID-19: Building back better together,’ is a product of the 2030 Agenda Partnership Accelerator, an initiative of DESA and The Partnering Initiative, in collaboration with UN Office for Partnerships (UNOP), the UN Global Compact, and the UN Development Coordination Office. The report is authored by Xiaolan Fu.

The report explains that partnerships can bring together resources and knowledge from diverse actors, making their collective efforts more powerful. Among key findings of the study, the author notes:

• A wide range of partnerships have been formed during the COVID-19 pandemic, most focusing on immediate responses;
• Contributing factors to the “speedy formation” of the partnerships included: a shared sense of urgency, pre-existing networks, partnership experience, flexibility from partners and institutions, use of digital technologies for communication and partnership management, and adoption of innovative practices; and
• Success factors for working collaboratively include: vision, trust, alignment of interests, flexibility, commitment, and adaptive governance structures and leadership.

Based on the study, the report also finds that there is a need to rethink procedures deemed necessary for formalizing partnerships. It suggests that governments and international organizations could modify parts of their bureaucracy to accelerate the creation of partnerships. 

The report will serve as an input to national workshops being provided by the Partnership Accelerator. A series of webinars is also underway to demonstrate partnerships’ contributions to the SDGs. [Publication: Partnerships in response to COVID-19: Building back better together]