31 March 2016: Participants at the 2016 UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Partnership Forum considered ways of leveraging partnerships for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and outlined ways for multi-stakeholder partnerships to support ECOSOC’s overall 2016 theme of ‘Implementing the 2030 Agenda: Moving from commitments to results.’

Chairing the Forum on 31 March 2016, in New York, US, ECOSOC President Oh Joon said multi-stakeholder partnerships are key for implementing the 2030 Agenda. He called on governments, the UN system, civil society, the private sector, the philanthropic community and academia to break down traditional silos for more and better cross-sectoral decision-making and solutions.

Mogens Lykketoft, UN General Assembly (UNGA) President, noted the need for accountability and transparency in partnerships. He drew attention to the UNGA High-Level Thematic Debate on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on 21 April 2016, which will seek to maintain political momentum around the implementation of the SDGs.

David Nabarro, UN Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, partnerships with a clear vision, effective internal governance structures, and commitment and trust by all partners work best. He noted that the UN system will assist with articulating and implementing principles for partnerships, while governments will oversee accountability, including through ECOSOC and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

Princess Haya Al Hussein, UN Messenger of Peace and Chairperson, International Humanitarian City, reported that US$25 billion intended for development programmes have been allocated to solving conflicts. On SDGs implementation, she said Goal 1 (End poverty in all its forms everywhere) and Goal 2 (End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture) are the starting point, since people who are starving are not thinking about the other SDGs. She called for establishing a comprehensive, global and inclusive system to track public and private aid and provide information on where resources are going and how they are used.

During a dialogue on ‘Breaking the silos: cross-sectoral partnerships for advancing the SDGs,’ participants highlighted the need to: ensure that existing partnerships work better, not necessarily create new partnerships; involve government and the other stakeholders early in the partnership process; make partnership case studies available so as to encourage experience learning; and ensure an enabling environment for partnerships and financial incentives. Michael Landau, Chairman, CTI Global, proposed establishing a “partnership innovation exchange” to encourage innovation.

In a panel discussion on ‘Resources to catalyze cross-sectoral partnerships for the SDGs’, Lise Kingo, UN Global Compact Executive Director, reported that over 8,000 companies participate in the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. She said the Global Compact has tools to help implement the SDGs, including the SDG Compass, and a UN-Business Action Hub to enable business and the UN to partner for advancing the SDGs, especially at the local level. Joy Marini, Executive Director, Johnson & Johnson, said partnerships need: a shared vision; to understand the motives of the private sector and make them transparent; think locally and act locally; invest in the long-term; be accountable; and take risks. Other participants provided examples of partnerships linked to the SDGs, including the Global Partnership for Sustainable Transport, and stressed the need for technology transfer.

During a Dialogue on ‘Promoting accountability and transparency of multi-stakeholder partnerships for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda,’ Barbara Adams, Global Policy Forum, expressed concern that partnerships are diverting Member States’ resources and creating competitive, duplicative streams of action. She suggested the ECOSOC Partnerships Forum consider a new mandate and framework for partnerships.

On a panel on ‘Setting the stage,’ Nabarro stressed the need to define what it means for a partnership to “work” or “not work,” adding that partnerships do not work when they: do not help poor people; do not do what they said they will do; and/or are rushed. Shankar Venkateswaran, Chief, Tata Sustainability Group, expressed support for a standard framework for partnerships, as long as it allows the governance of partnerships to adapt to specific contexts.

Kathy Calvin, President and CEO, UN Foundation, said the UN can provide oversight, foresight and insight for partnerships’ operations. She also highlighted the important role of the media and called for engaging with and educating the media. Noting that governments and businesses report in different ways, using different languages, Calvin stressed the need to align both the goals and measurements, and suggested that the ECOSOC Partnerships Forum could be the place to think about common language in that regard.

In the ensuing dialogue, Member States highlighted the need for: partnerships that are people-centered, human-rights based, and reduce inequality; and respect for national priorities. Thailand for the Group of 77 and China (G-77/China) called for promoting accountability, such as through reporting of initiatives. Supported by the Dominican Republic for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Group called to prevent “further imbalance” between UN core and non-core resources, giving prevalence to core resources. CELAC said developed countries should respect their long-term commitments with regard to official development assistance (ODA). China called for Member-State-led systems to provide oversight of stakeholders’ participation, to ensure transparency and protect against misuse.

Denmark said the UN’s role with partnerships is to convene, not lead, suggesting “not to sit here in New York trying to describe how things should be done at the national level.” Switzerland stressed the need for UN agencies to show flexibility when engaging with partners, and noted that there are already principles and guidelines that could be implemented as integrative measurements. He added that it is not realistic to assume that the private sector will become a major donor for the operational activities of the UN Development System, but said partnerships can mobilize know-how.

Maldives, for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), said a reporting template on partnerships would serve to provide comparative data to assess results, and improve coherence between UN entities. Sweden expressed concern that the space for civil society organizations (CSOs) is “shrinking” in many parts of the world, and reported that his country has appointed a National Committee to reach out, communicate the Agenda and encourage SDG implementation. Germany stressed the need for sector-wide partnerships, in addition to cross-sectoral ones. Romania noted that the UNGA should continue to have broad oversight over partnerships that involve the UN, and the HLPF can review reports on partnerships, especially with regard to thematic reviews.

Civil society representatives: suggested a new type of Partnership Forum, at which newly initiated partnerships would be announced each year, and seek new members; asked how civil society can contribute to accountability for multi-stakeholder partnerships; and inquired whether there is a role for the ECOSOC Financing for Development (FfD) Forum to establish a forum for follow-up and review of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

The meeting is expected to result in a President’s summary, as well as a more extensive summary for serving as a basis for ECOSOC’s contribution to the HLPF and to the high-level segment of the Council.

The ECOSOC Partnership Forum has taken place annually since 2008, seeking to provide a platform for discussion on partnerships, and bring together stakeholders, particularly from business and foundations, to discuss with governments ways to support internationally agreed development goals. [Forum Website] [ECOSOC President’s Statement] [UNGA President’s Remarks] [UN Press Release] [ECOSOC Press Release] [IISD RS Sources]