Partners Call for New Approach to Partnerships.

The 2019 Partnership Forum organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) focused on how multi-stakeholder partnerships support the realization of the 2030 Agenda. Participants from governments, the United Nations system, Private sector and civil society discussed partnerships to advance the SDGs for consideration at the July 2019 session of the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF): Objectives 4 (Quality Education), 8 ( decent work and economic growth), 10 (reducing inequalities), 13 (climate action) and 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).

The forum met on April 11, 2019 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, on the theme “Partnerships Promote the Inclusive Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals”. It has been co-organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs Partnerships Bureau (UNOP) and the United Nations Global Compact. The key political messages of the Forum will guide the meeting of the July HLPF.

In opening the forum, ECOSOC President Inga Rhonda King observed that the global momentum leading up to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda “is under increasing pressure”. She emphasized that partnerships that engage with the United Nations must be transparent and accountable, as well as coherent United Nations values ​​and norms.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said that SDG 17 (Partnerships for Goals) is the “connective tissue” that will ensure a holistic approach to sustainable development. She emphasized that in order to achieve the scale and impact needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, governments and the United Nations system must prioritize investments in platforms and coalitions that exploit “a much larger ecosystem of partners. “larger”, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and local actors.

She explained that the interlinked links in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals could not be fully taken into account if the international community remained “in the narrow and compartmentalized approaches of sectoral interventions and partnerships”. She added that young people, especially young women and entrepreneurs, should be placed “at the forefront of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. She also highlighted the need to fill gaps in partnership skills, address funding gaps and address data gaps.

Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, highlighted the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) analysis of voluntary national reviews. He said the study had revealed commonalities regarding multi-stakeholder partnerships and their potential for implementing the SDGs:

• More and more countries are recognizing the importance of building strategic and inclusive partnerships with different stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society and local governments
• Many countries have recognized the importance of creating an enabling environment for partnerships at the national level
• In a growing number of countries, private sector initiatives to support sustainable development goals are growing in number
• Different forms of partnership – public, public-private and multi-stakeholder – are emerging in sectors such as renewable energy, housing, infrastructure, agriculture and technology.

Rebecca Affolder, Global Partnership for Education, told a session titled “Presenting Good Practice” on SDG 4 that GPE focused on country leadership and alignment of partners on national strategies. She explained that this initiative works with governments to bring different actors together in a single planning process, starting with a single sector plan. She added that 77 million more children had attended primary school between 2002 and 2016 thanks to the partnership.

On SDG 8, Susana Puerto, Global Initiative for Decent Work for Young People, said the initiative aims to strengthen youth employment action; a “strong evidence-based value proposition” led by a diverse set of 63 partners (governments, civil society, youth organizations, regional organizations, universities, parliaments and the media); and a set of core principles that partners endorse. Led by the Chief Executives Board.

Source: SDG Knowledge Hub.