Sustainable Development Goals Offer Chance to Create Synergies between All Parties, Special Adviser Says at Economic and Social Council Partnership Forum
Partnerships held the key to implementing the world’s new vision of sustainable development and could help root out the poverty that had spawned many of today’s global crises, said speakers at the Economic and Social Council today as the organ held its annual Partnership Forum.
“It is past time to heed the lessons of history and respond to the painful realities of today,” said Haya Bint Al Hussein, United Nations Messenger of Peace and Chairperson of the International Humanitarian City. Humanitarian aid and the eradication of poverty were crucial and could help to address the root causes of terrorism and the current refugee crisis, she said, adding that partnerships were critical and the United Nations was the world’s best hope for concerted action.
Oh Joon (Republic of Korea), President of the Economic and Social Council, said that by adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community had made a commitment to eradicate poverty and fight inequality. To achieve those goals, the United Nations system, civil society, the private sector, the philanthropic community and academia must break down traditional silos. That would lead to better cross-sectoral decision making and better development solutions.
“Multi-stakeholder work is increasingly demonstrating that it has value,” said David Nabarro, Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, delivering opening remarks on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The Sustainable Development Goals offered a chance to create synergies between civil society, academia, the private sector and other stakeholders, he said, adding that the United Nations could articulate principles for partnerships and put them into action.
A number of United Nations bodies and processes had recognized the value of multi-stakeholder partnerships to deliver results on the ground, said Mogens Lykketoft (Denmark), President of the General Assembly. The year 2016 was the time to answer questions, including how to rally coalitions of partners, how to increase the speed and scale of the Sustainable Development Goals’ implementation, how to share lessons learned and how to ensure accountability and transparency.
The Council held a number of panel discussions throughout the day-long meeting, with each focused on various aspects of multi-stakeholder partnerships for development — from financing to transparency and accountability. Panellists representing a wide range of sectors, as well as Government delegates and business leaders, described such partnerships as “prerequisites” for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. They also shared their own experiences, with many calling on the United Nations to act as a catalyst for the establishment of robust partnerships around the world.
The Council will reconvene on Tuesday, 5 April 2016, to hold a coordination and management meeting and to fill a number of vacancies in its subsidiary bodies.
Opening Remarks
OH JOON (Republic of Korea), President of the Economic and Social Council, said that world leaders had in September 2015 adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The international community had made a commitment to eradicate poverty, fight inequality and injustice and tackle climate change by 2030. The Agenda integrated the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Further, he said, multi-stakeholder partnerships would be key for the plan’s implementation. Governments, the United Nations system, civil society, the private sector, the philanthropic community and academia must break down traditional silos for more and better cross-sectoral decision-making and solutions.
Underscoring the need for multi-stakeholder partnerships that complemented national efforts and the work of the United Nations system, he stressed that they must be transparent and accountable. In addition, monitoring and review mechanisms would be important for ensuring that they delivered the expected results. As the Council was mandated to serve as the platform to review global partnerships, it engaged with non-governmental actors and coordinated activities. Since 2008, the organ had increased its emphasis on ways to mobilize partnerships in support of the international development agenda. “Transforming our vision of ‘leaving no one behind’ into action can help achieve the goals that we all share and build a better world for all,” he concluded.
MOGENS LYKKETOFT (Denmark), President of the General Assembly, said the General Assembly had in December 2015 adopted resolution 70/224 on “towards global partnerships: a principle-based approach to enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and all relevant partners”. That text drew on over a decade of solid experience by Member States and the United Nations entities working with stakeholders to deliver concrete results. Further, multiple other United Nations processes had recognized the value of multi-stakeholder partnerships to deliver results on the ground. Therefore, he encouraged the Council to focus on “how to enhance partnerships”.
He said that 2016 was the year to answer questions, including how to rally coalitions of partners, how to increase the speed and scale of the universally agreed goals’ implementation, how to share lessons learned and how to ensure accountability and transparency. It was also the time to align individual and collective efforts with the 2030 Agenda. Drawing attention to the upcoming opportunities to maintain current momentum, he noted that he would host the upcoming high-level thematic debate on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It would provide an opportunity for Member States to provide statements regarding their national plans for their implementation.
DAVID NABARRO, Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, delivering remarks on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said that, to successfully implement the Agenda, the international community had to move swiftly from commitment to action. Calling for strong, inclusive partnerships at all levels, he said the Sustainable Development Goals offered opportunities to create synergies between civil society, academia, the private sector and other stakeholders. “We must be guided by the principles of transparency and accountability”, he said, stressing that Governments would have a critical role to play.
“Multi-stakeholder work is increasingly demonstrating that it has value”, he went on. In implementing the 2030 Agenda, partnerships that had mutual benefit and upheld the values and goals of the United Nations should be encouraged. The Organization could help with monitoring and impact measurement, and it could help to articulate principles for partnerships and put them into action. He hoped to see new, innovative partnerships that would help to transform the world for generations to come.
HAYA BINT AL HUSSEIN, United Nations Messenger of Peace and Chairperson of the International Humanitarian City, said the Partnership Forum came at a time of global turmoil and transition. The challenges faced today — including the spread of terrorism and the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War — demanded concerted action, she said, emphasizing that recent terrorist attacks were not committed in the name of Islam. Indeed, their “twisted ideologies” had no resemblance to that religion. The only way to combat those ideologies was to give people something to live for. Citing a number of historic tragedies, including examples of oppression, genocide and ethnic cleansing, she stressed that humanitarian and development aid was the most effective way to fight their root causes. Providing hope and dignity was also the best way to counter terrorism and radicalism. “The United Nations is the world’s best hope for concerted action,” she added in that regard.
The Organization was in a time of transition, she said, noting that the sun had set on the Millennium Development Goals and risen on the Sustainable Development Goals. It was a time of great promise, but also great challenges. To be successful, the international community had to ensure that its partnerships overrode all competing interests. The mistrust that existed between stakeholders and the scramble for power between humanitarian actors must stop. Political support was needed for a comprehensive global tracking system for all humanitarian aid and other coordination mechanisms. Calling for increased coordination with the private sector, she underscored the need to build trust by creating effective aid teams, involving more non-traditional donors and more non-governmental organizations in the developing world. “It is past time to heed the lessons of history and respond to the painful realities of today”, she said, noting that effective partnerships were “just the beginning”.
The representative of Thailand, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said it attached great importance to enhancing global partnerships through multi-stakeholder and public-private partnerships. He welcomed the approach undertaken by the United Nations, which reflected the indivisible nature of the Sustainable Development Goals and aimed at breaking the silos. Further, he said, South-South cooperation would bring strong partnerships to the new development agenda.
While acknowledging the role played by multi-stakeholder partnership, he underscored the need to improve coordination among countries and across the United System to facilitate the creation of new partnerships while strengthening existing ones. On accountability, he noted that information must be available at the country, regional and international level. In addition, the United Nations must establish standards and guidelines and ensure systematic reporting.
Panel Discussion I
The Council then held a panel discussion on “Breaking the Silos: Cross-sectoral partnerships for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals”. Moderated by Richard Lui, News Anchor for MSNBC, it featured presentations by Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education; Peggy Dulany, Chair of the Synergos Institute; Michael Landau, Chairman of CTI Global; and Mary Chege, Director of Development Finance International.
Mr. LUI, opening the panel discussion, asked about solutions to break the silos.
Ms. ALBRIGHT underscored the need to recognize problems, and offered concrete suggestions such as evidence gathering and improving the existing partnerships.
Ms. DULANY said breaking the silos would take a long time but the international community could achieve it through partnerships. It was crucial to build trust among actors and come up with innovative solutions.
Mr. LANDAU noted that the private sector had a critical role to play, yet its partnership needed more predictability and stability. To make the current system more efficient, his solution was that Governments create an entity that could identify inefficiencies. Creating a “Ministry of Inefficiency” would determine where there were shortfalls.
Ms. CHEGE noted that it was not possible to separate development from business. Drawing attention to the inefficiencies, she said that lack of collaboration among actors would undermine the successful implementation of goals.
The panellists then responded to a number of direct questions from the moderator, who first asked who should lead cross-sectoral partnerships.
Ms. ALBRIGHT responded that Governments should lead, and that involvement by certain sectors was needed. Those included education, infrastructure, technology, the financial sector and the health sector.
Ms. DULANY, responding to a question about risk mitigation in cross-sectoral partnerships, said that, within Government ministries and private sector companies, there was a fear of failure. Self-confidence needed to be built in; then a greater willingness to innovate and take risks would be seen.
Ms. LANDAU, asked how to balance the participation of stakeholders to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, said the private sector was already willing to take the risk, but other stakeholders needed to ensure that there was a “good playing field”.
Ms. CHEGE, asked how to build a culture of cross-sectoral partnerships, cited the example of the mining industry in Africa and stressed the need for Government to insist that private sector companies invest more in local communities.
During the ensuing interactive session, a number of speakers noted that cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder partnerships were prerequisites for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and said such partnerships lent legitimacy to the 2030 Agenda. Speakers described examples of their Governments’ multi-stakeholder partnerships in areas ranging from boosting economic inclusion to combating human trafficking.
The representative of Sweden expressed concern at the shrinking space for civil society in many places around the world. That was a worrying development as the international community embarked on implementing an agenda which was meant to “leave no one behind”, he said.
Responding, the panellists agreed that civil society played a crucial role, and offered examples from their varied perspectives.
The representative of Trinidad and Tobago, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), associated herself with the Alliance of Small Island Developing States and the Group of 77. She said it was imperative to move beyond silos — particularly in light of the ability of partnerships to maximize limited resources for development — and asked the panellists about “trade-offs” associated with cross-sectoral partnerships, including the possible loss of country ownership.
The representative of Maldives, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island Developing States, associated himself with the Group of 77. He said the Alliance had recently created a steering committee for partnerships, which would provide ideas on how to set a better framework for future partnerships.
Ms. CHEGE, offering concluding thoughts, said “the money is out there” for sustainable development, including trillions of dollars from the private sector. Well-designed partnerships were needed for its collection and use.
Mr. LANDAU said financial incentives were appropriate when dealing with the private sector. A global partnership innovation exchange was needed to share experiences, as was a small high-level group of private sector experts.
Ms. DULANY said that, among other things, her organization offered capacity-building and help in convening stakeholders.
Ms. ALBRIGHT agreed with other speakers that there was a vast amount of knowledge available on how to do things better, but that information exchanges were lacking. She responded to the delegate from Trinidad and Tobago that Governments should be the driving forces behind cross-sectoral partnerships.
Also participating were the representatives of the United States, the International Labour Organization (ILO), Italy (on behalf of small island developing States), Netherlands, South Africa, Peru, Kazakhstan, China and the International Council of Women.
Panel Discussion II
The Council then held a panel discussion on “resources to catalyse cross-sectoral partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals”. Moderated by Lise Kingo, Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, it featured presentations by Scott Mitchell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sumitomo Chemical America; Igor Runov, Under Secretary General of the International Road Transport Union; and Joy Marini, Executive Director of Johnson & Johnson.
Ms. KINGO, opening the panel discussion, said the session would focus on the tools to improve partnerships, capitalize on lessons learned and build on the successes. Introducing the Global Compact, she noted that it supported companies to do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. It also supported them to take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.
Mr. MITCHELL said Sumitomo Chemical’s business philosophy was grounded in the concept of harmony between the company’s interests and those of the public. “Businesses cannot succeed when societies fail,” he said, adding that the company had attached great importance to problem solving, meeting societies’ needs and protecting scarce resources. Having a good infrastructure, non-discriminatory trade and science-based regulatory systems were critical in making progress. For the successful implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, the private sector must be involved.
Ms. MARINI said that partnerships over the past years had been part of the problem solving. The interconnected focus on the Sustainable Development Goals demanded that the international community have a shared vision and transparency of motives to reach a common objective. Further, there was a need to undertake a human-centric approach and to be held accountable to people and Governments. “Failure expectation” was important for the international community “to take risks and fail but continue to learn to make long term investments”.
Mr. RUNOV said the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals was not possible without active and constructive involvement of the transportation sector. Stressing the need to translate commitments to action, and guidelines to language understandable to businesses, he noted that the General Assembly had in just the past two years adopted three resolutions that directly affected the operations of the transportation sector globally. Such resolutions had provided important policy guidelines on how to implement the globally agreed goals. Expressing support to the SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] Industry Matrix developed by the Global Compact, he said that it provided an easy entry point for companies to understand the process.
As the floor was opened for comments, the representatives of countries and private sector companies called for new approaches to building partnerships, and provided success stories from their own experiences.
The representative of Nauru, speaking on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States and associating himself with Alliance of Small Island States, said today’s discussion offered a chance to go beyond abstract concepts and discuss partnerships that “actually work”. Access to adequate, predictable resources was a constant challenge, he said, describing a joint partnership between the Pacific Small Island Developing States and Italy, which had been effective in tackling obstacles to financing.
The representative of Germany said the Global Compact had made strides in helping businesses succeed in partnerships. It was important for businesses to focus on the most relevant Sustainable Development Goals for their particular work and sector, she said, calling for true multi-stakeholder partnerships that included Governments.
A representative of the company Novozymes said that a new approach to partnerships was key to achieving global development impacts and business growth. His company’s “Partnering for Impact” strategy aimed to enhance the positive effects of its work. By integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into its work, the business had challenging itself to use the Goals as a lens to assess new projects. He described some of his company’s work in that regard, including projects in support of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative.
A representative of the company Starwood Resorts and Hotels Worldwide said the key to progress was to move the needle from commitments to results. She stressed the need for companies to embrace the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in such sectors as tourism in order to avoid adverse impacts, and described some of her company’s work in that field.
Panel Discussion III
In the afternoon, the Council held a panel discussion on “promoting accountability and transparency of multi-stakeholder partnerships for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda”. Moderated by Rajesh Mirchandani, Vice President of Communications and Outreach of the Centre for Global Development, it featured presentations by Mr. Nabarro; Shankar Venkateswaran, Chief of Tata Sustainability Group; and Kathy Calvin, President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Nations Foundation.
Prior to that dialogue, Nils Simon, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (Foundation for Science and Politics), German Institute for International and Security Affairs, made a presentation on “New Frontiers on Accountability on multi-stakeholder partnerships”. Mr. Simon said such partnerships were considered flexible and an innovative means towards enhancing sustainable development, and were premised to create win-win dynamics across sectors. However, data showed that failure was widespread. Most of the partnerships operated in developed States rather than in developing and least developed countries. Further, due to its ad-hoc nature, such partnerships rarely became a long-term policy tool.
During research, he focused on the idea “to develop a common and systemic approach, for those partnerships in which [the United Nations system] participates”. Tasks for the United Nations system included encouraging registering multi-stakeholder partnerships, providing guidelines and rules, offering support, refining reporting requirements, encouraging learning and knowledge sharing, and preparing the review of contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals. While doing so, United Nations-led partnerships and those without its involvement must be differentiated, he stressed.
BARBARA ADAMS, Senior Policy Adviser of the Global Policy Forum, responding, said the presentation identified weaknesses of multi-stakeholder partnerships and explained how to reposition such initiatives and strengthen accountability. While appreciating the clear distinction between the United Nations-led partnerships and those which were not, she was not clear what was being suggested on the role of the Organization. Turning to the “win-win” concept, she noted that multi-stakeholder partnerships were premised to create such dynamics across sectors and the United Nations system. However, a more systematic approach was needed.
Mr. MIRCHANDANI, opening the panel discussion, said his organization was committed to finding policy solutions to the most pressing problems in the world. The goal was that partnerships were conducted and programmes were implemented in an efficient and accountable way. Finding equilibrium and ensuring that checks and balances were in place was crucial.
Mr. NABARRO said multi-stakeholder partnerships had been around for a long time. One example was tackling malaria in 1995, when several actors were involved such as Governments, civil society organizations, academia and the private sector. For its part, the United Nations had the role of convening all relevant actors, catalysing action to make progress, setting norms and standards, providing technical assistance and providing venues for all to discuss issues.
Mr. VENKATESWARAN said many companies perceived the United Nations as a convener. Drawing attention to the companies’ increasing interest in working with the Organization, he stressed that all actors should focus on commonalities rather than differences. While Governments had the leading position, businesses provided complementary support, he concluded.
Ms. CALVIN said the new development era required the participation of new players and actors to make progress. Increasingly, organizations could not get things done alone, she noted, stressing the need to bring civil society to the table. The United Nations as an international organization had the role to set priorities, catalyse and deliver change, and create an enabling environment for innovation. Businesses, which could play a significant role, had other advantages, including available technology, human capital and technical knowledge. She was impressed that the business community had started to learn the language of development.
The panellists then responded to a number of direct questions from the moderator, who first asked who should be responsible for setting standards.
Mr. NABARRO asked how many people in the room knew about the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, which established standards for middle-income and wealthy countries. Seeing three hands go up, he noted how the Commission exemplified an approach based on Member State expertise, catalysed by the United Nations system and used by Governments. He emphasized, however, that established trust between institutions in multi-stakeholder arrangements could take time.
Mr. VENKATESWARAN, asked if his company was likely to accept reporting standards set by an outside body, replied that business in general was comfortable with standards. Context was important, he added. Frameworks should be sufficiently flexible. If they came across as diktats, some might ask if they were a good thing.
During the ensuing interactive session, several speakers discussed such points as transparency, accountability, due diligence, the role of civil society and what the United Nations could do in terms of coordination and cooperation.
The representative of the Dominican Republic, on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), said the global partnership for sustainable development should fully respect the intergovernmental nature of the United Nations as well as its Charter and programme priorities. Due consideration needed to be given to transparency, coherence, ownership, intergovernmental oversight by Member States, impact, monitoring and accountability. The representative went on to stress the central role of official development assistance (ODA) vis-à-vis the 2030 Agenda, saying developed countries should honour their commitment to set aside 0.7 per cent of gross national income as ODA for developing countries.
The representative of Romania suggested that the General Assembly have broad oversight over partnerships connected to the United Nations. The Council was uniquely placed in that regard. He went on to note that some Member States might not have the capacity to monitor individual partnerships.
The representative of Maldives, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, described the Small Islands Developing States Partnerships Framework, stressing how crucial it was for all stakeholders in a partnership to be fully respected, with equal access to the overall accountability process.
Ms. CALVIN noted how the “Every Woman, Every Child” initiative had revealed the different ways that the private sector and Government did their reporting. Civil society could play a role in creating some common language, she said, adding that the role of citizen data would become increasingly important.
Mr. NABARRO said that everyone working in government would know that there was not always agreement between political groups on what represented an ideal outcome. Partnerships could only work if a measure of agreement between parties was in place. Government could not work efficiently without really powerful representation of people in the governance process. With regard to due diligence, he cited the Global Compact as an initiative with a set of principles by which business interacted with the United Nations.
Mr. VENKATESWARAN, asked by the moderator about the private sector’s willingness to open up its activities to public scrutiny, said the corporate sector had no problem with accountability, but emphasized that the process of monitoring would be just as important as the results.
The representative of South Africa said the United Nations was in a unique position to strengthen cooperation in the context of the 2030 Agenda. Multi-stakeholder partnerships should recognize the plight of developing countries, especially African countries and least developed countries. North-South cooperation still lay at the heart of cooperation for development, while South-South and triangular cooperation could complement it.
The representative of Denmark said the Agenda was not a United Nations programme, but one for Member States to implement at the national level. Partnerships should be geared to that end, as should monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
A number of speakers said the international community should learn from its successes and failures in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and take those lessons forward in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Speakers also raised questions about the role of civil society in promoting accountability in multi-stakeholder partnerships.
Ms. CALVIN responded that civil society was critical in designing “which questions to ask” and in shaping collaborative partnerships.
Mr. VENKATESWARAN said there had traditionally been an “uneasy” relationship between civil society and the private sector; however, that had begun to change in recent decades. Transparency about each other’s work was central to building mutual trust.
Mr. NABARRO said the Council’s High-level Political Forum and the Financing for Development Forum should take up multi-stakeholder partnerships. The 2030 Agenda provided the overarching vision and context within which groups of actors were able to find their place. Turning to lessons learned, he said some past partnerships had not worked because they did not benefit poor people or because they were rushed.
The panellists also responded to a question about the role of independent verification, noting that third party monitoring could set the bar high in terms of results.
The representative of Trinidad and Tobago, speaking on behalf CARICOM and addressing the issue of transparency and accountability, called for a comprehensive registry of partnerships that supported the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Ms. CALVIN asked for an example of successful past partnerships, cited the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, which was unique because it had been intended to shape a market.
Mr. VENKATESWARAN, to the same question, cited a partnership between the Government of India and a steel company which had been aimed at reducing child mortality. Lessons learned from that partnership included the important role of the beneficiaries and the importance of dialogue and disagreement in the partnership process.
Mr. NABARRO, also responding to that question, pointed to the Global Ebola Response Coalition, which had met every week since the start of the outbreak.
Also speaking were the representatives of China, Guatemala, Switzerland and the European Union.
Participating were representatives of Global Ecovillage Network, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Agriculture Partners and CIVICUS.
Mr. OH, in closing remarks, summarized the Forum’s various discussions. Among key points raised had been the importance of balancing the nurturing and monitoring of partnerships, the importance of upholding United Nations values and principles and the importance of strengthening existing structures rather than duplicating efforts. The day’s discussions would help to inform the upcoming High-level Political Forum, and would also be transmitted to the General Assembly.