Partnerships for Development
The Global Compacts asks companies to:
1. Internalize the ten principles in their business strategy and operations,
and
2.
Take action and engage in partnerships to advance the broader UN goals,
such as the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).
The Global Compact is as such both a framework for companies to align internal operations and strategies with the universal principles, and a platform for companies to engage in high-impact and effective partnerships to promote development goals. Together, these two complementary objectives constitute the comprehensive model of corporate citizenship promoted by the Global Compact.
According to the “Global Compact Implementation Survey” - presented in the first Annual Review of the Global Compact - the majority of Global Compact participants engage in partnerships. 75% of respondents say that they have engaged in various types of partnerships with their stakeholders – non-governmental organizations, the UN system or governments – to promote development objectives.
What are partnerships for development?
“Partnerships are commonly defined as
voluntary and collaborative relationships between various parties, both State
and non-State, in which all participants agree to work together to achieve a
common purpose or undertake a specific task and to share risks,
responsibilities, resources, competencies and benefits."
(Report of
the Secretary-General, August 2003)
The basic concept of partnerships is simple and straightforward - to identify common ground between the private and the public sectors and to combine the skills and expertise of the private sector with the public sector's legitimacy and knowledge of development issues. Partnerships focus on the many areas where private actors and public institutions can engage in win-win relationships, such as poverty reduction, health, education and community development.
Effective cross-sectoral partnerships can make it possible to overcome challenges that are too difficult or complex for one organization or sector to address alone. Partnerships can also make efforts more effective by combining resources and competencies in innovative ways. Collaboration can enable companies and organizations to better achieve their own individual objectives through leveraging, combining and capitalizing on complementary strengths and capabilities.
There are three broad types of partnerships:
- In advocacy and awareness raising partnerships, the private sector partners with other stakeholders to take a leadership role in championing, advocating for, and contributing to resolving different issues. Companies can partner with governments and regulatory bodies, and participate in legitimate dialogues and collective action with stakeholders from diverse sectors of the economy.
- In social investment and philantropy partnerships, the private sector provide financial support, contribute volunteers or expertise, or make in-kind contributions, including product donations.
- In core business partnerships, partners collaborate to create employment and foster entrepreneurship, contribute to economic growth, generate tax revenues, implement social, environmental or ethical standards and provide appropriate and affordable goods and services.
For concrete partnership examples click here.
The Business Case for Partnering
Companies are increasingly finding that advancing broader societal objectives is a necessary step to ensure the growth and stability of their own business operations. In many countries, a company’s deep commitment in areas such as infrastructure development, local capacity-building, education, health, job creation, disaster relief and more can serve as far more than philanthropy. These efforts can address aspects of the societal context which are lacking or insufficient – voids which can greatly impact a company’s ability to operate, compete and thrive.
Companies partner with their stakeholder to:
- Improve risk management
- Increase operational efficiencies
- Gain access to the knowledge and expertise
- Improve understanding of challenging issues and sustainable solutions
- Improve stakeholder relations
- Better understand the nature of business operations
- Increase the efficiency and capacity of the company's supply-chain
- Improve license to operate
- Contribute to build the markets of tomorrow
Partnering with the United Nations
Partnerships between the private sector and the UN have become increasingly popular in recent years, producing innovative solutions across a broad spectrum of local and global initiatives and laying the foundation for greater engagement. Companies creating partnerships with the United Nations benefit from the credibility, know-how, experience, convening power, intergovernmental support and global reach of its many specialized agencies and programmes. For more information about UN-Business relations click here.
The Global Compact Office is collaborating closely with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). With offices in 166 countries, UNDP plays an important role in operationalizing the Global Compact at the field level in developing countries in close coordination with other UN agencies. Visit UNDPs Business Partnerships website for more information.
The Role of the Global Compact Office
The Global Compact is working on a number of levels to facilitate partnerships between stakeholder groups, and has inspired numerous development-related projects and partnerships at the local level. The Global Compact Office focus on sharing best practices, lessons learned and development of new resources and tools to improve partnership practices. In addition, the Global Compact Office can function as an entry-point for companies that want to partner with the United Nations system.
Currently, the Global Compact Office is working on several projects to improve the effectiveness and impact of cross-sectoral partnerships through sharing experiences at meetings and through practical resources, for example “Enhancing Partnership Value: The Partnership Assessment Tool” and “A Business Guide to Partnering with NGOs and the United Nations ”.
Moreover, the Local Networks of the Global Compact are designed to support mutual learning and information exchange and constitute an excellent platform for engaging in multi-stakeholder dialogues and exploring cross-sector partnerships locally.For more information about Global Compact Local Networks click here.
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For more information contact
Soren Petersen
Head of Networks
and Partnerships
petersens@un.org
or
Cecilie Hultmann
Communication and Partnership Manager
hultmann@un.org
+1-917-367-5767
(Last update 7 December 2007)
