At the United Nations, the term “partnerships” is much in vogue, used to describe a wide range of joint endeavors between the UN, governments, civil society, and the private sector.

But what really defines these relationships? What principles or values guide them?  And how can their accountability and transparency be assured?

These were among the questions raised at a breakfast meeting between diplomats, UN officials and representatives of civil society on 17 December 2014 at the offices of the Baha’i International Community.

"We must remember that partnerships are not only about financial exchange – they can have a transformational impact on people's reality on the ground,” said Ali’ioaiga Feturi Elisaia, the permanent representative of Samoa to the UN, one of two keynote speakers at the meeting.

Barbara Adams, a senior policy advisor with the Global Policy Forum, the other main speaker, added: "We need to think about how partnerships can be more meaningfully committed to what the UN needs.”

Co-sponsored by the Baha’i International Community and International Movement ATD Fourth World, the meeting was the 22^nd in a series that has sought to provide an informal setting for the discussion of issues related to the post-2015 development agenda.

Ms. Adams laid out some of the issues surrounding partnerships between the UN and others.

She said, for example, there is “no clarity” about what defines such relationships, how they connect to the UN Charter or other mandates, and by what standards or norms they are held accountable to.

Most UN partnerships are “self-selected and self-invited” at the moment, she added, and yet they are increasingly becoming one of the central means of implementing international programs and policies.

Voluntary partnerships provide much of the extra-budgetary funding for UN programs, she continued, raising further questions about accountability – or sustainability.

"Often we are measuring results by post-reporting, without being clear about where the money went,” said Ms. Adams. "We need to find a way to create quality partnerships.”

Establishing more clarity around partnerships will be especially important as the UN negotiates the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) next year, she said.

"We need to question, how do the partnerships supplement and add to what already exists? How do we connect them to the SDGs to implement?" said Ms. Adams.

Mr. Elisaia focused on the successes his country and other small island states have had with public-private partnerships.

He discussed in detail the outcome of the recent third international conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which called for “accelerated modalities of action” to deal with the special vulnerabilities of small islands as they face climate change and other challenges.

The conference called for the “full participation of civil society and relevant stakeholders” in the effort to promote sustainable development in Samoa and other small islands.

“Small island states have a diverse array of needs and priorities, and we rely on partnerships for development,” said Mr. Elisaia, stressing the need for partnerships that can provide not only funding but other types of support.

“They can be a partnership of convenience but also a marriage of true and genuine love,” said Mr. Elisaia.

The remarks by Mr. Elisaia and Ms. Adams were followed by a lively exchange among participants, who, among other things, suggested that:

-- The post-2015 agenda will only be transformative through partnerships that are effective, time-bound, and engaged with a variety of actors.

-- That partnerships need to engage civil society at the national level first.

-- That the SDGs, as envisioned so far, involve an agenda driven by member states, while delivery mechanism rest with the public.

-- That corporations have a responsibility to pay taxes, and governments have a responsibility to ensure those taxes are collected fairly.

-- That “a vision without implementation is hallucination.”

Informal Notes