The Partnerships for SDGs online platform is United Nations’ global registry of voluntary commitments and multi-stakeholder partnerships made in support of sustainable development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The Partnerships for SDGs platform also facilitates the sharing knowledge and expertise among multi-stakeholder SDG-related partnerships and voluntary commitments, and for providing periodic updates on their progress.
The Partnership for SDGs platform is open to all stakeholders, including Member States, civil society, local authorities, private sector, scientific and technological community, academia, and others, to register a voluntary commitment or multi-stakeholder partnership which aims to drive the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to provide periodic updates on progress.
Managed by the Division for Sustainable Development Goals, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DSDG/DESA), the platform brings together different registries launched in support of various UN conferences and processes dealing with sustainable development over the years, including the 2017 The Ocean Conference, the 2016 Global Sustainable Transport Conference, the 2014 SIDS Conference, and the 2012 Rio+20 Conference. It also provides access to thematic multi-stakeholder action networks that are maintained by other UN entities and actors to galvanize partnerships and commitments in support of the SDGs.
The Partnership for SDGs online platform welcomes registration of partnerships and voluntary commitments undertaken by Governments, intergovernmental organizations, major groups and other stakeholders that are aligned with SMART deliverables - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resource-based, and Time-bound – and that aim to drive the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
After a registration is submitted, the initiative will be reviewed by the UN secretariat, and if qualified, will be published in the online platform. Registered initiatives are encouraged to maintain up-to-date information and periodically self-report progress once a year through the online platform, focusing on how the initiative has contributed to the achievement of specific goals and targets in the 2030 Agenda.
As a member of the registry, you can interact with other members virtually, by liking, commenting on, or following their initiatives. Members are also encouraged to tweet about their activities using their unique #SDGAction hashtag (#SDGAction + Partnership Id Number; example: #SDGAction25321). Such tweets will appear on their page.
Each year, the Division for Sustainable Development Goals of UN DESA produces a publication on Partnerships for the SDGs, which summarizes partnership trends and highlights transformative partnerships. New registrations and submitted progress updates provide the basis for preparing the report.
Previous reports:
The Partnership for SDGs online platform also serve as the basis for identifying multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments to be profiled during the annual Partnership Exchange during the High Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Other documents/studies:
Partnerships are voluntary and collaborative relationships between various parties, both public and non-public, in which all participants agree to work together to achieve a common purpose or undertake a specific task and, as mutually agreed, to share risks and responsibilities, resources and benefits. [GA Resolution 68/234, 66/223, 64/223, 62/211, 60/215, 58/129, 56/76]
Voluntary commitments to advance implementation of the SDGs have been an integral part of several UN conferences.
Most recently, the 2017 UN Ocean Conference described Voluntary Commitments as initiatives voluntarily undertaken by Governments, the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations, international and regional financial institutions, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations, academic and research institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropic organizations and other actors - individually or in partnership - that aim to contribute to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14.
The Partnerships for SDGs online platform is United Nations’ global registry of voluntary commitments and multi-stakeholder partnerships, facilitating global engagement of all stakeholders in support of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Platform was originally developed following a mandate from the outcome of the 2012 Rio+20 Conference. It has subsequently been aligned with the 17 SDGs and it continuously receives new partnerships and voluntary commitments. As a unique knowledge hub on partnerships – global in scope and inclusive in reach (covering all 17 SDGs) – it promotes the integrated implementation of the SDGs.
The overall objective of the online platform is to mobilize partnerships in support of the SDGs. It is intended to provide space for sharing knowledge and expertise among different actors that are engaged in multi-stakeholder SDG-related partnerships and voluntary commitments, and for providing periodic updates on their progress. It also informs the follow up and review process of the 2030 Agenda.
The Partnerships for SDGs online platform contains both multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments.
Many of the initiatives in the platform are self-registered by stakeholders at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/register/
The platform also brings together and links to other online registries that were launched in support of various United Nations conferences and processes dealing with sustainable development, including the 2017 The Ocean Conference, the 2016 Global Sustainable Transport Conference, the 2014 SIDS Conference, and the 2012 Rio+20 Conference.
Finally, the Partnership for SDGs online platform provides access to, and integrates, initiatives stemming from a range of Action Networks that are maintained by UN entities and other actors.
The Partnership for SDGs platform is open to all stakeholders, including Member States, civil society, local authorities, private sector, scientific and technological community, academia, and others, to register a voluntary commitment or multi-stakeholder partnership which aims to drive the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Click on [register] and fill in the registration form.
After a registration is submitted, the initiative will be reviewed by the UN secretariat, and the information provides meet the criteria, will be publicly published in the online platform.
The submitted initiative is reviewed to ensure that it is aligned with the SMART criteria, to ensure that it is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resource-based, and Time-bound. To the extent possible, all fields need to be duly filled out, reflecting the SMART criteria.
After a registration is submitted, the initiative will be reviewed by the UN secretariat, and if qualified, will be published in the online platform.
Registered initiatives are encouraged to maintain up-to-date information and periodically self-report progress once a year through the online platform, focusing on how the initiative has contributed to the achievement of specific goals and targets in the 2030 Agenda. Once a progress update has been published, it will appear alongside your dedicated initiative page. The periodic reporting contributes to follow up of the partnership and share lessons learned with others.
Each year, the Division for Sustainable Development Goals of UN DESA produces a publication on Partnerships for the SDGs, which summarizes partnership trends and highlights transformative partnerships. New registrations and submitted progress updates provide the basis for preparing the report.
The Partnership for SDGs online platform also serves as the basis for identifying multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments to be profiled during the Partnership Exchange, held as a special event during the High Level Political on Sustainable Development.
Action Networks for SDGs are action-oriented networks that are maintained by other UN system entities or actors that focus on accelerating progress in certain sustainable development thematic areas, typically contributing to multiple interlinked SDGs.
Action networks are useful in mobilizing resources, generating momentum and creating awareness, spurring tangible results in support of the objectives of the network, scaling up existing initiatives or catalyzing new SMART commitments and actions.
Durable Action Networks are usually of multi-stakeholder nature, with an established governance structure and a relatively robust accountability framework. Some most durable Action Networks, such as the network for Small Island Developing States, are evolving together with the relevant intergovernmental processes or conferences.
An Action Network set up on the Partnership for SDGs online platform needs to:
Please contact us for additional information.
The Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) of UN DESA supports, facilitates and monitors multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments announced at various international sustainable development conferences; promotes effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships; and provides opportunities to mobilize and share knowledge and expertise among multi-stakeholder partnerships to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Partnerships for the SDGs online platform is managed by the Division for Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DSDG/DESA), as are other registries such as the SIDS Action Platform and the Ocean Conference Registry of Voluntary Commitments.
The Partnership Exchange is United Nations' annual global gathering for reviewing multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments in supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and to explore, and build momentum towards, the creation of the partnering enabling environment. It is organized in the margins of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP). The 2019 Partnership Exchange will be the fourth one.
Having served as the UN’s primary “norm-setting” space for partnerships since 2008, the annual ECOSOC Partnership Forum provides a platform, which is both inter-governmental and multi-stakeholder in nature, bringing together a large number of high-profile representatives across the sectors to engage in policy discussions on ways to enhance the results-focus, accountability, transparency and coherence of partnerships in support of sustainable development.
