Partnerships
United Nations Fund for International Partnerships
Founded in 1998, UNFIP serves as the operational arm of the Secretary-General in the partnership between the UN system and the UN Foundation (UNF) – the public charity responsible for administering Ted Turner’s historic gift of $1 billion in support of UN causes. It promotes new and innovative partnerships with the private sector and foundations. UNFIP works under the leadership of the Deputy Secretary-General, who chairs the UNFIP Advisory Board.
UNFIP encourages greater private sector investment in both the development and the implementation of innovative, high-impact initiatives, campaigns and projects to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. To facilitate partnerships, UNFIP provides advice on UN rules, best practices and lessons learned, including funding modalities. Assistance is also offered in the design of programmes and projects. UNFIP helps establish and, in some cases, manages global and regional networks.
To further facilitate, UNFIP advocates for prospective partners to use the Millennium Development Goals as a framework for partnerships.
UNFIP provides partnership advisory services to a broad group – as of March 2005, UNFIP fielded over 277 inquiries from a variety of entities, including 10 academic institutions, 86 companies, 53 foundations, 15 governments, 4 individuals, 81 NGOs and 28 UN entities. Combining the expertise and efficiency of companies and foundations with the breath and depth of development experience of the United Nations, it enables progress in less time with greater impact.
Working both with private and public sectors, UNFIP takes collaboration to the next stage: it engages partners not only on a financial level, but also intellectually and mobilizes technology, expertise, delivery systems, funding and other resources to achieve the Millennium Development Goals because it believes that “engaging business and all actors of civil society is not only the best chance; it may also be the only chance the United Nations have to reach the MDGs”.
For more information please visit www.un.org/unfip/2004Website
