United Nations Foundation CEO Kathy Bushkin Calvin highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Calvin delivered her testimony about cross-sector partnerships before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight July 27.

To support her claim, she mentioned several success stories of the U.N. Foundation in terms of tapping public-private partnerships to advance the MDGs, which include the following: Nothing But Nets, The Measles Initiative, Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Girl Up Campaign, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, and mHealth Alliance.

Calvin also pointed out some challenges in making partnerships successful.

“It is critical to bring all partners and recipients to the table from the start of any initiative. Co-creation is essential.”

She further said that partnerships succeed best when everyone has a clear role to play, tapping each one’s strengths and competencies—not just financial resources.
    
Moreover, she stressed that partnerships work best if people take time to create full business plans with clear goals and objectives.

She lauded the U.N. and the U.S. government for becoming more adept and successful at forging partnerships with the private and nongovernmental sectors.

Finally, she emphasized the crucial role of the U.S. Congress in promoting partnerships.

“Congress has an important opportunity to support public-private partnerships in support of the Millennium Development Goals. As this Committee considers legislation to re-write the Foreign Assistance Act, it is critically important that USAID and the State Department are directed to work closely with public-private partnerships, and to actively encourage these efforts.”