New UNSSC programme on partnerships, financing, and resource mobilization

Partnerships have become increasingly important for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda. The Covid19 pandemic has reversed years of progress on the SDGs, pushing 166 countries into recession (DHF, 2022) and an estimated additional 93 million people into extreme poverty in 2020 (UN 2022). The world faces multiple and interlinked crises of climate change, conflict and risks to peace, and inflation. More than ever, renewed and effective multilateral responses are required to address global challenges.

While the UN has traditionally played a leading role in development efforts, in recent years there has been a decrease in UN funding and a significant increase of earmarked funding from 51 per cent in 2010 to 62 per cent in 2020 (DHF, 2022). As a result, it has become increasingly important to make non-traditional partnerships and shift from funding to financing to achieve joint action to meet the SDGs.

A course for UN personnel

The United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) is excited to announce an upcoming course on partnerships, financing, and resource mobilization that is specifically designed for heads of UN country offices and UN personnel (especially partnership specialists, innovative financing specialists/officers, economists, and resource mobilization officers). This course is particularly important given the urgency of partnerships to achieve the 2030 Agenda and sustainable development.

This course provides participants with an opportunity to learn from experts in the field, share experiences and best practices, and develop practical skills to support sustainable development initiatives.

Participants will learn about the key principles of effective partnerships, including how to identify and engage stakeholders, how to build trust and establish shared goals, and how to leverage diverse expertise and resources to achieve shared objectives. They will also learn about the different types of financing available for sustainable development, including joint funding, pooled funding, and SDG financing and impact investments. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of resource mobilization in achieving sustainable development goals and how to effectively mobilize resources from a range of sources, including private sector investment and public sector funding.

In addition to these key principles, the course will provide practical tools and frameworks for effective partnership, financing, and resource mobilization. These include risk assessment frameworks, financial mapping tools, partnership development strategies, as well as soft skills in trust building, and political acumen.

Call for applications 

The course provides a comprehensive understanding of how to identify financial sources and leverage them for sustainable development, stakeholder mapping and building effective partnerships, innovative joint funding mechanisms, and practical examples that have worked in real-world situations. This will help UN practitioners at country level tackle the challenges associated with shrinking funding, limited tools and mechanisms for resource mobilization, and limited collaboration among stakeholders towards common goals. The course will equip country-level officials working in partnerships, financing and resource mobilization with the necessary tools and skills to overcome these challenges and have a greater impact in their daily work.

The participants are selected based on their experience, willingness to share expertise, and their broader contribution to learning for sustainable development. Individual participants will take part in peer exchange sessions to ensure and allow for meaningful co-learning experiences that can inspire transformative change through increased collective financing for the SDGs. 

Interested? You are invited to register by 30 June 2023. For inquiries, please email sustainable-development@unssc.org.