ABSTRACT
For UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, creating a secure, sustainable, and more equit - able future is underpinned by two enablers: partnerships and a stronger United Nations.1
This chapter delves more deeply into the former, particularly the collaborative relations that the UN continues to forge with the private sector, or what are commonly known as UN-business partnerships. The buzzword “partnership” has perm eated the vocabulary of international organizations for over two decades, re-emerging, more forcefully than ever, in conjunction with Rio+20. The Future We Want-the outcome document of Rio+20-not only recognizes that the active participation of the private sector can contribute to sustainable development but also calls for continuing and strengthening existing partnerships and creating new ones. The dominant meaning of a partnership continues to signify a beneficial process, namely the formation of coalitions of public and private actors leading to the realization of universal goals. Yet, a partnership is not only a ubiquitous buzzword invoked by global leaders, it is also a concrete social practice through which development acquires particular meanings, and is realized, showcased, and resisted.
