Introduction

For the first time in the history of humankind, global goals exist that guide future development. The UN’s 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a detailed framework for public, private, and civil society actors to collaborate for a future that leaves no one behind, as agreed in the Agenda 2030. The interlinkages between the goals render particular importance to Goal no. 17, which emphasizes the need for partnerships between multiple stakeholders. To do this successfully, it is important to carefully understand the context in which multi-stakeholder collaborations take place and drive sustainability transformations: the complex, sometimes conflictive, systems of stakeholders that are relevant to improve a particular issue at stake. Actors in SDG implementation need to understand what can foster or prevent change, and how to overcome sustainability challenges together. The practitioner guide focuses on multi-level skills building for result-oriented collaboration between public sector, private sector, and civil society organizations. It shows that a novel approach to leading transformative change collectively across institutions, sectors, and nations can be achieved.