Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and the 2030 Agenda Challenges and Options for Oversight at the United Nations

United Nations entities have long entered into multi-stakeholder partnerships with companies and civil society organizations. However, concerns about transparency, accountability, and effectiveness have prompted new discussions about the potential need for greater intergovernmental oversight over these partnerships. This study analyzes how oversight of multi-stakeholder partnerships is, or is not, occurring in the UN, identifies where gaps and challenges exist, and offers scenarios and options for how increased oversight of multi-stakeholder partnerships by UN member states could be structured with respect to: principles and guidelines for partnerships; due diligence mechanisms; and monitoring, reporting, and review of multi-stakeholder partnerships and their results.