The importance of stakeholder participation and partnerships towards achieving sustainable development is expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 16 and 17, and in numerous paragraphs of the New Urban Agenda (NUA), (1, 4-6, 11, 15, 21, 91, 96, 126, 128, 149, 153-4, 162-3, 165, 168-9, 171, and 172), the outcome document of the third UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), held in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016.

The Bussan partnership for effective development cooperation and the subsequent global partnership declarations offer principles and actions by governments and other stakeholders within the context of sustainable development, which are relevant to implementation of the NUA.

This partnership strategy responds to recommendations of the UN Joint Inspection Unit 2014, the OIOS 2015, and MOPAN evaluation of UN-Habitat in 2016. The strategy also builds on the UN system-wide collective actions in preparations for Habitat III and beyond, which led the Chief Executive Board to issue a paper and statement of commitment within the context of the “UN Delivering as One”.