Recognizing the key role of fostering fruitful and successful partnerships in the success of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Economic and Social Council is hosting its annual Partnership Forum on 5 April this year. Sustainable development for current and future generations has become the center of everything we do at the United Nations, and thus the ECOSOC Partnership Forum will explore ways to promote partnerships for global solutions to the global challenges as we move towards a sustainable future.

This year, the forum will focus on sustainable infrastructure development as a means for achieving these goals. Infrastructure development plays a catalytic role in fostering economic growth and employment, reducing poverty and inequality and facilitating development in all countries.

Over the years, the Partnership Forum has provided a platform for stakeholders from both civil society and the private sector to address cooperation for promoting opportunities, increased prosperity and sustainable development for all. It has grown to be a indispensable mechanism for overcoming the many challenges and bottlenecks to sustainable development for all.

As the international community continues to implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – the collective effort of international organizations, Member States, and the civil society – effective partnerships remain a key component for their achievement. A holistic approach to the massive task of creating a sustainable future for all of us is therefore critical, keeping global solutions to global challenges within reach.

ECOSOC’s 2017 Partnership Forum will take place at UNHQ in New York on Wednesday, 5 April 2017.