Assist the U.N. Global Compact Office (www.unglobalcompact.org) in preparing a mandatory review on partnerships between U.N. agencies and the private sector, due to be delivered to the U.N. General Assembly in September 2005. The project reviewed the political debate on partnerships within the U.N. framework, surveyed key institutional developments in the governance of partnerships (e.g. the Global Compact and different partnership focal points within the different agencies), analyzed major recent partnership initiatives, and, based on some of the lessons learned, proposed a number of recommendations. The results helped to inform strategic policy decisions on the partnership agenda at the U.N. level. The project focused on developments in the past two years since the publication of the last U.N. General Assembly report on "Enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and all relevant partners, in particular the private sector" (A/58/227).

Press reviews of Business UNusual

Sarah Murray: UN partnerships: Mistrust of corporate world wearing off, Financial Times, 13 September 2005.

Hannes Koch: Guter Wille allein reicht nicht, taz, 14 September 2005.