A/RES/58/129 Taking note of the work of the United Nations on partnerships, such as the Global Compact Initiative launched by the Secretary-General, the Information and Communication Technologies Task Force and the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships, and welcoming the establishment of a multitude of partnerships at the field level, entered into by various United Nations agencies, nonState partners and Member States, such as the United Nations Public-Private Alliance for Rural Development, Stressing that partnerships should focus on the achievement of concrete results, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General; 8 2. Stresses that the principles and approaches that govern such partnerships should be built on the firm foundation of United Nations purposes and principles, as set out in the Charter of the United Nations, and invites the United Nations system to continue to adhere to a common and systematic approach to partnership which, without imposing undue rigidity in partnership agreements, includes the following principles: common purpose, transparency, bestowing no unfair advantages upon any partner of the United Nations, mutual benefit and mutual respect, accountability, respect for the modalities of the United Nations, striving for balanced representation of relevant partners from developed and developing countries and countries with economies in transition, sectoral and geographic balance, and not compromising the independence and neutrality of the United Nations system in general and the agencies in particular; Encourages the relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, and invites 3. the Bretton Woods institutions, as well as the World Trade Organization, to continue to explore possibilities of enhancing the use of partnerships to better implement their goals and programmes, in particular in the pursuit of development and the eradication of poverty, bearing in mind the different mandates, modes of operation and objectives of the bodies and agencies, as well as the particular roles of the nonState partners involved; Recalls that the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation6 designated the 4. Commission on Sustainable Development to serve as a focal point for discussions on partnerships that promote sustainable development, and in this context reaffirms the criteria and guidelines for partnerships in the context of the World Summit on Sustainable Development process and its follow-up, as set out by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 2003/61; Stresses the importance of the contribution of voluntary partnerships to 5. the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration,1 while reiterating that they are a complement to but not intended to substitute for the commitments made by Governments with a view to achieving these goals; Also stresses that partnerships should be consistent with national laws, 6. national development strategies and plans, as well as the priorities of countries where their implementation takes place, bearing in mind the relevant guidance provided by Governments; Calls upon all bodies within the United Nations system that engage in 7. partnerships to ensure the integrity and independence of the Organization and to _______________ 8 A/58/227. 3