Multistakeholder Partnerships and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Sources and Audiences of Self-legitimation in the Fields of Health and Climate

The spread of global multistakeholder partnerships (MSPs) for the2030 Agenda for sustainable development has generatedsignificant expectations on policy synergies and transformativegovernance. This article contributes to the study of the currentgeneration of MSPs by focusing on the self-legitimation attemptsthat MSPs undertake to justify their authority. We compare theself-legitimation claims of an MSP operating within the climatepolicy field (the Climate and Clean Air Coalition) to those of anMSP active in the health policy field (Universal Health Coverage2030). Through an analysis of policy documents, meetingobservations, and interviews, we identify how the audiences andkey sources of self-legitimation differ between policy fields. Wesuggest complementary explanatory factors for these differencesat the policy field level, the institutional level, and the level ofglobal norms. We show that current MSP self-legitimation mirrorsgovernance challenges stemming from all three levels,particularly with regard to vague mandates, limited resources,and accountability.