69. The Millennium Declaration reaffirmed the resolve of the international community to “give greater opportunities to the private sector, non-governmental organizations and civil society, in general, to contribute to the realization of the Organization’s goals and programmes.” Organizations of the UN system have forged strong partnerships with non- UN development actors on a wide range of issues and are working with the private sector and civil society organizations to help alleviate poverty and achieve the MDGs. An example is the UN’s Global Compact, an initiative of the Secretary-General to engage the business community in a common effort to support 10 internationally agreed principles in human rights, labour, environment and anticorruption. The Global Compact now involves nearly 2,000 companies and other stakeholders, operating in more than 70 countries.
