GENESIS Database on Multistakeholder Partnerships for Sustainable Development

This publication presents the design and development of the Database on Multistakeholder Partnerships (MSPs) for Sustainable Development of the ERC-funded GENESIS research project. This Database was created to empirically map existing projects contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and then assess the participation and involvement of MSPs in such projects. The Database was constructed to support Work Package 4 of the GENESIS project, which investigates how MSPs engage with international human rights standards in delivering collective goods and services associated with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing primarily on the UN DESA SDG Partnerships Platform and complemented by additional sources, the dataset compiles 3,977 projects and applies a structured three-step Data Scraping Protocol to identify partnerships that qualify as MSPs—defined as networked arrangements involving public, private, and civil society actors—and that operate as long-term initiatives focused on SDGs 2 (food), 3 (health), 4 (education), or 6 (water). Using this method, 160 projects implemented by MSPs were identified for further analysis in this research project. However, the complete dataset of projects (either implemented by MSPs or other actors) is published open access to ensure it meets the data management FAIR criteria: findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. The resulting workbook offers a systematically curated set of projects, initiatives and partnerships operating in these four SDG domains and serves as a foundational resource for examining their governance practices, accountability gaps, and engagement with human rights norms, while also providing a versatile research tool for broader studies.