Currently, almost all the United Nations entities are cooperating with private business companies to reach common goals such as providing humanitarian aid, adequate jobs, and health and education services. However, the money is not the primary reason for this collaboration. Indeed, even if the UN was fully funded, it would still need private companies, and not just as a secondary ally, but as an equal partner.

First, the United Nations focuses on global problems and supports a nation as one big entity. Unfortunately, it overlooks particular needs of individuals, such as those addressed by the Arc Initiative. On the contrary, private companies and organizations, due to their sizes (which are definitely smaller than the UN), while not being able to fully embrace global issues, concentrate on individuals or small communities (in case of the Arc, the people of South Africa, Ethiopia, Colombia and Rwanda).

Second, social enterprises usually make decisions relatively faster than the United Nations. As an intergovernmental organization, a single agreement/compromise should be reached among all the members before any actions can be taken. In private organizations, unlike in the UN, boards of directors or owners or whoever is the head of the company usually make decisions. Hence, due to the small number of  owners/executives, agreement can be reached within several weeks, while it takes several months for the UN to make arrangements.

Thus, the United Nations and business need each other for many more reasons than just money or power. By multiplying connections between the UN and the private sector, more and more pressing issues can be resolved.

The United nations and the private sector. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2014, from http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2008highlevel/pdf/background/UN_Business Framework.pdf