This paper presents the results of a working group on partnerships in preparation for the WHO Health for All Policy for the 21st Century. The working group aimed to clarify the nature of partnerships for health, proposed six categories of partnerships and outlined principles and criteria for partnerships. It concluded that partnership building was a key strategic component of health development and underlined that WHO must increasingly see its role as one of mustering support for health from many players. In order to do so, WHO must change its organizational culture and mode of operation.