Private sector to enhance engagement in man-made disasters

In partnership with the Connecting Business initiative (CBi), a 13-country consortium launched by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) during the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in 2016, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) recently held a pioneering workshop on the role of the private sector in recovery efforts following man-made disasters.

The event provided an opportunity for representatives from the private and public sectors to share insights on existing recovery efforts and mechanisms and talk about current challenges and opportunities in enhancing public-private collaboration in responding to and recovering from complex emergencies.

CBi also gave an overview of the “Engaging companies in manmade disasters – a guidance toolkit for private sector networks,” co-developed with European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (DG ECHO) and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).

The toolkit provides a framework for analyzing, developing, and executing an engagement strategy that leverages private sector capabilities and supports governments and the humanitarian community. According to CBi Secretariat Tiina Mylly, the toolkit was also simultaneously launched in Kenya and Colombia as part of its worldwide release.

“Complex emergencies now make up 90 percent of humanitarian needs in the world. That’s why it is critical for us to play a role in these types of crisis just as much as we do in natural calamities,” said PDRF president Butch Meily.

“The whole-of-society approach adopted by the Philippines allows the private sector to transcend the perception of being just the contractor, service-provider or vendor and as a community to be viewed as a valued partner and stakeholder in building a more resilient society, one that can overcome and recover from disasters to the benefit of all. With the aim of building a brighter future for communities that have suffered decades of conflict, business and humanitarian principles can find a common cause,” said Bidder.

In photo are: Task Force Bangon Marawi Deputy Rowena Dineros, Pepsi Cola Products Philippines Inc. senior manager corporate affairs and communications Monique Castro, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs officer Manja Vidic, Connecting Business Institute Secretariat Tiina Mylly, International Committee of the Red Cross regional adviser for multilateral and humanitarian affairs in Asia and the Pacific Daisuke Shibasaki, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Philippines head of office Mark Bidder, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation president Butch Meily, Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management Sri Lanka information and communications officer Michelle Joseph, Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, Lanao Del Sur Governor Mamintal Bombit Adiong, Ayala Corp. head of corporate support services Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., UCPB-CIIF Finance president Edgardo Amistad, PLDT/Smart Communications public affairs group head Ramon Isberto, and GREAT Women co-founder Jeannie Javelosa.