PDRF showcases work at UN conference in Geneva
The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) and private sector representatives from 14 countries from the UN’s Connecting Business Initiative met recently in Geneva in person for the first time in two years at the eighth Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) hosted by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Participants shared experiences and best practices about the role of local businesses in preparing for, responding to and recovering from disasters.
The group identified the fight against the climate crisis and localization of humanitarian response as the key issues where local businesses can help make a difference in people’s lives. “Humanitarian action is all about bringing people together.
When a disaster strikes, first responders are the local communities, the local businesses. For OCHA, the private sector is one of our most important partners to collectively respond better and quicker,” said Edem Wosornu, chief of OCHA’s Response Support Branch.
PDRF president Butch Meily was a resource speaker during the session entitled, “Act local, think global: humanitarian action and the private sector” along with representatives from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Alliance for Risk Management and Business Continuity and the Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management Sri Lanka.
“Love is stronger than hatred. Light is stronger than darkness. Looking out at all of you coming from all over the world and gathered here to do good, I am reminded of how each of us in our own way is a lamp that glows in the night giving light and hope to everyone,” said Meily.
“COVID-19 has brought a renewed sense of urgency in the need to support local and national actors. When countries went into lockdown, in many cases there were only local actors to deliver assistance,” explained Marcos Neto, director of UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub.
“But local businesses need support, they need to be involved in decision-making processes of humanitarian response, and they have the means to deliver assistance in accordance with humanitarian principles.” PDRF executive director Veronica Gabaldon spoke at the session “Feeling the Heat, how local businesses respond to the climate emergency,” which highlighted examples of climate action from the Fiji Business Disaster Resilience Council, the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation, the Madagascar Private Sector Humanitarian Platform and UNICEF.
“Businesses, specifically MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), are among the hardest hit by climate change and so innovative and sustainable solutions need to be created and implemented to help them adapt better,” said Gabaldon.