The OCHA/UNDP Connecting Business initiative (CBi) and its Member Networks responded to 32 crises, mobilized over US$7 million in cash and in-kind donations, and reached more than 5.5 million people in 2022.
The 2022 Annual Report published today highlights activities carried out by 14 CBi Member Networks through preparedness, response, and recovery activities.
“In a world where extreme weather events, pandemics, conflict and combinations thereof are becoming more frequent, more intense, and further-reaching in their impact, humanitarian and development practitioners need to work with the public and private sectors,” said Florian Rhiza Nery, CBi’s Deputy Programme Coordinator. “We need to place the needs of affected people, communities and small businesses front and centre if we are to foster more resilient societies.”
CBi and its 14 Member Networks responded to emergencies such as the war on Ukraine, tropical cyclones impacting Madagascar, earthquakes in Peru, a volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga, earthquakes in Indonesia, a food security and economic crisis in Sri Lanka, tropical cyclones in the Philippines, and more.
“Becoming stronger together is not just a tagline. It is a philosophy that lies at the very core of what CBi stands for,” said Marcos Neto, Director of the Sustainable Finance Hub. “And it is the only approach that stands a chance of bridging the gaps between needs and resources, bringing sectors together and reaching across borders.”
From Côte d’Ivoire to Viet Nam, CBi Member Networks represent 789,000 businesses of all sizes. All CBi Member Networks are engaging with national disaster management agencies or coordination mechanisms.
“With ever-growing risks amplified by our interdependence and our interconnectedness, it is not a question of whether we will prevent, mitigate, adapt to, prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters but rather how we will achieve this despite growing needs and resources being stretched,” stated Kareem Elbayar, CBi’s Programme Coordinator and the Private Sector Engagement Advisor, Response Support Branch, OCHA. “Our answer is deceptively simple: together.”
********
The OCHA/UNDP Connecting Business initiative (CBi) works with businesses around the world to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Learn more at connectingbusiness.org. Download the CBi 2022 Annual Report.
For more information, please contact Shahnaz Radjy, CBi Communication Lead, at shahnaz.radjy@un.org.