Bali, Friday 27 May 2022 – Resilience experts called for a formal acknowledgement of the private sector role in disaster management. The need for a multi-stakeholder approach to move from risk to resilience was one of the key highlights of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) organized this week by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and hosted by the Government of Indonesia in Bali.
Representatives from local business networks and disaster management experts highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships at the GPDRR side event titled “Resilience is everyone’s business”, organized by the Ministry of National Development Planning of Indonesia, the OCHA-UNDP Connecting Business initiative (CBi), UNDRR-ARISE, UNICEF, OCHA and UNDP Indonesia.
Partners argued that as today’s risks become more complex, interconnected and systemic, a “whole of society” approach is required, where the private sector can play a role in building resilience, supporting communities, essential services and infrastructures.
Asako Okai, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP Crisis Bureau, said that “Despite its successes, the private sector often does not have a seat at the table and is unable to access resources when it comes to disaster management, preventing businesses from scaling up and reaching their full potential as partners in disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response. This must change.” She called for a better representation of the private sector in government disaster risk reduction and management as well as in development planning processes.
Representatives from the private sector also urged for a stronger acknowledgement of the role of the private sector and formal mechanisms to ensure sufficient resources during the response, for example through the UN Emergency Relief Fund.
Trina Aspuria, the Head of Programme and Innovation at the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, a CBi Member Network, noted that “We’ve moved from relief assistance to resilience building. By working closely with the Government and the Humanitarian Country Team, the Filipino private sector contributes to a more sustainable and dignified response to crises.”
Earlier this week, CBi signed a partnership agreement with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, KADIN, engage with the private sector in the implementation of the newly launched country roadmap to resilience building. Siddharta Moersjid, Head of the Standing Committee of Risk Management, Division of Social and Disaster Management at KADIN, said that: "Indonesia is highly exposed to natural hazards, affecting communities and local businesses. All companies, big or small, can take some concrete actions to build their own resilience. CBi partnership with KADIN will help us build the capacity of businesses to contribute to disaster resilience within their communities."
A joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Connecting Business initiative (CBi) supports private sector engagement before, during and after disasters. Since CBi’s launch in 2016, its Member Networks have responded to more than 100 crises and assisted around 18 million people. Read more in the 2021 CBi Annual Report.
For more information about CBi, visit connectingbusiness.org
For media inquiries, please contact Priscilla Lecomte at lecomte@un.org.