Geneva, 27 October 2021. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has decided to partner with the UNDP - OCHA Connecting Business initiative (CBi) to build the capacity of local businesses in disaster management. The partnership will strengthen the involvement of local businesses in building climate and disaster resilience in Viet Nam.
Viet Nam is one of the countries most affected by extreme weather events in the world. Last October, record floods devastated the central region, highlighting the need for increased prevention, mitigation, and preparedness efforts and the engagement of all sectors of society in disaster management. As such, VCCI has decided to partner with CBi, the joint United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) initiative that supports private sector engagement before, during, and after disasters.
Speaking at the official introduction workshop organized last Friday with the Viet Nam National Disaster Management Authority, VCCI and UNDP Vietnam, Sahba Sohbani, the Director of the UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development, said “This is concrete evidence of the multi-stakeholder approach needed in disaster and climate resilience. Together, we can build the capacity of local businesses and communities to better prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.”
With more frequent and severe climate related disasters affecting low- and middle-income countries the most, the private sector can play a crucial role in addressing the needs for increased investment in adaptation and resilience building.
“Viet Nam is challenged with the impact of climate change, disasters and epidemics. The losses could be up to 1.5% of GDP annually and this figure is on the rise. At VCCI, we are encouraging a more systematic and active response by the private sector. Businesses need to have better information access and need to be better connected to actively interact with each other, to share and to learn from each other in adapting to climate change and epidemics,” explained Nguyen Quang Vinh, Secretary General of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Edem Wosornu, chief of OCHA’s Response Support Branch noted that “The increasing complexity of disasters requires collaboration among the government, the humanitarian and development sectors, and the business community. The private sector, with its resources on the ground and capacity to mobilize local communities, has become a key stakeholder in humanitarian response.”
CBi will provide strategic and technical support to VCCI and its regional networks in Da Nang and Can Tho, supporting the development of business continuity plans and building the networks’ capacity. A joint initiative by UNDP and OCHA, CBi works directly with business federations around the world representing more than 4,000 members and reaching more than 40,000 micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Since CBi’s launch in 2016, its Member Networks have responded to more than 100 crises and assisted around 17 million people.
For more information about the Connecting Business initiative, visit www.connectingbusiness.org
For media inquiries, please contact Priscilla Lecomte: lecomte@un.org