Local business networks helped 18 million people through the Connecting Business initiative in 2023

Connecting Business initiative
In the aftermath of Hurricane Otis, the National Center for Epidemiological Emergencies and Disasters (CENACED or El Centro Nacional de Apoyo para Contingencias Epidemiológicas y Desastres), CBi's Member Network in Mexico, mobilized 183 allied organizations for a more coordinated response. Photo credit: CENACED
In the aftermath of Hurricane Otis, the National Center for Epidemiological Emergencies and Disasters (CENACED or El Centro Nacional de Apoyo para Contingencias Epidemiológicas y Desastres), CBI's Member Network in Mexico, mobilized 183 allied organizations for a more coordinated response. Photo credit: CENACED

The recently published Annual Report, highlights the activities of the OCHA-UNDP initiative and its Member Networks in 2023 to mobilize the private sector before, during, and after emergencies. 

“In 2023, a renewed understanding emerged related to the importance of engaging along the whole disaster management spectrum, with adequate preparedness measures paving the way for a better response which in turn enables a stronger, swifter recovery. None of it can be achieved without trust and cooperation between the public and private sectors,” said Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Associate Administrator and Director of the UNDP Bureau of Policy and Programme Support. 

CBI and the 16 Networks responded to 21 crises, such as Peru’s first cyclone in 40 years and the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. 

“CBI is one of the most successful projects to come out of the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, and is a clear example of what can be achieved when humanitarian and development agencies coordinate their activities,” said Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator. 

From Mexico to the Philippines, CBI’s16 Member Networks represent over 1.3 million individual businesses in a wide range of industries. New Member Networks joined the initiative, including regional networks in the Caribbean and Pacific as well as national networks in Ecuador and Kenya. 

“It is time to embrace not just funding from the private sector but leveraging the resources and expertise of companies of every size to develop a faster and more effective system of disaster risk reduction, humanitarian response, and early recovery.” said Kareem Elbayar, CBI Programme Coordinator and OCHA Private Sector Unit Team Lead. 

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 2023 Annual Report. 

For more information, please get in touch with us at connectingbusiness@un.org.

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