Multi-Partner Conference Explores Ways to Engage Private Sector in
Coordinated Response to Disasters; President Clinton Addresses Group
NEW YORK, April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- An unprecedented gathering of U.S.
business leaders, United Nations officials and representatives of the world's
leading nonprofit relief organizations are meeting today at the UN to begin to
outline ways to respond more effectively to global disasters and emergencies
in the future.
Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of leading U.S. companies, is
hosting this unique collaborative effort aimed at raising awareness of the
need for continuing tsunami relief and establishing opportunities for working
partnerships among various groups.
The massive private sector response to the December 2004 Asian tsunami
disaster comprised the largest fund-raising effort by U.S. companies in
history, with more than $450 million contributed.
Following the Asian tsunami disaster, there is a new imperative for
cooperation in dealing with future global disasters, with the private sector
engaging with international aid agencies and affected governments in a
structured and coordinated manner to help provide relief.
Thanking the business community for their tremendous outpouring of
generosity and commitment to the tsunami affected region, former President
Bill Clinton said, "You were there on the ground bringing clean water, shelter
and other life-saving materials to those who suffered unspeakable loss in the
tsunami. Now the challenge is to use this momentum to help us build the
region back better -- with less poverty, more economic diversification and
greater security. If we achieve this in the tsunami region, we will have an
inspiring model for action for other countries in crisis."
President Clinton was appointed UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery by
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
"American businesses employ thousands of highly trained people skilled in
water sanitation, health care, transportation, communications, finance and
many other critical services," said Hank McKinnell, Chairman, Business
Roundtable and Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc. "Their talents are greatly
needed in immediate disaster response and in long-term rebuilding efforts. We
know that public-private partnerships work. The Tsunami disaster demonstrated
the importance and value of expertise from business working in a public-
private partnership model."
"The tremendous generosity of corporations and individuals for the
survivors of the tsunami showed humanity at its best," said Jan Egeland, UN
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
Coordinator. "With this meeting, we use this momentum to encourage even
better partnerships with the private sector in the future for forgotten and
neglected emergencies elsewhere. If we prepare ourselves better together we
can save a lot of lives."
The Conference includes a number of case studies around private sector
response to the Tsunami, focusing on the work of individual companies and
their involvement with public sector agencies in that effort.
Also today, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
and the Global Compact Office are launching Business Contributions to UN
Emergency Relief: An Orientation Guide. This comprehensive online resource
has been designed to help businesses identify effective ways to support the
UN's emergency relief efforts. It can be accessed at
http://ochaonline.un.org/businesscontributions.
Advancing Public Private Partnership in Response to Global Disasters
United Nations -- New York, NY
ECOSOC Chamber, 2nd floor UN Secretariat
Monday, April 25, 2005
Opening remarks: President William J. Clinton;
UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery
AGENDA
Time Session Name
9:00am - 9:40am Welcome and introductory remarks from the hosts
Hank McKinnell - Chair of Business Roundtable, and
Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc
Jan Egeland - UN Under-Secretary General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
9:40am - 9:55am Opening remarks
President William J. Clinton - UN Special Envoy for
Tsunami Recovery
9:55am - 10:10am Break
10:10am - 11:10am Short presentations: Lessons learned from recent
Public Private Partnerships in disaster response
Facilitator:
John J. Castellani - President, Business Roundtable
Presenters:
Karen Katen, Vice Chairman - Pfizer Inc
Stanley Litow - Vice President, Corporate Community
Relations, IBM Corporation
Michael Stayton - Chief of Staff, World Food
Programme
Greg Allgood - Director, Children's Safe Drinking
Water, The Procter & Gamble Company
Bo Miller - Public Affairs Director, Corp.
Citizenship & Contributions, The Dow Chemical
Company
11:15am - 12:15pm Panel: Principles of Partnership: A roadmap for the
future
Moderator:
Adrian Wooldridge - Washington Correspondent, The
Economist
Panelists:
Carol Bellamy - Executive Director, UNICEF
David Nabarro - Head of Crisis Operations, WHO
Rubert Jayasinghe - Deputy Permanent Representative
of Sri Lanka to the UN
Johan Schaar - Special Envoy for Tsunami Operations,
IFRC
Michael Klein, CEO of Global Banking, Citigroup
12:15pm - 12:30pm Wrap up
Mark Malloch Brown - UNDP Administrator, Chef De
Cabinet to the Secretary General
12:30pm - 2:00pm Lunch at Delegates Dining Room, United Nations
Short remarks:
Jan Egeland
Ambassador Douglas Hartwick - US Department of State,
Coordinator Tsunami Reconstruction Task Force
SOURCE Business Roundtable; United Nations
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Related links:
http://ochaonline.un.org/businesscontributions
CONTACT:
Johanna Schneider +1-202-496-3270, or Tita
Freeman, +1-202-496-3269, both of the Business Roundtable; or
Stephanie Bunker of OCHA, +1-917-367-5126; or Jehane
Sedky-Lavandero, Press Office, Office of the Special Envoy For
Tsunami Recovery, +1-212-906-6904
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