NRS Relief attends Humanitarian Network and Partnership Week in Geneva
NRS Relief recently attended the Humanitarian Network and Partnership Week in Geneva, hosted by the Swiss Government and co-chaired by the UK’s Department of International Development (DFID) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The five-day conference provided a space for humanitarian networks and partnerships to hold their annual meetings.
NRS Relief participated in discussions on private sector partnerships and how they can be used to bridge the gap between humanitarian actors and private businesses wishing to respond to emergencies. During the event, they met with their disaster response partners to discuss lessons learned, share best practices and evidence-based innovation, and address humanitarian challenges through cross-sector collaborations.
The importance of private sector engagement
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s legacy initiatives, the Agenda for Humanity, recognises the imperative to address humanitarian needs through collaboration between all parts of society. Amongst others, the private sector can:
- help develop and advocate the case for businesses to prepare and respond to emergencies;
- cultivate partnerships to address global and operational humanitarian issues; and
- create opportunities through initiatives, such as the Connecting Business initiative (CBi) for collaboration on emergency preparedness and response.
NRS Relief aims to become the driving force in the Middle East
Launched at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul last year, CBi is a private sector-driven and UN-supported initiative, in which operational and technical support is provided by the UN Development Programme and OCHA. CBi aims to shape the way private sector engages before, during and after crises to create more resilient communities, increase local capacity and alleviate human suffering.
During the week-long conference, it became apparent that CBi would benefit from a network in the Middle East, and it is in this regard that NRS Relief aims to become a partner and advocate for this initiative. NRS Relief will continue discussions around a partnership role within the UAE, and will engage CBi in Pakistan to improve emergency response.