Spotlight on #PeaceDoves at the Business for Peace summit
NRS Relief recently attended the 2018 Business for Peace Annual Event in Cairo, Egypt, a key convening event for businesses seeking to advance the business for peace movement and humanitarian action. Hosted by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Local Network Egypt, the conference brought together more than 300 leaders from businesses, the investment industry, civil society, governments, the United Nations, and the UNGC Local Networks.
Representing the private sector, our colleague Wieke de Vries, Head of Communications & CSR, delivered a spotlight presentation about our #PeaceDoves project that was successfully launched on World Peace Day. #PeaceDoves is a non-profit, circular economy initiative that promotes peace. Mrs. De Vries explained that the project was guided by the principles that define Sustainable Development Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production – a global goal that that we strongly embrace as a manufacturing company.
Private sector companies have the capacity to significantly impact by investing in, contributing to, and partnering for sustainable development, which is a prerequisite for peaceful societies and communities, which was emphasized by Mrs. De Vries.
“If we are part of a supply chain too important to fail, we have to rethink our responsible business and sustainability strategy. We have ‘partnered for peace’ with the UK NGO Empathy Action and addressed issues relating to upcycling of waste, gender equality and the ongoing refugee crisis.”
In her presentation, Mrs. De Vries also showcased how the private sector can scale up commitment to the achievement of the Global Goals and how companies can create partnerships for peace.
“We know that as a manufacturer we cannot manufacture peace, however we can make peace with our environment. The #PeaceDove project was an explicit example of how companies can successfully support the Business for Peace movement.”
The two-day event, which took place on 7-8 November, aimed to:
- scale up private sector contributions and partnerships for the achievement of the Global Goals and Sustaining Peace Agenda;
- delve into the role of the private sector in humanitarian crises and complex emergencies – particularly focusing on people affected by conflict; and
- motivate and expand the Business for Peace community by sharing experiences, emerging practices and learning, with an emphasis on moving beyond anecdotal examples to systemic solutions.
To know more about our #PeaceDoves project, click here.
