Leveraging formal frameworks for private sector engagement in disaster management: An example from Côte d’Ivoire

Over the past year, the General Confederation of Companies of Côte d'Ivoire (CGECI or Confédération Générale des Entreprises de Côte D'Ivoire) and its Private Sector Humanitarian Platform (PHSP or Plateforme Humanitaire du Secteur Privé du Côte d'Ivoire), a CBi Member Network, have been working closely with government counterparts - through Ministry of Social Cohesion, Solidarity and the Fight against Poverty who established a National Humanitarian Contingency Plan for extreme weather events and conflict-related emergencies. The PHSP Côte d'Ivoire is part of the wider coordination committee alongside humanitarian actors such as the United Nations, OCHA, and UNDP.

The focus is on understanding risk and establishing protocols to develop better disaster preparedness, response and recovery approaches. The three types of crises being addressed include:

1. Extreme weather events
2. Conflict and insecurity both within the Côte d'Ivoire and in neighbouring countries
3. Health epidemics and pandemics

This reflects a political will and the understanding that (with the increased frequency and intensity of crises) the Government must work hand in hand with the private sector to ensure greater societal resilience.

The process has been slow but ensures a shift from the more historically reactive engagement of businesses purely in disaster response to more consistent collaboration for prevention, mitigation and preparedness. Furthermore, as it builds on legal frameworks, it also means that collaboration and engagement are sustainable.

Challenges and opportunities for a more holistic disaster management approach with local businesses

The ongoing process of formalizing how the local private sector can engage year-round in disaster management efforts is not without obstacles.

There are three major challenges in what the PSHP Cote d'Ivoire is trying to achieve:

• Companies that are keen to engage more consistently in disaster management but there are often competing priorities whereby the urgent overrides the important. Awareness raising will be key to shifting the perception so that disaster management becomes integral to business operations rather than a "nice to have"
• Information sharing should go both ways and opportunities should be explored to see how businesses can go beyond just responding and engaging in recovery
• Businesses that, as a collective, will have to work together to gather data and measure impact to truly understand what changes their actions spurred and how the affected populations are faring not only in the immediate aftermath of a disaster but also in the medium to long term

The vision of the PHSP Côte d'Ivoire is not only to formalize the engagement of the private sector at a national level but to leverage the CGECI's connection to West African platforms for regional engagement and even take that to Africa-wide events for greater exchanges and learnings to be exchanged continent-wide.