Making history: Eighteen countries align to partner with the private sector for improved disaster management in Asia and the Pacific

The private sector, as a first responder and development actor, is critical to bridge the divide between humanitarian and development approaches in the context of disaster management. That was one of the key takeaways of the regional workshop for Asia and the Pacific organized by the Connecting Business initiative (CBi), a joint programme supported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Countries in Asia and the Pacific are highly vulnerable to a wide range of natural hazards such as earthquakes, typhoons, floods, and landslides. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, highlighting the urgent need for effective risk reduction and disaster management strategies.

From 2015 – 2021, disasters due to natural hazards affected more than 800 million people across the region, resulting in 53,000 deaths and damages of more than US$397 billion.

Furthermore, experts from the region agreed that changes seen in Asia and the Pacific tend to then spread across the globe. For example, in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, many countries renewed investment in their national disaster management capacity. The region became an example of how to implement lessons learned. The strong desire to lead and coordinate disaster response in Asia and the Pacific – often with the military playing a key role alongside the private sector and the communities themselves – has since translated to myriad good practice references being born in the region and becoming a global reference.

It should come as no surprise, then, that accountability to affected populations was mentioned throughout the conversations that took place during the CBi workshop, going hand in hand with the necessity of working with micro-, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to better foster community resilience.

“The private sector is already there, present and an integral part of affected communities through their staff, their customers, their clients,” said Markus Werne, Head of the OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. “This is one area we can work together to strengthen disaster management efforts.”

“The private sector is already there, present and an integral part of affected communities through their staff, their customers, their clients,” said Markus Werne, Head of the OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. “This is one area we can work together to strengthen disaster management efforts.”

Another important topic, as weather patterns are being monitored to see what the second half of the year will bring to the region, was El Nino. Early warning protocols, forecast-based risk financing and anticipatory action were explored as early action efforts to make now to minimize the impact of El Nino.

“Companies cannot be successful in a weak environment,” said Elisa Trujillo, Director-General of CENACED, the CBi Member Network in Mexico, “and nothing sets us back more than disasters. We have to shift from business as usual to new business models that make the private sector more competitive and more sustainable long-term. That’s why we have to engage in disaster management.”

“Companies cannot be successful in a weak environment,” said Elisa Trujillo, Director-General of CENACED, the CBi Member Network in Mexico, “and nothing sets us back more than disasters. We have to shift from business as usual to new business models that make the private sector more competitive and more sustainable long-term. That’s why we have to engage in disaster management.”

Ms. Trujillo attended the workshop as part of the CBi approach of facilitating peer-to-peer learning across geographies, to offer her experience and lessons learned operating a business network in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Close to 50 representatives of the private sector, governments, UN agencies and international organizations from 18 countries gathered to discuss how to enhance meaningful business participation in national and regional disaster management coordination mechanisms. The event included nine sessions over two days and culminated on a focus on country-level activities to improve partnership and collaboration for disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

As part of the closing session, the Asia-Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management (A-PAD) Sri Lanka announced that A-PAD was celebrating a decade of impact in the region. In honor of this milestone, they were recognizing its key partners without whom their work would not have been possible, and gave CBi an award to acknowledge it as such a partner.

An additional half-day meeting was hosted by UNICEF to talk about ways to ensure that children are part of disaster management efforts.

As one of the concrete next steps to this regional workshop, CBi will set up a Community of Practice around early action activities led by and with the private sector so as to prepare for the potential impacts of El Niño.

CBi would like to thank all the participants, from Bangladesh to Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Mexico, Nepal, Papa New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Türkiye, Vanuatu, Viet Nam and beyond, and extending to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, the International Federation of the Red Cross, OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific, UNICEF South Asia, the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub and the United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.