The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Global Compact (UN Global Compact) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) have established the Covid-19 Private Sector Global Facility.

The collaboration brings together public and private sector partners to help local communities recover better from the pandemic.

Deutsche Post DHL Group, Microsoft Corp. and the PwC network (PwC) have already joined the Covid-19 Private Sector Global Facility, and the initiative is open for other like-minded private sector organizations that want to contribute.  

The Global Facility is a response to corporate calls to action for private sector leaders and governments to work together to address the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The initiative has been established to better coordinate their responses, helping to ensure that immediate stimulus efforts flow into the real economy.

The Global Facility will operate at both the global and national levels. It aims to co-create solutions that are tailored to the phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in a given area and the specificities of the local private sector and government context. Guided by the UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals, the Facility will support a multisectoral, whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to face the multidimensional nature of the crisis.

Recovery efforts will focus on how to rebuild more inclusive economies and societies, to set a new course for a socially just, low-carbon and climate-resilient world where no one is left behind. Initial projects will focus on the countries of Colombia, Ghana, the Philippines and Turkey. Both the geographical scope and participating partners will expand as the Global Facility develops.

"Solidarity to ‘Recover Better Together’ can boost our collective efforts not only to cope with the crisis but overcome it. UNDP's footprint across some 170 countries and territories, combined with the UN Global Compact's network of more than 10,000 companies and 68 Local Networks around the world, and the International Chamber of Commerce's network of over 45 million companies, multiplies our collective capacity and potential,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

“The Facility is the first of its kind – designed to join forces across public and private sectors to serve humanity in an imperative moment.”

Launched under the motto “Recover Better Together”, the Covid-19 Private Sector Global Facility was announced by Steiner at the SDG Business Forum during the UN General Assembly.

Initiating partners

The Initiating Partners are UNDP, UN Global Compact and ICC. Together, they will bring their unique access to global expertise on responsible business practices, economic recovery, green business transformation and multi-hazard risk management.

“As Covid-19 disrupts societies, development agendas must adjust accordingly. There is a need for inclusive multilateralism, drawing on the critical contributions of civil society, business, foundations, the research community, local authorities, cities and regional governments. By unlocking public-private and private-private cooperation for a sustainable response to Covid-19 challenges, it is possible to recover better and build more resilient economies,” said Steiner.

The private sector has been acutely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The 10 principles of the UN Global Compact affirm the belief that businesses exist to serve and advance their societies, and their success cannot come at the cost of social or environmental regression.

“It is a moment of human tragedy and intense economic and social upheaval. But it is also a moment of possibility. Through partnerships like the Covid-19 Private Sector Global Facility we will support companies to Recover Better Together from the pandemic and finally confront global inequality by taking action, as well as mitigate the worst impacts of a climate emergency that threatens all of humanity. Together we can construct a new paradigm of resilience,” said Sanda Ojiambo, CEO & Executive Director of the UN Global Compact.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced around 70% of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to shut down their operations. SMEs represent 50% of global GDP and more than 70% of global employment. The partners of the Covid-19 Private Sector Global Facility, representing multinational, global and local private sector stakeholders, commit to joint projects to develop policy and financial solutions for pandemic relief.

The Secretary General of ICC John W.H. Denton AO said: “ICC’s local networks can bring value to the cooperation by reaching small business owners who want to have their challenges understood, their ideas heard, and their efforts to Recover Better recognized and built upon by others. SMEs need a way to facilitate this vital exchange of ideas, learning and experience with each other and with organisations and institutions in a position to support them.”

Private sector involvement

The Covid-19 Private Sector Global Facility is supported by strategic partners DHL, Microsoft and PwC, and is open for other like-minded private sector organizations that want to join this initiative. The strategic partners will add their expertise and technology to support this transformational recovery.

“In line with Microsoft’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, we firmly believe technology can be a force for good in these challenging times and we're proud to partner with public and private sector partners in an effort to accelerate global recovery,” said Justin Spelhaug, Microsoft VP and Global Head of Tech for Social Impact.

“We see The Global Facility as an opportunity to create economic opportunities for all, bring our sustainability investments forward to support growth and recovery in a manner that advances our shared environmental agendas, and use data and AI to a build a system of intelligence to help all stakeholders better target their efforts to the communities that need the most help.”

Firms from the global professional services network PwC joined the initiative at its conceptual stage with UNDP. PwC will continue to play an instrumental role in supporting the design and establishment of this flagship global public-private cooperation.

Additionally, PwC will help to develop finance and policy solutions and coordinate multi-stakeholder engagement. PwC’s role in the Global Facility is led by PwC Poland and supported by PwC Canada, PwC Hungary, PwC India, PwC Norway, PwC Middle East, PwC Switzerland, PwC Turkey and PwC UK.

“At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. Together with our clients and communities, we are working to assess and mitigate the major challenges that the pandemic poses for our economies and societies. We are proud to be working with our public and private sector partners to help structure and implement real pandemic relief solutions that make a difference in people’s lives,” said Agnieszka Gajewska, PwC Poland Partner, CEE Public Sector & Infrastructure Leader.

Michael Orfaly, Partner, PwC Middle East, added: “This partnership has come at a vital time given the severe impact of Covid-19 pandemic. We are delighted that the Middle East firm is able to take part in this global initiative, which will play an integral and tremendous role in achieving sustainable development goals and continue to combat the challenging impacts of the pandemic.”

In order to effectively reach the most vulnerable in the most efficient ways, the facility aims to expand the list of strategic partners.

Organisations that want to play a leading role in the global pandemic recovery and join this call to action are encouraged to contact the UNDP project coordinator, a statement said. – TradeArabia News Service