Business and Disaster Relief

An event for NGOs and Humanitarian Organisations, supported by Allen & Overy

Partner:	Business in the Community (BITC)
Event date:	Tuesday 11 September 2012 From 10:30 to 15:30
Location:	London, United Kingdom
Venue:	Allen & Overy 1 Bishops Square London E1 6AD
Contact details:	Clare Jenkinson +44 (0)20 7566 8722 / +44 (0)77 1362 0642 Clare.Jenkinson@bitc.org.uk Website
Information:	Download the information/flyer

This event is mainly aimed at NGOs and Humanitarian Organisations, and part of a wider programme of events. If you are a business interested in this programme, please get in touch with Clare Jenkinson at Clare.Jenkinson@bitc.org.uk

The contributions companies have made in previous disasters demonstrate that business can play an important role in disaster relief, providing logistics and as donors of cash, in kind resources and staff time. The Humanitarian Emergency Response Review, commissioned by Secretary of State Andrew Mitchell and led by Lord Ashdown outlines how the private sector represents a huge source of untapped capacity and expertise to reduce suffering and help rebuild communities in the aftermath of a disaster.

In addition, given the increased scale of needs and vulnerability, there is an increased focus on efforts on disaster risk reduction and building resilience.

There is clearly a need for better understanding of how business can play a role in disaster relief, both for business and humanitarian organisations.

The session will offer:

An overview of how business is supporting humanitarian and disaster relief efforts
Examples from businesses with a developed Disaster Relief programme

The session will explore:

Which private sector skills and expertise are most needed
Trends in humanitarian emergency response and implications for the private sector
The opportunities and barriers of business engagement for humanitarian organisations