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4BAnticipate, do not wait, for crises
Individual Commitments (1)
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
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The East Africa Humanitarian and Private Sector Partnerships Platform aims to facilitate cross-sector and local partnerships to share capabilities and readiness to engage and work with humanitarian actors. It therefore commits to working with the Connecting Business initiative to strengthen and build pre- and post-crisis resilience in East Africa along with governments, donors, and UN agencies.
- Operational
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.
The East Africa Humanitarian and Private Sector Partnerships Platform (HPPP)/Connecting Business Initiative (CBi) conducted multiple activities, including holding meetings with representatives from local, multinational business, UN, academia, government and civil society. It also produced newsletters and snapshots and carried out quarterly Steering Committee meetings and social media engagements - see https://www.connectingbusiness.org/east-africa. The HPPP Chair, Equity Bank, received the 2017 RES/CON Humanitarian Resilience Impact Award for its contribution in community resilience through cash programming – recognized during a high-level visit by the former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs to drought-affected Moyale, Kenya. HPPP was instrumental in engaging the private sector, local businesses and other key humanitarian stakeholders on general elections' preparedness (due to post-election violence and the humanitarian crisis experienced in 2007) in Kenya with the election period beginning August 2017. Other activities included:
- A simulation exercise organized by OCHA and World Vision that clarified the humanitarian coordination system and entry points for private sector engagement and participation in disaster management and response. The exercise also introduced tools and mechanisms that private sector organizations (Ushahidi) could use to collect real-time data to aid in response.
- During the elections, key HPPP members were able to share information and highlight needs from localized skirmishes. Information was shared with county hub leads responsible for response using front-line responders such as the Kenya Red Cross Society as well as using the hub contingency plan as a reference.
- Agakhan Foundation School of Media and Communications (HPPP member) conducted training to enhance media and communication skills of civil society organizations, especially those involved in supporting communities during the election period.
2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
- Through multi-stakeholder processes or initiatives (e.g. IASC, Grand Bargain, Charter for Change, etc).
- Other: Through self reporting and documenting engagement, in coordination with CBi.
B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?
The cross-sector stakeholder simulation exercise was reviewed and recommendations for improvements provided. Follow-up was agreed by the HPPP Steering Committee on other activities documented & are included in the 2018 workplan; complex crisis response case study; in-depth simulation exercise; documentation/ publications; disaster preparedness with the government initiatives including disaster risk financing strategies; engagement with local, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME).
3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
- Funding amounts
- Human resources/capacity
- Information management/tools
B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?
Time constraints of key HPPP members currently result in delays in planned outreach, full application of the potential of the network to expand, support to other countries in East Africa beyond Kenya (e.g. Uganda is affected). Engagement with local small and medium-sized enterprises' to help support sustainability, disaster preparedness, business continuity is critical, and warrants more support.
4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.
- Lead consultation on complex crises response and the network's role (contributing to CBI's global pilots) in Kenya. Further input already provided for design of UNOCHA/UNDP/UNISDR’s CBi’s Network Foundation Guide & Assessment Tool.
- In-depth simulation exercise.
- Strategic engagement with local small and medium-sized enterprises.
- Documentation/ publications & improved external stakeholder engagement & information management.
- Disaster preparedness focusing on government initiatives including disaster risk financing strategies; public health; food security/drought preparedness.
5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?
- Election of new Chair, consolidation of governance structure and registration as association.
- Complex crises consultation workshop & key informant interviews; co-creation workshop with private sector as part of a fragile context scenario (violence, mass displacement, etc.)
- Member & external stakeholder engagement, e.g. via "TED" talks, publications, simulation exercises, field visits & specific joint projects.
- Mapping of and further refinement of Private & Humanitarian Actor 3W tool - including focus on small and medium-sized enterprises
6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.
- Focus on complex, protracted displacement crises in E.Africa: Provided entry point and connections for HPPP to private sector actors and facilitated follow-up engagement with Private Sector Foundation Uganda, Equity Bank, Afripads and MasterCard during Government of Uganda/ Investment Authority (UIA) and UNHCR/UNDP hosted Refugee Solidarity Summit, June 2017
Keywords
Cash, Disaster Risk Reduction, Private sector