Theme and Focus

The Humanitarian Development Program (HDP) is pleased to announce the 3rd Summit to bring together key executives in the aid and development community wishing to work closer with the international business sector.

Procuring key goods and services to aid global initiatives

Focused Private Meetings on Partnership & Procurement

Half of the summit time will be devoted to speeches and presentations and the other half devoted to one-to-one private meetings.

The afternoons of both 17 & 18 September will see private roundtables set up for the leading United Nations agencies, NGOs and donor agencies.

Participants in these roundtable sessions include:

Stimulating & Adversarial Conference Agenda

The two mornings of the summit will be devoted to the key humanitarian issues of the day. Instead of mundane and prosaic subjects, the agenda will focus on 6 key issues, with speakers presenting both sides of the argument and time for Q & As from the floor. Each session will have a respected chairperson to ensure balance and fairness.

We expect a lively and stimulating conference that will tackle the very issues at the forefront of the aid and development community:

1. Procurement and Long-Term Framework Agreements
2. Inter-Agency Relations during Disaster Response
3. Private Sector and Aid Agency Relations
4. Accountability and the Allocation of Funds
5. Logistics and Emergency Response in the Event of Disaster
6. Aid versus Development

KEY SECTORS

Health Promotion & Disease Prevention

The need for a coordinated response to the health problems encountered in the developing world and the ongoing healthcare treatment required for the many people already suffering from diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis demands a key role for the global heath community. The various international companies already involved in the supply of key drugs and the infrastructure required to ensure those supplies reach their intended destination make this a critical issue. In addition, the new challenges faced by people affected by emergencies and the victims of conflict present new challenges, challenges that the aid and development community cannot meet alone. The summit will provide the opportunity to meet with some of the principal organisations involved in this area, including the likes of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Joint UN Mission on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS,Tuberculosis & Malaria, the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Stop TB Partnership and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Information & Communication Technology (ICT)

With ever more instances of natural disasters and conflict throughout the developing world causing considerable loss of life and disrupting national economies, information and communication technologies (ICT) can help reduce their impact and avoid impeding sustainable development. The summit will prove invaluable in bringing together the principal stakeholders involved in developing, deploying and using telecommunications/ICT for disaster mitigation and to serve as a forum in which they can map out definitive strategies and adopt practical measures aimed at giving telecommunications/ICT a central role in all issues of disaster management, such as early warning, preparedness, relief and response. The summit works closely with some of the key organisations involved in these areas, such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and World Vision International.

Logistics & Supply Chain Management

The delivery of key materials in a timely fashion from centralised hubs to those areas most in need is perhaps the key issue in the aid and development community. The support provided for efficient and effective humanitarian action by catalysing the professionalism of humanitarian operations, increasing safety and security and considering environmental impact is immeasurable. The summit provides a forum whereby the logistical challenges faced can be highlighted and where aid and development agencies can engage with the private sector and share the lessons learned with all stakeholders, encouraging dialogue and interaction on best practices. Key participants include the likes of the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and World Vision International.

Global Food Crisis

2008 has been identified as the year of global food crisis, described by the World Food Programme (WFP) as "a silent tsunami which knows no borders sweeping the world." With little warning, the issue of soaring prices and lack of production has plunged over 100 million more people into poverty, triggering riots in places as diverse and Haiti, Cameroon, Indonesia and Egypt. Increases in the cost of providing food aid to the 70 million people currently assisted by the likes of the WFP, combined with other factors such as the growing global population, environmental factors and soaring energy prices affecting the production of key agrochemicals products have been blamed for the crisis. The summit will address these key issues and the role of the international business community, welcoming companies prevalent in the global food, agriculture and agrochemical sectors to discuss how investment in the sector can alleviate the threat posed and meet with key actors such as World Food Programme (WFP), Food & Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) and the World Bank.

Why Participate?

The summit is specifically about partnership and procurement between agencies and the private sector. Any delegate wishing to work with the leading agencies listed above will have the opportunity to meet them in private pre-scheduled meetings.

One trip to Nairobi will allow business leaders the chance to have numerous meetings with agency decision makers brought in from all over the world. Effectively, this highly focused two days will be a one stop shop for partnering with and supplying to the world’s leading agencies.

Any company operating in the following sectors will gain a return on their investment:

Building and reconstruction