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Private enterprises often play an instrumental role in driving collaboration in development. Here are some examples of how the private sector works with leading UN agencies

02/07/2014 - 

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, (FAO)

FAO, the UN agency devoted to eradicating hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, is currently working with the Rabobank Foundation in Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia to improve the incomes of smallholder farmers by providing support to small rural businesses, as well as through the identification of productive, competitive and sustainable agri-businesses along the whole value chain. The partners are creating financial literacy programs and management skills training to help farmer producer groups become eligible for formal lending. In Tanzania, these partners are also enabling smallholder rice farmers to participate in the country's warehouse receipt system, which is designed to increase incomes by ensuring fair prices for farm products.

UN agencies and private sector partners are also coming together in support of the shared vision of zero hunger, enhancing existing programmes and stimulating novel initiatives. Initiated in 2011, the Save Food global initiative on loss and waste – a partnership between FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Messe Düsseldorf – works in collaboration with both public- and private-sector partners from the food packaging industry. The project focuses on minimising food losses incurred in developing countries during harvest, processing, transportation and storage as a result of inadequate infrastructure and technology.

United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP)

With a presence in more than 170 countries worldwide, UNDP has long considered the private sector to be an integral partner in its efforts that advance sustainable and human development.

UNDP supports many countries in managing their extractive sectors for human development and also helps companies to align their corporate social responsibility investments and core business operations with national and global development priorities. In Colombia, UNDP works in communities near oil exploration sites by building capacity for local development, including access to safe drinking water and improved food security.

Through the Green Commodities Program, UNDP works to remove bottlenecks and strengthen competitiveness in agricultural value chains. Pivotal to its success is UNDP's collaboration with private sector partners including, Mondelez, IKEA, Johnson & Johnson, Walmart, Tesco, Dole, Chiquita and Del Monte. Currently in eight countries, initiatives focus on key sectors, including coffee in Colombia, cocoa in Ghana, pineapples in Costa Rica and palm oil in Indonesia. UNDP brings together national governments, large international purchasers, local producers and others to strengthen each commodity's value chain.

UNDP is also working with the UK Department for International Development (DFID), to elicit private sector solutions for sustainable development, and has recently launched the Malawi Innovation Challenge Fund, a $8m fund for agricultural and manufacturing companies seeking support for novel projects that deliver large social impact and help the country diversify its exports.

In addition, UNDP hosts the secretariat of the Business Call to Action(BCtA), a global membership platform that encourages private companies to develop innovative business models that combine profitability with development impact. More than 90 companies have already responded to the BCtA by making tangible commitments to improve the lives and livelihoods of millions. BCtA challenges its members to develop commercially-viable business ventures that engage low-income people as consumers, producers, suppliers and distributors of goods and services. The latest companies to answer the call include inclusive business initiatives from H&M, MUJI, and L'Occitane, as well as smaller enterprises like Datawind and Sproxil.

UN Global Compact

By all accounts, the private sector is increasingly shifting its development perspective from philanthropy towards a more focused approach to core business.

The UN Global Compact Business Partnership Hub was recently launched as an interactive, online platform designed to connect businesses with potential partners in support of UN goals and issues. Companies and other organisations can find new partners for their projects, or join existing projects, in the areas of anti-corruption, climate and energy, social enterprise and water. The site allows organisations to connect with potential partners in the UN system. More than 300 organisations are already connecting online through over 250 projects. For example, to inspire more innovative business models and advance collaborative efforts in developing market-based responses to sustainability issues the Social Enterprise Action Hub has to date helped forge 34 partnerships by 22 companies operating in 19 countries. Global Compact signatories including Intel, Yara, Enel and SK have developed innovative projects and are seeking partners in the areas of technology, food security, and last-mile energy distribution.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, (UNHCR)

As the number of humanitarian emergencies continues to grow, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has been inspired by the private sector to develop best practices and leverage cost-effective solutions for vulnerable and displaced persons. In order to provide refugee housing in Ethiopia, Iraq and Lebanon, UNHCR partnered with the Ikea Foundation and others to create a modular refugee shelter designed to last up to three years. These steel housing units are built with waterproof materials that are heat and flame resistant. The agency is also working with entrepreneurs from Ashoka, the world's largest network of social entrepreneurs, to improve the often complicated refugee resettlement and referral process, and to empower displaced communities.

United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, (UNIDO)

As the business community's approach to development evolves, UNIDO is promoting industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive growth and environmental sustainability. A joint program with Volvo and the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) is providing specialised training in Ethiopia for machinery and commercial vehicle technicians. Launched in 2012, the project aims to prepare young people for future livelihoods and facilitate access to employment opportunities.

UNIDO also works with German retailer Metro Group and Aeon in Malaysia to link diverse actors in supply chains. The Metro partnership, which began in 2009, has since rolled out to other countries including Russia and India. It provides training to upgrade the skills of its many suppliers and increase the volume of saleable merchandise in Egypt. Local processors of fresh foods like fish, meat and dairy products are trained in hygiene and food safety during storage, transport and processing. This helps to reduce post-harvest losses, increase the volume of marketable products and boost the producers' income.

United Nations Secretariat

The Secretary-General's office has taken the innovative approach of helping public and private sector actors to collaborate on a number of critical programs designed to reduce poverty and generate economic growth. These multi-stakeholder initiatives and influential movements include, Every Woman Every Child (EWEC), Sustainable Energy for All, Scaling Up Nutrition, Global Education First and Call to Action on Sanitation.

The EWEC movement began in 2010 with the goal of saving the lives of 16 million women and children by 2015. Private sector partners like Johnson & Johnson have been on the frontlines of this initiative, committing $4m over four years to support H4+, a joint effort by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Women, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank. Since 2008, H4+ has improved the health and saved the lives of many women and children. Its activities include building capacity for improved healthcare and training skilled birth attendants in Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Another vital private sector partner in the EWEC effort is the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which has made a 10-year commitment with UNICEF to provide 300m doses of the pneumococcal vaccine to infants and young children in the poorest countries at a deeply discounted price.

UN Women

Just this month, the UN agency focused on promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and announced the formation of a private sector leadership advisory council. The council is comprised of 10 founding corporate members, including the CEOs of Coca-Cola, Unilever, and L'Oreal, who will focus on women's economic empowerment, ending violence against women and resource mobilisation for the agency.

The members were selected to represent companies that have a global presence and have demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting women and girls issues.

World Food Programme, (WFP)

WFP is building a world with zero hunger. To help get there, the UN agency partners with private companies such as Unilever and DSM to improve operations, raise funds and better provide the nutritious food that can transform lives. WFP also partners with local farmers who often lack access to stable markets and financing by purchasing the food they grow at a fair price.

In addition to providing food in emergencies and operating the world's largest school meals programme, WFP is developing long-term strategies to help tackle food insecurity and climate change. Among the agency's many programmes is R4, a rural resilience initiative that uses micro-insurance to help farmers manage risk, which often costs far less than rebuilding after a crisis or extreme weather event. The programme is backed by reinsurer Swiss Re and gives farmers the option of paying their insurance premiums through labour instead of cash.

World Intellectual Property Organization, (WIPO)

Innovative insights can come in many forms, but especially through sharing knowledge. To facilitate the global dissemination of green technologies, WIPO launched the interactive platform GREEN–The Marketplace for Sustainable Technology. GREEN aims to facilitate the networking of institutions with complementary expertise, which helps developing countries to share in global innovations around green technologies. So far, 1,000 technologies have been introduced on the platform from companies such as General Electric, Hitachi, Honda Motor Co., INDIA IMPEX, Schneider Electric, Sony and Teijin, and from many universities and technology- transfer offices. The initiative is being implemented in partnership with over 40 institutions.

These efforts represent just a few examples of the opportunities for private sector collaboration which is an essential aspect of long-term strategies for eradicating poverty.

Launched at the United Nations, the Business Call to Action (BCtA) is a global alliance hosted by the United Nations Development ProgrammeHeadquarters in New York. Follow: @BCtAInitiative

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