We are delighted to announce our latest partnership with UNHCR to explore private sector engagement strategies and alternative partnerships.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which sets out the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) envisions a “revitalized global partnership for sustainable development” based on the understanding that the UN and governments do not have the reach nor the resources to achieve the Goals alone.
Engagement, especially with the private sector, is imperative for the 2030 Agenda to succeed, and for inter-governmental agencies and their partners to address the needs of the most at-risk communities and strengthen resilience in a meaningful, effective, and sustainable manner.
Due to the increasing complexity and protracted nature of crises and displacement, there is a need to identify more (cost) effective, sustainable, and effective ways to work with Persons of Concerns (PoCs).
Creative and bold partnerships beyond the ‘traditional’ aid ecosystem can maximize an untapped potential and provide an opportunity to build new best practices on resilience and sustainability. Partnerships with the private sector is particularly relevant for UN agencies that seek to bolster their work and impact in sectors such as sustainable livelihoods, health, protection, and education.
Indeed, responsible business is central to growth, productivity, innovation, and job creation– all drivers for progress at scale. At the same time, there is a potential, especially at the country level, to form new partnerships and purpose-driven coalitions to mobilize and leverage private financial investments, technological, product and business model innovations, and networks to tackle the challenges faced by crisis-affected populations.[1]. This requires us to innovate, collaborate, and adapt mindsets.[2]
We are pleased to embark into this journey with UNHCR.
The ultimate goal of the partnership is to strengthen UNHCR’s programmatic and organizational capacity in Israel to provide the PoCs comprehensive, safe, and essential services that address their immediate and longer-term needs, and promote their resilience as individuals and communities.
UNHCR’s latest Global Trends report shows that 79.5 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2019. That’s fully 1 per cent of humanity, or 1 in every 97 people on earth.
UNHCR’s mandate is to ensure the international protection of uprooted people worldwide.
[1] SDG Fund, Business and the United Nations, Working Together Towards the SDGs, https://www.sdgfund.org/business-and-un.
[2] Grand Bargain (2016).