Im sure you might already be aware but the work of WIEGO might be helpful - they are a leading authority on informal workers and currently developing many resources that are C-19 relevant. See here https://www.wiego.org/covid19crisis
A question from the Business Fights Poverty community:
From Peter Murage: NGO work is very essential working with the grass root communities. Most of these are financed through external or internal funding. This is not sustainable as seen in this coronavirus crisis. How can Businesses partner with Professional NGOs to turn around external funding to Social Enterprises to help generate own revenue in the Rebuild Phase? (NGOs)
Response from @David Norman: Peter - a big question, perhaps difficult to address adequately in a chat! One element of this is the greater recognition that company funding in this direction need not be philanthropic, but can be a form of investment in a sustainable engagement with the societies and communities on which they depend for their future. Weâll try to pick this up again in the written discussion a week from now
I agree with Cristinaâs points about the need for more regenerative and inclusive food and health systems. The World Business Council has just published a couple of excellent reports focused on this topic. https://www.wbcsd.org/COVID-19/WBCSD-COVID-19-Response-Program
Another area of opportunity for companies may arise where they have several partners working on similar issues in different contexts. This is a good moment to take a proactive role in looking at opportunities across partners and support new ways of joining up partnersâ learning or responses to the changed context, to scale longer term impact, or to make it more systemic.
A final question from the Business Fights Poverty community today:
From Bonny Kagaba: I am from Uganda KampalaâŚHow can I impact my community using this information?
Jane, we noted the role of existing partnerships and platforms in our research in rapid innovation as well. Beyond an implementation structure, these collaborations are innovation structures. While this function is not currently built in explicitly into most of these collaborations, it is worth putting more attention on this going forward, for example by defining an innovation agenda for the platform/partnership.
My final question today - with so many comments, insights and questions - what is your one key takeaway?
A take away for me is importance of building strong partnerships and relationships with communities and really listening to communities in normal times, not just in a crisis.
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From Ruth Thomas:
On the topic of collaboration: A panel convened by IFAD earlier this week to discuss agri-SMEs identified the following barriers to better bolder collaboration: lack of information and the need for more data sharing; an enabling environment that incentivises pre-competitive collaboration; internal capacity building within key actors to strengthen partnership building; the need to engage smaller actors operating in the landscape with the necessary networks and knowledge; a better and more honest assessment about what each partner brings to the table.
Kagaba, read and learn the best practices from what various organisations aare doing. See which you can partner with and start somewhere
From Ruth Thomas:
My Main Takeaway: To scale cross-sector collaboration the contribution that agribusiness makes to driving rural and social and economic development needs to be better understood ergo better captured and communicated.
In addition: The Global Agribusiness Alliance is convening an online dialogue and peer-learning discussion on company responses on June 9 â please email: info@globalagribusinessalliance.com if youâd like an invitation
We need a wholly inclusive approach to re-wiring our present version of capitalism
That there is a lot of potential for business to support the most vulnerable especially with collective, collaborative action.
Technological innovation and new ways of working will be lasting legacies for better or worse of this ordeal and we need to bear that in mind in the context of the transition to recovery and a new reality (not restoring the previous normal).
Those technologies are not limited to the ones receiving the most attention now â digital, WFH and âcontact-freeâ options. Companies are thinking out of the box to offer new products, services and solutions, including to be accessible/affordable to vulnerable populations.
We have to keep the fabric of inclusive multilateralism from fraying further from headwinds to international cooperation and institutions, lack of adequate funding to ODA, lack of adequate financing and investment in LDCs. There is the expression, too big to fail, but here we are talking about too necessary to fail. Business relies on well-functioning international cooperation on sustainable development â and sees abundant opportunity not to mention ABSOLUTE NECESSITY (there is no other way) to leverage public with private resources through collaboration It is a one world problem that must have a one-world solution, so for USCIB making the case to support and pursue inclusive multilateralism is my closing thought.
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Letâs define what âbetterâ means in ârebuild betterâ! We have no time to waste, and we need to combine response and rebuild. Conversations like this one are important to shape our collective ideas of what a regenerative and future looks like, and I look forward to the ârebuildingâ discussions that will happen here.
My take away: There is need for strategic and an all inclusive strategy for all partners in order to ensure resilient economies
When it comes to #gbv I think there are two things that everyone can do, the first is communicate - as an individual, as a company - tell people there is a heightened risk of domestic violence - so many people remain unaware. Secondly talk to a male colleague / partner/friend about how he is contributing to the caring economy. Until we change inequality between men and women we wont shift violence against women.
I have been struck by how - with a common objective, we have seen people collaborating effectively and rapidly, even with traditional competitors. To rebuild better, I believe we need to collaborate better - and I hope we can carry forward the momentum and good examples of the past couple of months, into a new way of driving forward change.
One key takeaway - in addition to broader engagement with governments and others on changing policies, increasing social safety nets, advocating for trade (especially in areas such as food and medicines), a key role for business leaders beyond keeping people safe and healthy and supporting livelihoods directly in their own operations, is to double down on local community-level partnerships and systems - how do we work together to make sure that local food systems, local health systems, local small business and financial systems and local energy systems are more inclusive and resilient? How does each company look at its physical or its digital footprint and try to be the very best partner it can be within these local ecosystems?
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Learning, innovation, and adaptation within partnerships are vital in making effective company responses to the crisis - and will strengthen companiesâ partnerships and contribution in the future, post-crisis world.