I serve as Executive Director of Business Partners for Sustainable Development, an initiative of the U.S, Council for International Business Foundation. I have been Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives, a journal I founded in 1995.
Most recently I was a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government developing Principles for Multisector Engagement for Sustainable Health.
I have worked in multiple sectors in the US and Europe including at ABInBev, Johnson & Johnson, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau of Global Health, the Academy for Educational Development and a variety of universities. I am currently on the Board of Global Health for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
Over the years, I have been working in health communication and strategic diplomacy dealing with risk and crisis communication on a variety of issues. This includes Maxims for Effective Communication on Health and Risk issues developed for the World Health Organization during the Mad Cow Crisis.
I also was on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Board of Scientific Counselors for the Office of Infectious Disease during the Ebola crisis.
I am trained as a public health physician with an M.D. from the University of Southern California, an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School, and an M.A. in Communication from Emerson College.
I have academic appointments at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine and George Washington University School of Public Health.
I look forward to the discussion today on this important topic.
A1.1: Here in the U.S., we are trying to prepare for the second phase of the coronavirus outbreak — beyond preparing for the threat, to the actual response — and hospitals, businesses and policymakers are already behind. Hospitals and government agencies are trying to throw together enough medical supplies and physical space to do the work of responding to a widespread outbreak. Hospitals are postponing elective procedures (even organ transplants) because they’re expecting such a big surge in coronavirus patients. Cities are also looking to motels, vacant college dorms and buildings and even RVs as quarantine sites. Faced with looming shortages of hospital beds, ventilators and facemasks, the U.S. government has freed up military manufacturing tools, and some doctors are even making their own equipment out of common craft supplies.
Myriam Sidibe, Senior Fellow, Mossavar Rahmani center of business and government, Harvard Kennedy School, Handwashing activist. I spent 20 years studying and working on setting up the world largest handwashing movement reaching 1 billion people accross africa and asia. 15 years in Unilever and author of book “Brands on a mission: How to achieve social impact and business growth through purpose”
COVID-19 has a major impact not only on the health of people, but also on employment, which might easily be bigger than the impact from the financial crisis in 2008. “This is no longer only a global health crisis, it is also a major labour market and economic crisis that is having a huge impact on people,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. Businesses are facing an extraordinary challenge from the outbreak of COVID19, and we are only at the beginning of this challenge. All companies are experiencing a drop in activity, particularly in sectors hit in full force by borders closure and lockdown measures such as for example air transport, hospitality, tourism and event industry. The situation is particularly difficult for SMEs (including drop in sales, liquidity constraints, insolvency, etc.). While reliable estimation of potential job losses is not available at this point in time, restructuring and redundancy will certainly occur and affect massively employment. In fact, according to an Ipsos poll, the public sees coronavirus as a greater threat to the economy than to their health.
Hi Everyone, I am Sian White from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Even before COVID-19 I spent all my time thinking about handwashing promotion in outbreak settings so now I feeling very in vogue!
A1.2: The crisis for business is entering a new phase, too. In Phase 1 of the crisis, major American companies saw their share prices sink on fears that the virus would ripple through the U.S. — even though the companies themselves were fundamentally sound. That’s no longer true. Corporate America’s backbone — brands like Hilton, Ford and American Airlines, which have been synonymous with national pride and prosperity — are in free fall. COVID-19 has cost them their customers and any prospect of revenue. It has forced them to send workers home and to beseech the government for bailouts to make payroll.
It is clear that the impacts for people and economies around the world are going to be unprecedented in recent times. See for example, this constantly updated analysis from McKinsey: https://snipbfp.org/2U201Xl
My concern is about the disproportional impact that will be felt on the most vulnerable, and those living in countries where health systems and social safety nets are weaker.
With over 160,000 cases of Covid19 and more than 6000 deaths from the disease. Older people especially, are at risk.
Consumers stay home, businesses lose revenue and lay off workers and unemployment levels rise sharply.
Another side of businesses that the world is not seeing is that the business world wants to help way more than it has been doing. We have bright talents at home working virtually and wanting to help that can bring creative mindsets to the table.
Small and Medium enterprises will suffer the most as well as the informal sector and I wonder how bigger businesses can help keep them alive as well?
As I am a senior fellow at the Mossavar Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School with 15 years at Unilever thinking about brands and businesses on purpose I wanted to bring my knowledge on how the private sector can contribute to the debate. For 15 years I have been working at collaborating and setting handwashing with soap around the world. And thinking of prevention and support the private sector and today I want to see a genuine collaboration on how we use all this learnings to get to produce the largest public private partnerships ever created to put prevention and further spread around the debate.
A1.3: What’s next: The Senate signed off on a coronavirus relief bill yesterday just as the White House formally proposed a separate $1 trillion relief and stimulus plan, with half the money going to cash payments to needy Americans. The working class is confronting a very real crisis: The U.S. has gone from near-record-low unemployment to mass layoffs and indefinite furloughs. We could see 20% unemployment in the U.S. without a drastic aid package. Several states have already recorded dramatic spikes in applications for unemployment insurance, and the widespread shutdown of so much of the service industry has only just begun.
The impact on business is huge and is in the headlines. The impact on ‘others’ is also huge but less visible. People, workers, informal sector workers, renters, farmers. ie we need to think well beyond the impact on business. And so far we are thinking mainly about Europe as the hotspot (at least from where I sit), but the most vulnerable people face more extreme risks.
David Luna, president & CEO, Luna Global Networks & Convergence Strategies LLC, a boutique global security firm; former U.S. diplomat and national security official. (https://lunaglobalnetworks.com/)
As the institutional representative of over 45 million companies in more than 100 countries, ICC is working to mobilise businesses worldwide to take action to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health and societal emergency that requires effective immediate action by governments, individuals and businesses. All businesses have a key role to play in minimising the likelihood of transmission and impact on society. Early, bold and effective action will reduce short-term risks to employees and long-term costs to businesses and the economy.
One of our immediate priority actions has been to agree with the WHO to work closely together, including through our National Committees and the World Chambers Federation network, to ensure the latest and most reliable information and tailored guidance reaches the global business community.
COVID-19 is a test of our “system’s” ability to address a legitimate public health threat with an unknown trajectory. Multiple sectors must leverage knowledge, expertise, networks, and resources to produce better public health outcomes. Being prepared with a plan and being proactive is the name of the game in prevention, mitigation and management of risk and adverse consequences of any threat.
Our future depends on how all of us – government officials, policymakers, business and civil society leaders and our fellow citizens react. This includes honest, coherent, transparent, and timely communication along with providing adequate funding and support for the response.
In countries where Oxfam has staff, the situation varies from lockdown to near normality. But people whose livelihood depends on selling some tomatoes, are still sitting at the roadside trying to sell tomatoes. What else can they do?
Good point, Caroline. The immediate impact on small businesses will be the most dramatic. Global business has the opportunity to leverage their extensive supply chains to help small business get their products DTC.
Barely three months into the Covid-19 outbreak, stock markets have plummeted, and global supply and production systems have wobbled. Across the world, panicked shoppers have cleared shelves of hand sanitiser, soap and tinned food, as if preparing for a siege.
The message by UN Secretary General António Guterres that ‘as we fight the virus, we cannot let fear go viral’ is absolutely pertinent. And the people of Kenya can count on the United Nations Country team as an ally in this fight.
The Challenge is to ensure that packages are really helping the economy. Next to stimulus measures we need to ensure that labour market measures support companies to keep staff.
I think the whole of capitalism as we know is bound to change after this crisis and there is a level of humanity that will take place and get us to rethink how we are there for everyone, from the most vulnerable and accross the world. It will take a level of humanity never experienced to defeat this virus