By Arul Louis*
United Nations. 2 September 2023 (IDN) — Albania, which holds the presidency of the Security Council this month, is planning to launch a platform for the private sector to work with the world organization in providing humanitarian assistance, according to the nation’s Permanent Representative Ferit Hoxha.
On 1 September, he said that Albania’s Foreign Minister Olta Xhaca will announce the creation of the Private Sector Humanitarian Alliance during an open debate of the Council which will get briefings from Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and executive chairman of Alphabet, and MasterCard CEO Michael Miebach on how major corporations can work with the UN.
The Alliance will be a platform for major corporations “to mobilise resources and have a bridge with the current system of the UN and international partners on delivery of aid”, he said at a news conference after taking over the Council’s rotating presidency.
This will be an extension to the humanitarian aid sector of the UN’s efforts to tap into the massive resources of the private sector to fight climate change and to promote its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said that after observing at the Council many times the “unfortunate situation when needs are not met, where resources are not enough and when people in dire need are unfortunately not assisted”, Albania wanted to try a new approach.
Although the UN has been doing “the most fantastic and noble jobs”, its resources are limited and “we need to really enlarge the radius of contributions”, Hoxha said.
He said Albania worked with other Council members and the corporate sector to see what can be done to improve the delivery of assistance.
Major corporations, which were approached, said that while they wanted to raise funds and make in-kind contributions, they did not know whom to contact or how to route them, Hoxha said.
The Alliance would provide them with a venue where they would manage to participate in the UN’s humanitarian activities, he said.
He said that he expected about 15 leaders of major corporations to be present when the briefings are made and the Alliance is formally launched.
Secretary-General António Guterres has been forging with the private sector with its mega multinational corporations with huge resources, global footprint and operations with far-reaching impacts in its missions, particularly in fighting climate change and meeting the UN’s broad-ranging sustainable development goals (SDGs).
He set up in 2019 the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance with about 30 multinationals from across the world, from developing and industrialised companies. [IDN-InDepthNews]
*Arul Louis is a New York-based journalist who writes on international affairs. Contact arulouis@yahoo.com
Photo: Albania’s Permanent Representative Ferit Hoxha, president of the United Nations Security Council for September, speaks at a news conference at the UN headquarters on 1 September 2023. Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elías
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