Wednesday 3 February 2010

Davos#7: Business.un.org

5 years in the making. But the UN-Business website launched in style. Jeffrey Sachs (author of the “End Of Poverty”, CEOs, UN representatives and the GH president announce the arrival of this website designed to create partnering between businesses and the UN.

Behind it a greater purpose to push partnering proposals to the greater charitable community. It seeks to create a “global common” between interfacing intermediaries, such as this UN system and others like it, for business and charities serving to hook up resources available in one system to the plethora of needs across the world.

Each representative mentioned a tribute to the determination, despite elongated processes and bureaucracies for those behind the scenes.

I recall sitting in the Foreign & Commonwealth office, just after the tsunami, with many businesses in a meeting that was hosted by the UK’s Business in the Community screaming out for a need of a system that can facilitate offers and requests from humanitarian and business communities. Their template brief document looked strangely familiar.

I recall Bill Clinton hailing out for the need of a “humanitarian” eBay around the tsunami time too. He's here, at Davos, appealing for 100 trucks for Haiti.

It was an awesome moment to hear the words of the Global Compact (the UN body for business) to proudly announce this tool.

After the panellists took part in the Refugee Run with some humbling outcomes, insights and suggestions.

My friend the Popped Kernel puts it way better than me in his blog: http://thepoppedkernel.blogspot.com/2010/01/davos-business-meets-goodwill.html

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