Business Roundtable, United Nations and international relief organizations to work together to improve response to global disasters

Multi-Partner Conference Explores Ways to Engage Private Sector in Coordinated Response to Disasters; President Clinton Addresses Group
New York, NY, April 25, 2005 - An unprecedented gathering of U.S. business leaders, United Nations officials and representatives of the world's leading nonprofit relief organizations are meeting today at the UN to begin to outline ways to respond more effectively to global disasters and emergencies in the future.

Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of leading U.S. companies, is hosting this unique collaborative effort aimed at raising awareness of the need for continuing tsunami relief and establishing opportunities for working partnerships among various groups.

The massive private sector response to the December 2004 Asian tsunami disaster comprised the largest fund-raising effort by U.S. companies in history, with more than $450 million contributed.

Following the Asian tsunami disaster, there is a new imperative for cooperation in dealing with future global disasters, with the private sector engaging with international aid agencies and affected governments in a structured and coordinated manner to help provide relief.

Former President William J. Clinton, in his role as the UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, is offering a keynote address, discussing the global ramifications of major disasters and summarizing the ongoing efforts to assist victims.

Thanking the business community for their tremendous outpouring of generosity and commitment to the tsunami affected region, former President Bill Clinton said , "You were there on the ground bringing clean water, shelter and other life-saving materials to those who suffered unspeakable loss in the tsunami. Now the challenge is to use this momentum to help us build the region back better - with less poverty, more economic diversification and greater security. If we achieve this in the tsunami region, we will have an inspiring model for action for other countries in crisis."

President Clinton was appointed UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"American businesses employ thousands of highly trained people skilled in water sanitation, health care, transportation, communications, finance and many other critical services," said Hank McKinnell, Chairman, Business Roundtable and Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc. "Their talents are greatly needed in immediate disaster response and in long-term rebuilding efforts. We know that public-private partnerships work. The Tsunami disaster demonstrated the importance and value of expertise from business working in a public - private partnership model."

"The tremendous generosity of corporations and individuals for the survivors of the tsunami showed humanity at its best," said Jan Egeland, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. "With this meeting, we use this momentum to encourage even better partnerships with the private sector in the future for forgotten and neglected emergencies elsewhere. If we prepare ourselves better together we can save a lot of lives."

The Conference includes a number of case studies around private sector response to the Tsunami, focusing on the work of individual companies and their involvement with public sector agencies in that effort.

Also today, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Global Compact Office are launching Business Contributions to UN Emergency Relief: An Orientation Guide. This comprehensive online resource has been designed to help businesses identify effective ways to support the UN's emergency relief efforts. It can be accessed at http://ochaonline.un.org/businesscontributions.

CONTACTS:

Johanna Schneider (Business Roundtable)
(202) 496-3270

Tita Freeman (Business Roundtable)
(202) 496-3269

Stephanie Bunker (OCHA)
(917) 367-5126

Jehane Sedky-Lavandero
Press Office
Office of the Special Envoy For Tsunami Recovery
(212) 906-6904