The Connecting Business initiative (CBi) is a multi-stakeholder initiative engaging the private sector in creating more resilient communities and meeting the needs of people affected by humanitarian emergencies. CBi engages the private sector strategically before, during and after emergencies, increasing the scale and effectiveness of the response in a coordinated manner. While governments maintain the overall responsibility for responding to humanitarian emergencies, local communities and private sector networks also play crucial roles in disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery. The Connecting Business initiative strengthens and supports those private sector networks. . In 2017 CBi has started to support Member Networks in 13 locations, Cote dIvoire, Fiji, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pacific, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Vanuatu who all have a number of partner

CBi vision is: Coordinated business engagement and multistakeholder partnerships between international organizations, governments, civil society and the private sector in disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery create more resilience and increase local capacity. CBi mission is to: facilitate access to and use of resources, networks, mechanisms and tools that will enable businesses to contribute to effective disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery via a global coordination architecture that connects them to each other and to other actors. CBi activities include: 1: Providing a clear entry point for the private sector to engage in disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery; 2) Mobilizing and connecting partners; 3) Supporting the creation and strengthening of private sector-led networks for disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery; 4) Connecting private sector networks at the sub-national, national and regional levels, and among industry and thematic groups, to each other and other actors; 5) Integrating the private sector in resilience programs and national disaster management structures; 6) Matching private sector capacities and resources to humanitarian needs through local networks; 7) Producing tools and delivering programs to build the resilience of businesses and their communities; 8) Developing and disseminating good practice on private sector engagement; and 9) Facilitating policy engagement.

Collaboration among CBi Member Networks and Program Partners is actively encouraged through webinars, workshops and bilateral discussions to advance the work plans.

The Connecting Business initiative is operated as a UN program governed by an Executive Committee and implemented by the CBi secretariat. The Executive Committee is comprised of Executive Resource Partners, a representative of the Member Networks, a representative of the Program Partners, the Initiating UN Organisations and the Connecting Business initiative Secretariat, acting as an ex-officio without voting rights. The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation is the representative of the Member Networks and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies representing the One Billion Coalition for Resilience is the Program Partner representative on the Executive Committee in 2017. The Initiating UN Organisations are the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Government of Belgium, UPS Foundation, Boston Consulting Group, Australia, UNDP, OCHA, UNISDR