Global facility formed to help local communities recover better from COVID-19

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Global Compact and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) have established the COVID-19 Private Sector Global Facility on Thursday, an initiative to bring together public and private sector partners to help local communities recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deutsche Post DHL Group, Microsoft Corp. and the PwC network (“PwC”) have already joined the initiative which is open for other like-minded private sector organisations which want to contribute.

The Global Facility, under the motto “Recover Better Together”, is a response to corporate calls to action for private sector leaders and governments to work together to address the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

The initiative has been established to better coordinate their responses, helping to ensure that immediate stimulus efforts flow into the real economy, according to a press release.

The facility will operate at both the global and national levels. It aims to co-create solutions that are tailored to the phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in a given area and the specificities of the local private sector and government context.

Guided by the UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals, the Facility will support a multisectoral, whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to face the multidimensional nature of the crisis.

Recovery efforts will focus on how to rebuild more inclusive economies and societies, to set a new course for a socially just, low-carbon and climate-resilient world where no one is left behind.

Initial projects will focus on Colombia, Ghana, the Philippines and Turkey. Both the geographical scope and participating partners will expand as the Global Facility develops.

"Solidarity to ‘Recover Better Together’ can boost collective efforts not only to cope with the crisis but overcome it”, said UNDP Administrator Mr. Achim Steiner.

“The facility is the first of its kind – designed to join forces across public and private sectors to serve humanity in an imperative moment,” he added.

Organisations that want to play a leading role in the global pandemic recovery and join this call to action are encouraged to contact the UNDP project coordinator at [email protected] for a discussion on how they can get involved.