We are engaged in a ground-breaking study on the engagement of the private sector in humanitarian action.

The new study will research the role of global, regional and national ‘platforms’ in supporting the private sector to play an effective humanitarian role.  Historically, there are multiple obstacles which have impeded private sector involvement in humanitarian action including differences in terminology, methodologies, procedures and timescales.  As a result, the debate rarely moves beyond general calls for more strategic collaboration with humanitarian actors and for a better understanding of the role and added-value of each sector.  Therefore, this study will take this discussion to a new level, producing practical ways of overcoming known barriers and the role that platforms can play.

There’s a growing recognition that the types, dimensions and dynamics of crisis events are becoming more complex and unpredictable.  The current configuration and capacity of the humanitarian sector will not be able to deal adequately with future threats.  It’s increasingly acknowledged that the private sector has a critical role to play in the humanitarian arena in the form of expertise, resources and innovative practices, working either in collaboration with humanitarian agencies or as an actor in its own right.

The approach of the HFP study will be to look in detail at the role of ‘platforms’ – networks, brokering and matching organisations, online forums and ad-hoc alliances –in enhancing the strategic involvement of the private sector in disaster prevention, mitigation, response and recovery.

We’ll identify successful platform models and approaches and we’ll show examples of best practice from around the world.  Participating organisations –humanitarian, private sector, government and donors –will be asked what they need from platforms and whether such forums are currently configured to meet their requirements, now and in the future in light of a changing crisis landscape.

We’re confident that the study will result in practical recommendations aimed at how platforms  could help move the issue of effective private sector engagement forward, from debate to action.