The Engineering & Construction Disaster Resource Partnership (DRP) is a new model for coordinated private sector partnership in response to natural disasters. It has been developed through case studies of past private sector interventions, numerous workshops and interviews with key humanitarian actors in disasters, and has benefited from continuous input and direction by the working group executives of the World Economic Forum’s Engineering and Construction (E&C) Member and Partner companies.
To reduce suffering and save lives, the vision of the DRP is to form an ongoing collaboration with the humanitarian community at the global level, and government and other key humanitarian actors at the national level, to optimize the core strengths and capacities of the E&C community before, during and after natural rapid-onset disasters.
Construction companies located in disaster-affected areas have assets that can be invaluable to humanitarian and government relief organizations. These can be tangible assets, including stockpiled food, water and shelter materials (such as tarpaulins, timber, scaffolding, galvanized sheeting and sand bags), equipment for moving debris, vehicles to assist in distribution of food and water, and generators and fuel to provide power as well as transport to affected areas. They can also provide skilled personnel to coordinate activities in addition to satellite communication equipment and office space to facilitate coordination, space for community shelters and storage space for materials at construction sites.
Construction companies can also offer a number of intangible assets that can be extremely useful to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and humanitarian agencies. These can include networks (with local government, construction companies, manufacturers and communities) and access to existing supply chains for the procurement of additional materials, all of which are invaluable to humanitarian organizations frequently operating in an unfamiliar environment.
The DRP model provides several benefits for the humanitarian community, including government involvement in managing humanitarian crises: it offers greater access to local and international expertise and resources, enhanced and accelerated scale-up capacity, and better mechanisms to monitor accountability and value for money.
The model makes it possible to develop a common language, raise awareness, share learning and engage in disaster prevention and preparedness that will further leverage the assets of the E&C community for humanitarian benefit. The partnership is also designed to create a longer-term solution by exploring how the private sector can engage professionally – not merely charitably – in the humanitarian field.
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