Davos Meeting 2020

The Global Humanitarian Action Executive Alliance (GHAEA) was established during the 2020 Annual World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland. The GHAEA is a unique private sector led alliance of corporate leaders seeking to combine the expertise and innovative skill of the private sector to work with the United Nations and respond effectively to humanitarian emergencies to meet growing global needs.

Present at the meeting were executives from Henry Schein Mr. Stanley Bergman, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Salesforce.org Ms. Charlotte Kirby, Vice President, Global Strategic Relations, The UPS Foundation Mr. Eduardo Martinez and Willis Towers Watson Mr. Rowan Douglas, Head of Capital, Science and Policy Practice. Chaired by Dr. Ahmed Al Meraikhi, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, the group met with the heads of UNHCR Mr. Filippo Grandi, UNICEF Ms. Henrietta Fore and WFP Mr. David Beasley to engage its collective expertise, knowledge and resources and to explore collaborative models for more effective, principled private sector engagement in emergency preparedness and response.

At the close of the meeting executives from Henry Schein, Salesforce.org, and The UPS Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing the Global Humanitarian Action Executive Alliance, and formally acknowledging awareness of and interest in collaboration to achieve common objectives across sectors. The Special Adviser to the Secretary-General signed the Memorandum of Understanding in the capacity of Chair of GHAEA for one year. BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), Mastercard and Qatar Financial Centre are also signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding but did not attend the Davos meeting. Such collaboration can include combining the unique competencies of businesses with those of humanitarian organizations to address humanitarian needs effectively, sustainably, at scale, and in a principled way. GHAEA members also established a healthcare work-stream evidencing the broad application of the group’s expertise.

The Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, Dr. Ahmed Al Meraikhi said: “We are all in this together. The 2030 Agenda, with its 17 SDGs, is universal and it calls for action to ensure no one is left behind. This means mobilizing all resources - technology development, financial resources, capacity building - and dynamic multi-stakeholder partnerships to deliver effectiveness and impact. The Global Humanitarian Action Executive Alliance shows the commitment from the private sector and the UN to come together and address the 166.5million in need of lifesaving assistance.”