Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) discussed a structured framework to mobilise private sector support for humanitarian response in Bangladesh.
The discussion took place at the UN House in Dhaka on Saturday, where both sides explored ways to align business capabilities with national disaster management systems, according to a statement.
UN OCHA Director of Financing and Outreach Division Lisa Doughten said the agency continues to coordinate global humanitarian mechanisms, including the Central Emergency Response Fund, Country-Based Pooled Funds, and Humanitarian Response Plans.
The meeting noted that Bangladesh and Myanmar remain priority countries for humanitarian coordination in Asia.
FBCCI’s inclusion as the 22nd member of the Connecting Business Initiative, a joint platform of UN OCHA and United Nations Development Programme, was highlighted as a step towards structured private sector engagement before, during, and after emergencies.
Participants reviewed ongoing contributions by FBCCI members in emergency response and resilience-building efforts, identifying logistics, supply chains, financing, and technology as key strengths for improving coordination.
They discussed joint initiatives, including training on humanitarian coordination systems, development of a pilot emergency coordination model for rapid response and resource mobilisation, and integration of FBCCI Safety Council into national and global coordination platforms.
Both sides also stressed gender-responsive and inclusive approaches, including support for women-led enterprises and small and medium enterprises in recovery efforts.
The meeting also explored setting up a dedicated private sector humanitarian coordination platform under FBCCI Safety Council to support joint planning and operations.
UN OCHA was represented by senior officials, including Sanjana Quazi, Wendy Cue, Daniel Gilman, and Nisha Manjooran, alongside Lisa Doughten.
FBCCI representation included former director Abdul Haque, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Kamran T Rahman, PRAN-RFL Group Chairman Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Bangladesh CNG Machineries Importers Association President Zakir Hossain Nayon, and FBCCI Secretary General Md Alamgir, among others.
Both sides said the initiative could create a scalable model of private sector engagement in humanitarian response with relevance beyond Bangladesh.
