Fragility, violence and conflict: ICRC Corporate Support Group underlines urgency

Participants at the annual plenary meeting of the ICRC Corporate Support Group, which took place on 6 November 2014 at the headquarters of Swiss Re in Zurich.

The annual plenary meeting of the ICRC Corporate Support Group took place on 6 November 2014, kindly hosted by Thomas Wellauer, Chief Operating Officer of Swiss Re, at Swiss Re's Headquarters in Zurich.

Twenty-one leaders from the CSG and the ICRC participated. The evening focused on Fragility, Violence and Conflict. The discussions revealed a strong sense of urgency about the state of the world. Topics included system failures, evolving security threats, new conflict environments, growing interdependencies, decay of trust all round, unpreparedness for the hyper connected world of today and of tomorrow, new strategic competition among countries and poor leadership.

The facade of this building in Aleppo collapsed following shelling. Residents make the most of what's left, with each apartment telling a unique story. A tragic example of the fragility discussed at the CSG meeting. / CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / H. Hvanesian

There was increased commitment from the participants to explore possibilities for deeper forms of collaboration. As one of the corporate leaders put it: "If we do not forge new alliances, we will not be able to master the challenges of today." Having said that, the participants also insisted on the the need to understand the limits of potential collaboration, on the need for clarity of purpose. "For collaboration to be sustainable in the long term, we have to do well by doing good," said another business leader.

Discussions revealed a strong sense of urgency about the state of the world, together with a commitment to deeper collaboration.

A number of priority areas for further exploration were suggested during the evening, among them: risk analysis and mitigation, the new leadership imperatives, learning and development, facilitation of access in difficult political environments, creating a community of practice around negotiation, brainstorming together about the future of health in low-income countries and specific projects in operational environments. As ICRC president Peter Maurer put it, "Collaboration across sectors is imperative, and critical in relation to hope."

The Corporate Support Group (CSG) brings together 12 multinational corporations and foundations, and the ICRC, to work on important, mutual humanitarian objectives. CSG members help fund the ICRC's work over six-year periods. The relationship involves the ICRC and CSG members aligning their assets and skills in order to maximize the impact and value of their combined humanitarian efforts.