As our country and countrymen face hard times in 2009, this challenge echoes across the world.  From factories in Detroit to Germany and farms in Illinois to France, times are tough. So what does this mean for corporations, governments, NGOs and individuals work ing on development initiatives in emerging and low-income markets? It means it’s time for serious collaboration efforts. 

How do we allocate resources for global development initiatives in the most effective and efficient manner to ensure that an in-country need is fulfilled and, ultimately, we reverse the vicious cycle of poverty?  Quite a heavy load for one company, government, or NGO to take on during a time of budget cuts and economic downturn. 

The act of collaboration—leveraging what each sector can bring to the table—will reduce redundancy in project allocation, lessen development costs for companies and governments working on projects alone, and increase opportunity to positively affect millions of lives.

BCLC is hosting International Collaborations for Global Development on April 2-3 in Brussels, Belgium. The cross-sector, transatlantic coalition formed at this meeting will build a common understanding of how the business sector, in partnership with public and nonprofit sectors, can effectively contribute to addressing global development challenges. 

Representatives from European and US private sector companies, international development agencies, and European and  US bi-lateral and multi-lateral agencies will come together to identify high-priority issues and opportunities to collaborate.

For more information contact Taryn Bird at tbird@uschamber.com.