JOINING THE INTERNATIONAL DEBATE 55

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM, DAVOS, SWITZERLAND

The Human Safety Net hosted a dialogue on nurturing care in Generali’s offices in Davos in January, with contributions from Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Dr. Tarun Dua, Medical Officer of WHO, and Philippe Donnet, Generali Group CEO. The dialogue highlighted the importance of early years of life and the role the private sector can play in promoting this agenda, especially the WHO and UNICEF’s Nurturing Care Framework.

ISSA, LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS

Early childhood education and nurturing environments for young children and families in their communities were key talking points at the International Step by Step Association’s (ISSA) annual conference held in June. The Human Safety Net co-led two sessions with our partner Centro per la Salute del Bambino, focusing on how to reach vulnerable parents - those most in need but also the hardest to engage -, and how to use a theory of change for designing and evaluating projects that target children and families in their communities. UNICEF, WHO, World Bank and other Foundations and NGOs active in the same field attended the session.

ARNEC, HANOI, VIETNAM

The Human Safety Net co-organized a one-day pre-conference workshop as part of the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood’s annual conference, held in Vietnam at the beginning of December. The workshop, which show high attendance, aimed to incentivise work across sectors to promote nurturing and sustainable environments for young children. During the event, The Human Safety Net also presented its perspective on how private and social sectors can work together to advance holistic early childhood development.

GLOBAL REFUGEE FORUM, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

In December, The Human Safety Net participated in the first-ever UNCHR Global Refugee Forum, arriving onboard of the UNCHR Solidarity Train from Paris to Geneva after a journey across French cities. The forum focused on ways the private sector can contribute to refugee integration. During the Private Sector Dinner hosted by Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Jean-Laurent Granier, CEO of Generali France, announced a new public-private partnership with the French Ministry of Labour for the opening of three new incubators.

The Human Safety Net also co-hosted an event with the French and Italian embassies on “Social Innovation for the Integration of Refugees.” The panel discussion – moderated by Elise Ginioux, Head of The Human Safety Net in France – showcased impactful solutions for matching refugees with jobs and helping them set up their own businesses to an audience of ambassadors, business leaders and representatives of international organisations.