State Department’s Global Partnerships Office Hosts Leadership from IBM, Citi, Amazon, CDS, and Others at Forum on International Corporate Volunteerism
State Department’s Global Partnerships Office Hosts Leadership from IBM, Citi, …
Yesterday at the State Department, Drew O’Brien took the stage for his first speech in his new role as Special Representative for Global Partnerships. Special Rep Drew, as he is fondly called by his staff, convened an important event on behalf of the secretary, with strong support from leadership at the IBM Foundation and CDS. The topic: International Corporate Volunteerism, or ICV. Through a series of panels and keynotes, this half-day conference sought to explore and amplify the importance of this growing practice to show other companies how they, too, can use their resources to move the needle on global development in mutually beneficial ways.
In his opening remarks, Special Rep Drew called out a few innovative public-private partnerships, many of which had been the inspiration for the event. Among them were the Diaspora Volunteer Corps, facilitated by the USAID Office of Innovation and Development Alliances, and Partners for a New Beginning, a partnership with the Aspen Institute. Lastly, he championed the Center of Excellence for International Corporate Volunteerism, a collaborative partnership between IBM, USAID, and CDS, which seeks to offer companies like IBM, Pfizer, FedEx, John Deere, PepsiCo and others the opportunity to craft individual public-private partnerships with USAID missions and beneficiaries in countries of interest.
Special Rep Drew also championed those who have already made a significant impact through their ICV programs. Chief among them is IBM, whose Corporate Service Corps (CSC) has fielded more volunteers in the past five years than any other, dedicating $70 million worth of pro bono service to solving complex global challenges. Dow Corning’s commitment to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, one of the most ambitious private-sector commitments to a specific issue, was inspired by one of Dow Corning’s corporate volunteers. CONTINUE READING.
