The question of how best to make such an impact dominated the debate at the recent BCLC conference. Held within the UN complex, the conference included various governmental, NGO and business perspectives and was co-convened by the New York Office of the U.S. Chamber of Comerrece, the Center for International Private Enterprise and the UN Fund for International Partnerships.

Veneman, the former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, set the tone by noting that water and sanitation issues kill 3.4 million people each year worldwide (mostly children). While companies in the developing world most commonly invest in telecommunications and other technology-related infrastructure, the greatest needs often revolve around more basic service delivery infrastructure issues.

The U.S. private sector has certainly not sat by idly on issues of development. In fact, the recent Hudson Institute “Index of Global Philanthropy” found that while the U.S. government provided $19.7 billion in foreign aid in 2004, private aid – in the form of money, volunteer time, goods, and expertise to the developing world – was at least $71 billion in that same year. Although a corresponding number has not yet been calculated for other industrialized countries, the study does give more dimension to the U.S. aid picture – as the U.S. Government is often criticized for devoting too small a percentage of its budget to global assistance.

Speakers followed throughout the day from various UN agencies, multinational companies (e.g. GE Consumer Finance, Pfizer), academics and other NGO’s, including the host U.S. Chamber. More than 120 attendees heard recurring themes from most speakers, among them:

• Deep structural and governance issues often prevent the substantial long-term private engagement that is indispensable to development.
• The most important contribution a company can make toward development is simply to invest, succeed and be responsible – other philanthropic initiatives are complementary but not as critical.
• There are numerous UN-related entities designed to facilitate the private sector investment and development process – arguably too many. While there is not always a central point of coordination, companies willing to navigate the many offerings will find valuable sources of assistance.

For those not intimately familiar with the economic role played by the various agencies of the often maligned UN, the day provided an eye-opening look into the breadth of their activities. It also served as a reminder that many of the pharmaceutical companies that also receive negative attention within the United States are playing extraordinarily significant roles in the developing world.

The conference was sponsored by Abbott Laboratories, Booz Allen Hamilton, DaimlerChrysler and Merck and Company.