How can companies create value by aligning their business models with the well-being of partner communities? USAID and the private sector are collaborating through the initiative HEARTH to implement sustainable development activities that conserve biodiversity and improve the well-being of communities.
"People flourish in healthy landscapes; conservation succeeds when local people benefit."
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Health, Ecosystems, and Agriculture for Resilient, Thriving Societies (HEARTH) program, a pioneering global public-private partnership initiative. HEARTH aligns with USAID’s strategic priorities in Biodiversity Conservation, Climate Change, Private Sector Engagement, Indigenous Peoples, Resilience, Food Security, and Global Health.
HEARTH activities are currently operating in 12 countries: Angola, Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Zambia, leveraging over $85 million in support from private sector partners. Each project is tailored to specific goals, often involving at least two partners, such as private sector companies and non-governmental organisations, to collaboratively plan, manage, and track results.
To explore the initiative and its success stories, Innovation Forum and USAID co-hosted a webinar.
The panel included:
- Dina Esposito, the assistant to the administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security
- Imam Suharto, head of cocoa sustainability Indonesia, PT. Olam Indonesia
- Jean Luc Ramahavelo, monitoring and evaluation officer, Ocean Farmers
- Elizabeth Daut, natural resources specialist, USAID.
The webinar was moderated by Ian Welsh, publishing director at Innovation Forum.