Zapojení soukromého sektoru do humanitární pomoci v České republice

As humanitarian needs have increased lately, a private sector has become a welcomed actor and a strategical partner for a provision of humanitarian aid. Private financial resources are regarded as a significant factor to overcome a so-called funding gap for humanitarian action, whereas its expertise can contribute to making humanitarian aid more effective and efficient. The thesis analyses characteristics of a Czech private sector engagement in humanitarian aid provided to foreign countries from a perspective of actors who cooperate with companies, forms of cooperation, phases of humanitarian aid and benefits and barriers to collaboration. The thesis includes two case studies of Czech private companies that are based on direct semi-structured interviews with representatives of the companies GEOtest, a.s. and EGO Zlín, spol. s r.o. The outcome of the thesis is the finding that there are companies in the Czech Republic who partner with Czech and international reputable humanitarian actors and donors. The engagement of Czech companies is long-term and uses firms' expertise within complex forms of cooperation and thus it helps to make humanitarian aid more efficient and effective. The thesis also identifies barriers to cooperation and suggests possible improvements.