The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation will host its annual Building Resilience Conference on May 15-17, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The event will bring together leaders dedicated to shaping the future of resilience through partnership and action, held in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Small Business Administration, and U.S. Agency for International Development.

Our Building Resilience Conference connects individuals from the highest levels of business, government, and nonprofits to share good ideas, plan for the unexpected, and solve problems together.

The Importance of Trust in Crisis Management

As disasters of all kinds—including natural disasters and humanitarian crises—occur more frequently, strengthening resilience is imperative for communities and businesses to adapt to these events and ensure economic prosperity—and trust plays a critical role.

Establishing trust between stakeholders before, during, and after disasters is the key that unlocks greater collaboration, smarter solutions, and opportunities for progress. Research shows that when diverse sectors trust each other, communities can respond to disasters and meet their unique needs more effectively. This collaboration makes it easier to overcome common challenges, such as information gaps and resource limitations. For example, in the case of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, community trust in government at all levels was fractured even before the hurricane made landfall. This breakdown in trust only hurt recovery efforts and contributed to the longest blackout in modern history.

Join us to hear unique perspectives from government, private sector, and NGO leaders on building trust both locally and nationally to foster stronger communities and improve resilience.