Objective: The purpose of The Katrina Reconstruction Summit was to bring together leaders from government, business, and public service organizations to discuss early strategies for the economic reconstruction of the U.S. Gulf Coast, responding to the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Commitment: On September 26, 2005, Equity International implemented its Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to provide a major public service to respond to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We organized The Katrina Reconstruction Summit in the U.S. Senate, bringing together more than 300 leaders.

The Summit program featured government, public service, and business leaders providing presentations on federal funding for reconstruction; federal programs for reconstruction; reconstruction needs in housing, tourism, energy, health, environment, and other sectors; initiatives for creating jobs and building small businesses; and strategies for working with major reconstruction contractors. The Summit Keynote Address was provided by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., Founder and President of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

Summit participants included top executives and officials from Rainbow/PUSH; Congress; a variety of federal, state, and local agencies; firms such as Halliburton KBR, McKenna Long & Aldridge, 3M, Accenture, Lockheed Martin; General Dynamics, BAE Systems, Boeing, The Carlyle Group, Fluor, L-3/TITAN, IBM, and Marsh; and organizations including the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Summit news media coverage included CNN, Fox, The Washington Post, Financial Times, and other major news organizations.

Background: Because of the scope of the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Equity International believed it was extremely important to provide an immediate forum for leaders from all the sectors interested in economic reconstruction. Since 1996, we have brought together thousands of leaders from throughout the U.S. and around the world to discuss reconstruction strategies in the aftermath of wars in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and in the aftermath of natural disasters in Central America, Turkey, Venezuela, and elsewhere. Our reconstruction forums facilitate the speed of needed reconstruction, by identifying needs, solutions, funding, and programs. Further background is available at www.rec-dev.com.

Partnership Opportunity: As we move forward to implement a long-term Gulf Coast reconstruction initiative, we seek partnerships and alliances with all government agencies, commissions, task forces, companies, organizations, and others interested in the economic reconstruction of the Gulf Coast. We are a facilitator in bringing together all of the sectors needed for successful long-term economic reconstruction.

Update:
April 2006:
Drawing on the success of the September Katrina Reconstruction Summit, Equity International organized The U.S. Gulf Coast Reconstruction Summit in Washington on April 10, 2006. Speakers ranged from House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis to former Clinton FEMA Director James Lee Witt. More than 1,000 business and government leaders participated in the Summit, which was broadcast on C-SPAN.