Business delivers in the fight against TB, HIV/Aids
President Bush’s successful PEPFAR program regarded private sector engagement as critical to its success. And Obama administration efforts like the Global Health Initiative are taking this one step further, explicitly engaging business and tapping private sector assets and expertise to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of government programs to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
Eight companies will receive GBC’s Awards for Excellence in Business Action at a rare gathering of international leaders, joining corporations, governments and international agencies around a common objective, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the heads of the WHO, UNAIDS, PEPFAR and the Global Fund, U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, top CEOs, recording star and activist Annie Lennox and PSI Board member Ashley Judd. Former U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also will be honored for her commitment and leadership in the creation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the President’s Malaria Initiative and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
The standard-setting programs by the NBA, sanofi-aventis, Eli Lilly & Company, Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and NetsforLife, a partnership among The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, ExxonMobil and Standard Chartered Bank, are part of a broader global movement in which governments, international organizations, civil society and companies are aligning strategies and actions on the frontlines of the fight.
“Governments and non-profits can’t do it alone. The private sector needs to step up now to avert tragedy, and use what we know about how to join the forces of business with governments and non-profits to make the health of people sustainable over the long term,” said GBC President and CEO John Tedstrom. “Coalition members - and these exemplary companies in particular - have done so much that has built momentum in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, for people and communities around the world. We need more companies to do the same.”
“Fighting global diseases requires innovation, commitment and collaboration. It takes more than one scientist, one government or one company to tackle the health challenges people are facing today.
Business, government and civil society must pool their resources, expertise and reach to positively impact global health,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company and co-chairman of the Coalition’s Board of Directors. “We salute these private sector leaders who are joining together to improve health and foster economic development around the world.”
After many years of working on the periphery, business is now playing a pivotal role in the fight. This major shift has been gaining momentum over the past five to seven years, as governments, international organizations, non-profits and the private sector join forces to align strategies and actions in global health.
Via (PR Inside)
Posted 1 year, 11 months, 3 weeks, 21 hours, 6 minutes ago
