GBC Devoted to Preventing HIV/AIDS in China

Innovative business approaches for preventing HIV/AIDS is key to fighting the virus worldwide.

A forum on this topic organized by the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC) is being held this morning at the United Nations Global Compact Summit in Shanghai.

Nearly 800 senior level representatives of business, government, non-profit organizations and community groups of the GBC are present at the summit, discussing further co-operation in fight against HIV/ AIDS.

Rapidly expanding, the GBC now has over 200 international member companies dedicated to combating the AIDS epidemic through their unique skill sets and expertise.

GBC assists its members in the design and development of specialized programmes, helping companies leverage their assets, business skills, and networks.

The cornerstone of the GBC’s efforts, the Business AIDS Methodology (BAM)(tm) outlines specific ways for companies to develop tailored business plans to fight HIV/AIDS.

By encouraging early action and ensuring measurable outcomes, BAM(tm) focuses specifically on four main areas: creatively accessing a company’s core competencies by using products, innovation, skills and services; facilitating involvement with community programmes; developing HIV/AIDS workplace policies and programs; and demonstrating leadership and advocacy for increased action from all sections of society.

Charles Tang, vice -president of Coca Cola China is representing GBC at the UN forum. He will talk about the business sector’s response to HIV/AIDS in West China’s Sichuan Province this marks the start of GBC’s effort to work with companies and provide support for the government’s strategy beyond Beijing.

“This is crucial,” notes GBC’s Ambassador and Chief Executive Officer Richard Holbrooke, “As early action can minimize the disease’s ability to ravage entire nations.”

“China is different from most countries faced with AIDS; it has the opportunity to control the epidemic at a relatively early stage,” he said.

“We commend the Chinese government for its outstanding leadership in this area. We now call upon individual companies and the private sector as a whole to tackle this challenge head on,” he said.

Vice-Minister of Health Wang Longde recently emphasized, “To prevent further inroads into the general population, it’s critical that the business sector get involved to increase awareness and knowledge among employees-including migrant workers-as well as customers and other stakeholders.”

Last year, on the eve of World AIDS Day, President Hu Jintao visited AIDS patients, medical personnel and voluntary workers in Beijing’s You’an Hospital. More recently, Premier Wen Jiabao toured Henan Province, which is especially hard-hit by the disease and he also spent the eve of the lunar New Year with orphans and elderly people who lost loved ones to HIV/AIDS.

This high-level commitment from the government is extremely important, but officials are aware that they cannot do it alone.

The nature of the epidemic necessitates a multi-sectoral approach: if government, civil society, media and business do not all play active roles, HIV/AIDS cannot be controlled.

At the Joint Summit on Business and AIDS in China, convened by the Ministry of Health and the GBC in March 2005, Vice-Premier Wu Yi issued a clear call of action to the business community.

She said, “The Chinese government is ready to join hands with the international community, including business circles throughout the world, to work for the effective control of HIV/AIDS in China and the world at large and for the final victory of mankind in conquering the disease.”

The joint forum attracted over 450 high-level representatives from Chinese and foreign governments, civil society, media and 110 companies.

Focused initiatives

As the pre-eminent organization leading the corporate sector’s fight against AIDS, the GBC has been working over the past year and a half to inspire and facilitate increased private sector action and multi-sectoral collaboration in China.

Many of its members are increasingly active in the China effort through philanthropy, partnerships with other sectors, employee education, and policies against discrimination.

GBC kicked off its China initiatives in early 2004, collaborating closely with the Chinese government and the United Nations Theme Group on HIV/AIDS.

Following a GBC delegation visit in July 2004, GBC launched the China Business and AIDS Working Group, which brings together over 60 Chinese and multinational businesses.

The working group, chaired by William Valentino of Bayer and managed by APCO Worldwide, provides a forum for sharing information, experience and expertise both across sectors and among business peers.

On May 17, 2005, 26 companies announced concrete commitments to fight HIV/AIDS in China; each vowed to establish or implement non- discrimination HIV/AIDS policies for their China-based employees.

The multinational and Chinese companies include Anglo American, APCO Worldwide, Bayer, BD (Becton Dickinson), Beijing Air Catering Co Ltd, BP, BMH Instruments Co Ltd, Gobon Guilin Latex, GlaxoSmithKline, Horizon Research Group, Johnson & Johnson, Lafarge, M.A.C Cosmetics, MSD China, National Basketball Association (NBA), Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, PFT Group, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Limited, Qingdao Double Butterfly, Rio Tinto, Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies, sohu.com, Standard Chartered Bank, STAR, TOTAL Group, and Unilever.

Since the announcement, GBC has been providing companies with technical support to help them shape their non-discrimination policies.

GBC member companies have also been implementing other programmes within the country.

Standard Chartered Bank, Lafarge, and Anglo American led the way by providing education and training to their China-based employees, who indicated that they appreciated this move from their employers.

Bayer teamed up with Tsinghua University to create a unique Public Health and HIV/AIDS Media Studies program.

By offering media research and advocacy, the programme empowers a network of trained and informed journalists to deliver accurate information on the epidemic, shape public attitudes, and encourage behavioural changes through China’s publications and broadcast media.

Other GBC member companies have promised to get involved, aiming to leverage their best practices in business sector HIV programmes in other countries to propel China initiatives.

On November 28, GBC sponsored a screening of “Living Positive.” A 30-minute docudrama based on real stories of people living with HIV/ AIDS in China, “Living Positive” is an educational film accompanied by a versatile discussion guide designed for use in a wide variety of settings.

The Ford Foundation funded the project, with additional support from Lafarge, the AIDS Relief Fund for China, the China HIV/AIDS Information Network, UNESCO, Positive Art Workshop, You’an Hospital, and Bayer.

To further the business effort and better serve member companies in the region, GBC has opened a regional office in Beijing headed by Michael Shiu, in November. Sohu.com, China’s most influential Internet company, graciously donated office space for this purpose.

In the coming year, GBC will endeavour to increase the overall business response to AIDS in China by focusing on the role that companies can play nationally as well as at the provincial level.

GBC will actively recruit additional Chinese and foreign members, and facilitate the development of beneficial programs consistent with national policy efforts, striving to further raise awareness about HIV/AIDS issues so that discrimination against those affected will be reduced and eventually eradicated.