The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC) mobilizes international business against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The official focal point of the private sector delegation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, GBC maintains its headquarters in New York and offices in Beijing, Geneva, Johannesburg, Moscow, Nairobi and Paris. In August 2006, the organization began a merger process with Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA) to strengthen business engagement in Eastern Europe and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The process was finalized in January, 2009.
More than 220 global companies are members of GBC, representing a combined workforce of more than 11 million employees in over 200 countries. GBC is led by Chairman Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Vice Chairmen Bertrand Collomb and Cyril Ramaphosa, President and CEO John Tedstrom.
Why are HIV/AIDS, TB business issues?
The growing HIV/AIDS and TB epidemics in Russia and Ukraine are likely to have a profound effect on business in the region. AIDS can increase production costs and reduce company profitability through increased absenteeism, staff turnover, loss of skills, and declining employee morale. As HIV spreads into the general population, affecting workers during their most productive years, no company can say that their business is immune from the devastating impact of this disease. Prevention and voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) programs can be implemented at relatively low cost to protect employees from the spread of HIV. Companies would be wise to invest in workplace prevention programs now, rather than risk rapidly escalating healthcare costs in the future.
HIV/AIDS also threatens the economy of the region as a whole. Both Russia and Ukraine face crises within the critical demographics that constitute the economic growth engine. This dangerous trend will only be exacerbated by the AIDS epidemic. The World Bank estimates that without a dramatic increase in prevention efforts, HIV/AIDS could result in a 4% fall in Russia’s GDP growth by 2010, and a 1-6% fall in Ukraine’s GDP by 2014. HIV/AIDS also places strain on government health budgets, forcing a diversion of scarce resources away from investment in economic growth into HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services.
What can business do?
National and multinational companies in Russia and Ukraine can respond to the immediate threat of the HIV/AIDS and TB crises in five ways:
By implementing workplace prevention, education, and voluntary counseling programs to keep employees healthy;
Through business leaders taking a public stand on these critical health issues and urging governments and civil society to do more;
By leveraging companies’ core skills, networks, and products to fight the diseases;
By reaching out to the wider community to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention; and,
By partnering with local governments, NGOs and communities on comprehensive public health responses to TB and HIV.
GBC Services for Russian and Ukrainian Companies
Russian and Ukrainian companies that join the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria will have access to a variety of valuable support services as they develop a business strategy to address these diseases. These services include:
Technical assistance – GBC’s HEALTH@WORK Employee Education Program helps companies implement programs to raise awareness among employees, safeguard their health, and reduce the economic losses caused by HIV/AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse, TB and other preventable diseases;
International advocacy & networking platforms – Each year, GBC organizes multiple global meetings and events bringing together business executives, government leaders, and donor agencies to share best practices and develop collaborations in the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria;
Public-Private Partnerships – GBC works with companies to build partnerships with national governments and international and bilateral donor agencies such as the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), GTZ and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. By developing public-private partnerships, companies can leverage their internal programs to impact the wider community.
Additional services provided to all GBC members include:
International advocacy campaigns featuring member company logos in advertisements, public service announcements (PSAs), and informational materials;
Profiling of each company’s products/services, HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and CSR efforts;
Workshops and roundtables;
Research & policy papers/briefings;
Regular expert briefing calls;
Subscription to GBC’s bi-annual magazine, Business & AIDS, and monthly email newsletter.
GBC Membership
Any company can join the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Members participate in the work of GBC in the ways that best suit them – from attending high level events with other business, policy and opinion leaders, to participation in smaller project working groups, to involvement in issue-focused initiatives, to receiving advice on relevant international issues, or simply by adding the force of their reputation and reach to the GBC’s work.
