INTRODUCTION

PARTNE= RSHIPS FOR PREVENTION AND CARE

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Honour= able Minister,

your E= xcellencies, members of the diplomatic corps,

distin= guished delegates,

dear f= riends and colleagues

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I am particularly pleased to speak after you, Minister, and I would first lik= e to thank you for your leadership and for giving me the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Global Business Coalition to present the commitment of the private sector in the fight against AIDS, TB and Malaria, three major killers in Africa.

Before beginning my remarks, I would like to thank Times Media Group for inviting = me in such a high level conference, for stressing the role of business in acceler= ating access to prevention and care.

Indeed, scaling up <= b>access to prevention and care must be a key focus of all stakeholders, national and international, public and private, who are involved in the battle against t= hese diseases. <= /b>

As= a representative of the private sector, I will focus my presentation on the r= ole of business to move forward this approach and help national programs. =

There is much to be done. As we are here today with decision-makers from the public and private sector, along with international agencies and donors, as well as NGOs, we should come out of the conference = with new collaborative approaches.

To date, several Ghanaian companies have shown act= ive leadership from implementing programs in the workplace to developing active partnerships with their communities. During this conference, we will have several examples of such experiences, especially from the mining industry w= hich is in the forefront on developing public private partnerships. <= /span>

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These = are the crucial topics that we will be addressing during this two day conference, w= ith the willingness to set the environment for more concrete action.

First, I will highli= ght:

-&nb= sp; The specific qualities of business that makes this sector a unique partner

-&nb= sp; The role of the GBC

Then, I will stress on the role of business in developing new strategies especially:

-&nb= sp; Co investments

-&nb= sp; Core competency

I will also outline the role of business regarding= :

-&nb= sp; Women

-&nb= sp; SMEs

Finally, I will explain why businesses are appropr= iate partners to fight =

-&nb= sp; TB and Malaria

And I will illustrate the impact of PPPs with two recent initiatives that GBC has supported and can discussed further

1. Some specific qualities of the private sector.

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Busine= sses are well placed to prevent stigma and discrimination with their “capt= ive audience”, through information dissemination, counselling and increas= ed contact with infected or affected individuals. Because AIDS tends to be a chronic disease, the access to ARV has proved to be the most efficient weap= on to fight stigma.

Almost five million people are infected with= HIV world wide, or 13,000 per day and less than 10% of infected people know the= ir status, which means that, 90% people carrying the virus do not know they ha= ve it.<= /o:p>

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B= usiness has a tremendous role to play in improving access to testing and care, beca= use they can reach large numbers of employees and dependants through cost-effective awareness programmes. <= /b>

B= usiness - either multinationals, national companies, or small and medium enterprises – ca= n also do a lot to improve access to treatment, especially In Africa, where still 3 out of every 4 people in need of antiretroviral treat= ment are not receiving it.

However, during these last years, business has made a significant progress in testing, prevention and treatment. As the cost of antiretroviral treatment has decre= ased over the last six years, from around US $10,000 to US $140-300 per person p= er year, the private sector has become much more likely to provide treatment to its employees. This is especially true in high prevalence African regions. =

An increasing number of companies understand that AIDS is a serious business i= ssue and that in the long term, the direct and indirect costs of inaction oversh= adow the costs of treatment. AIDS affects human resources, especially the most productive adults between the ages of 15 and 30, it causes absenteeism, and leads to higher operating costs and limited investment opportunities. AIDS costs vary from 2% to 8% of annual salaries by 2010, depending on the production, the localisation and employee benefit structures.

During this recent period, international financ= ing have increased a lot, innovative strategies and new partnerships have been developed. Studies and tools are increasingly available to improve the work= place programs. We know now what is working, and what is not working. =

Business can and must do more = to fight HIV/AIDS, because AIDS is more than a medical issue; it threatens workers, customers and communities.

But, no business can take on this burden alone – community outreach requires = the building of partnerships with government, other employers, trade unions, NGO’s and donor organisations.

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The pr= ivate sector and government are just now beginning to effectively work together. = This is why this conference comes at an important moment.

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As public private partnership is for our organisat= ion one of its top priorities, I am going to present our activities and mission= .

2.      The role of GBC

The Gl= obal Business Coalition on AIDS, TB and Malaria, is an expanding alliance of 220 international companies dedicated to combating the three diseases. Establi= shed in 2001, GBC represents more than 11 million employees in over 150 countrie= s.

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<= span lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-ansi-language:= EN-GB'>GBC has motivated the private sector to adopt HIV/A= IDS as a business issue. Our role is to encourage businesses to implement preventi= on, testing and care programs for employees and dependants including the suppli= ers.

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As our member companies report impact on their productivity and profitability, from various factors, we have extended our mandate to include TB and malaria in 2006. We wanted also to address the link between TB and AIDS.

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<= span lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;mso-an= si-language: EN-GB'>Using our current HIV/AIDS model, we support TB and Malaria advocacy= and business programs.

Responses from the pr= ivate sector have included:

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®    Initiatives such as workplace, community, core competency and advocacy programs

<= span lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;mso-an= si-language: EN-GB'>More specifically, our organization:<= /o:p>

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®    Provides guidance and technical support to its members;

®    Supports in-country = work through its partners, including NBCs, and through its 7 offices,= including 2 in Africa, Johannesburg and Nairobi.

®    Identifies best practices and organizes exchange of experiences;

®    Creates collaborative platforms to develop <= /span>public-private-partnerships

®    Facilitates access to international financing and expertise

®    Produces tools such as M&= E CD Rom and research such as the State of Business and AIDS report

<= span lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;mso-an= si-language: EN-GB'>GBC provides new opportunities for partnerships between business and governments, international organisations and NGOs, which in turn, improve business action and e= xtend workplace programs into local communities.

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<= span lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;mso-an= si-language: EN-GB'>There are crucial aspects in extending these activities into surroun= ding communities, for example:

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= 1)    In remote areas, workplace programs may be the only platforms where people can receive accurate information on HIV counselling, testing, treatm= ent and care.

2)    These companies would reinforce the national programs on AIDS, as well as TB and Malaria and furthermore reduce costs and improve standards and quality of care.

3)    They would also provide more equal access to prevention, testing and treatment, as stated in the United Nation Millennium goals.

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The expansion of services to br= oader communities requires input of additional resources - financial, technical a= nd human.

This is why GBC collaborates with donors, such as the World Bank MAP program, bilateral agencies including PEPFAR (US President's Emergency Plan= for AIDS Relief), GTZ or Partners Against AIDS, or the program that we launched= in 2006 with the support of the French Development Agency.

Additional stakeholders are the trade-unions and NGOs, who can provide the crucial interface to community based services such as VCT and training, as well as international partners like WHO, ILO and UNAIDS, who can provide technical resources and assist in the PPP program design.

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3.      Co-investments

More specifically, GBC works with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria,= as our organisation was appointed as the official focal point to private secto= r of the Fund, in 2006, which has given GBC greater expertise and network to dev= elop PPP.

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Both organizations are encouraging companies to use their existing health facilities, including hospitals and clinics, drug procurement mechanisms, access= to diagnostics, and technical expertise, to rea= ch out to surrounding communities.

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These co-investments strategies combine public and private sector capabilities and assets to include the wider community. The process has been initiated, but = we still have a lot to do to extend it to meet the crucial needs.

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As examples of such strategies= , we could mention AREVA with the Global Fund in Niger, and Lafarge with GTZ in Nigeri= a, BHP-Billinton in East Africa, Marathon Oil or AngloGold Ashan= ti.

I am not going into detail abo= ut these innovative approaches, as Olivier Vilaca, the co-investment manager of the Global fund, will present it, with a focus= on its advantages and challenges

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But up to now, we can note that = the most remarkable examples of PPP are coming from the mining industry. Becaus= e these companies are generally located in remote areas, with a large workforce, th= ey are one of the most appropriate industry sectors to develop co-investment s= trategies. Most of these companies have had to invest in their own HIV/AIDS facilities, laboratories and procurement syste= ms for drugs and medical supplies, with trained doctors and nurses to provide = HIV treatment and care.

Moreover, they have been strongly hit by AIDS, especially in Southern Africa. I= ncidence rates among gold miners revealed to be as 15 times higher than the region a= verage. As a result, these companies had to develop efforts which can now be considered as best practices. They were also among the first to quantify the economic impact of HIV/AIDS on their own operations.<= /p>

Because of its high social and economic impact, in = Ghana and throughout Africa, the mining indust= ry is in the process of playing a leading role to move forward co-investment and public private partnerships.

As many key mining companies are already a member of the GBC, we are willing to help this sector to achieve this objective.

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4.      Core competency

Mining companies, as in other sectors can use their core competencies to bring new ideas and innovative approaches to increase awareness and help the national programs move forward. These competencies include administrative and manage= ment skills, logistics and distribution expertise as well as commu= nication and marketing, products and network.

GB= C helps its members use their core competency, for example several media companies = offer free air time, ad space etc… to support public campaigns on AIDS and Malaria and others use their expertise and assets to fight stigma, increase= uptake of testing and treatment.

Let me= give you some examples of companies that use their competencies:

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·        L’Oréal trains its hairdressers to teach their clients about the disease.

·        Sanofi Aventis develops partners= hips to extend access to its drugs by offering various level of prices, by supporting micro finance activities, training of health personal and develo= ping appropriate products, more simply, more efficiently and cheaper, such as AS= AQ produced in partnership with DNDI (Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative)= .

·        ZMQ Software in India uses mobile phones to engage consumers

·        RED Campaign, which includes GBC members American Express, Gap, and Nike are producing red coloured products= to raise awareness and financing for the Global Fund

·        TV5 is donating air time to publ= ic service announcements and designing programs around AIDS education.

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5.      Women

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Compan= ies also have a strong role to address the causes leading to the feminization of AIDS specifically through: (1) economic empowerment; (2) education; and (3)= health services.

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As pre= gnant women and children are most vulnerable to malaria, companies can also inclu= de, as a benefit, prevention for women and girls against AIDS and Malaria =

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GBC su= pports these initiatives through the Healthy Women Healthy Economies program, more specifically dedicated to

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o&nb= sp;      companies with significant female workforces in their supply chain (e.g. Gap, Nike, Levi Strauss, etc.)<= /o:p>

o&nb= sp;      companies that integrate effecti= ve reproductive health and overall health services to women in their workforce, such as De Beers.

o&nb= sp;      companies that can use their core competencies and products to help bring services to women, including new di= agnostics and preventive methods (e.g. BD, Abbott, Merck, pharmas, APCO, Orasure)

6.      SMEs

Business can also do a lot to = help SMES and by inviting their suppliers and distributors to join in on their prevention programs and discrimination policies. Over 90% of the African workforce is employed in = this sector: 70% of these have 5 employees or less. <= /o:p>

Most of SMES are facing specific challenges to access to prevention, education, testing, treatment and care for their employees. With less developed infrastructure and limited resources, SMES need support.&nbs= p;

New strategies have been develo= ped recently to reach out SMES through specific programs, such as micro finance, mutual insurance schemes, mobile units. SMEs partners include National Busi= ness Coalitions or Chambers of Commerce, as we will see during the conference wi= th the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce.

There are also best practices o= f workplace programs that include their suppliers.

Unilever, Tetra Pak, SabMiller= or Nestle are empowering local SMEs through specific programs, including aware= ness on AIDS and Malaria.

7.      TB

TB is = one issue that cannot be overlooked is HIV/TB co-infection. I would like to remind some figure= s, but there will be emphasised all over the conference.

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o&nb= sp;      TB cases are rising by 4% a year= .

o&nb= sp;      Of the 14 million people co-infe= cted with HIV and TB, 70% are in Africa.

o&nb= sp;      TB is one of the m= ost cost effective treatable and curable infectious disease with an average of US$ 10 per patient,<= /o:p>

o&nb= sp;      Yet, only about one in three TB patients receive a full course of TB drugs.

The business sector has the expertise and management skills needed to successfully improve TB c= ontrol in coordination with national TB policies.

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Workplace programs, onsite facilities and reporting infrastructure are immediate entry-points to inclu= de TB in the awareness activities to meet the requirement of TB control, as it requires a strict adherenc= e to drug regimes.

They can apply the basic principles: non-discrimination, confidenti= ality, healthy work environment, care and support and social dialogue. =

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Companies with high-risk workfor= ces can integrate TB policies into occupational health and safety protocols and provide a health insurance scheme.

Until recently, ma= ny national TB programmes have relied on government health services for the provision of TB care. But it is crucial that public and private sectors work together to overcome challenges of TB control such as the co-infection with HIV and the emergenc= e of multi- and extensive drug-resistance.

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Several case studi= es demonstrate that prompt diagnosis and effective treatment can lead to net c= ost savings by reducing absenteeism and preventing disease transmission. <= /o:p>

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As an example, AngloGold South Africa estimates that each case of TB among unskilled emplo= yees in some of its operations costs US$ 410 in lost shifts. Thanks to its activ= e TB control programme, with a cost of US$ 90 per employee each year, the company saves US$ 105.

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8.      Malaria

Ma= laria has very similar effects on the workplace as AIDS and TB. Therefore, it needs comparable initiatives through workplace program, PPP and core competency strategies.

Ag= ain, businesses can use their products and skill, support infrastructure, facili= tate distribution networks, offer administrative expertise, provide managements, monitoring and evaluation, etc…

This intervention can be done in collaboration with governments, UN agencies, do= nors and NGOs.

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According to WHO, each year 30= 0-500 million cases of Malaria occur and more than 1 million people die, mostly children under the age of 5. This disease costs Africa about USD 12 billion= in lost production each year.

Th= rough public private partnerships, Malaria workplace programs can be extended int= o surrounding communities.

Current examples of such comprehensive programs include several of our members, suc= h as ChevronTexaco, Konkola Copper, Lafarge, Standard Chartered Bank.

ExxonM= obil distributes bed nets and medicines through its gas stations could be adopte= d by other energy, retail or food and leverage companies using their distribution networks.

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BHP Billiton: In collaboration with the local governments of Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland, the company submitted a multi-country proposal to the Global Fund to support a comprehensive Malaria control program, including indoor residual spraying, bed-net distribution and access to treatment: $22 million has been approved by the Fund fro this initiative.

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This innovative partnership resulted in reducing malaria incidence by nearly 80% within a 100 000 square kilometre area over a five year period. <= /o:p>

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Key su= ccess factors include the partnership with three governments, and the inclusion of the three key activities: prevention, diagnosis and treatment. <= /span>

9.      Two examples of PPP =

Bringi= ng all stakeholders together, I would like to give you two specific examples of pu= blic and private initiatives that GBC has developed recently. =

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<= span lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-ansi-language:= EN-GB'>First PPP to improve access to testing: The L= esotho government announced an ambitious plan to test all of its 2 million citizens for HIV through a “Know Your Status” campaign, = on December 1st, 2005.

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GBC as= ked its members how they would like to help.

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They responded immediately, and in February 2006 GBC members BD (Becton, Dickins= on), Abbott, Beckman Coulter, OraSure Technologies, Premier Medical Corporation, Roche, and Unilever provided Lesotho’s health minister Dr. Phooko with donations to facilitate a comprehensive HIV/AIDS program, including testing, counselling, and training programs as well as rapid tests, diagnostic machi= nes, and counselling telephone help lines.

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Another good example of PPP to improve access to prevention to Malaria has been promoted by GBC in Zambia = in late 2006. GBC has secured and distributed 500,000 bed nets in Zamb= ia, in close collaboration with RAPIDS (Reaching HIV/AIDS Affected People) a consortium of six NGOs, including World Vision, Africare, CARE Internationa= l.

·        The total cost for 500,000 bed nets is approximately US = $2.5 million;

·        Pepfar and PMI gave 1.25 million
·        GBC Members committed to $1.25 million=

The program will protect over = one million Zambians from malaria in 64 of the country’s 72 administrative districts, during the next three to five years.

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CONCLU= SION

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I hope= that this conference will inspire more PPP “examples” like these and encourage each and every one of you to become a part of such initiatives

Innovative collaborative approaches and PPP are crucially needed to improve access to prevention and care.

For all these reasons, it has become increasingly important to devel= op workplace programs against AIDS, TB and Malaria, through sustainable financing mechanisms, insurance and mutual schemes, social security or other methods.=

Public and private sector need to move forward in creating new strategies. Our conference will highlight how t= o identifying models, lessons learned and challenges that still remain to be overcome.

Let’s build upon synergies between all stakeholders. We can lead a dynamic West African response to the fight against these three diseases, and furthermore to formulate this into the motion we will discuss= in more detail later tonight and tomorrow.