2007'02.01.Thu
Business Committed to Fight HIV/AIDS in China

April 03, 2006

BEIJING, April 3 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- More than 100 business, civil society and government health representatives from China and abroad, gathered at the Kerry Center in Beijing on March 30, for an HIV/AIDS workshop to exchange ideas about the role of business in dealing with HIV/AIDS in China. They participated in a workshop organized by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the China Business Council for Sustainable Development (CBCSD), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in China and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS in China (GBC China). Participants included representatives from Chinese and foreign businesses, the Chinese government, local and international NGOs, and United Nations organizations. Participants discussed the role of the private sector in dealing with the deadly epidemic, designing appropriate personnel and workplace policies, including educating employees on discrimination of workers living with the disease. The executives presented and shared best practical experiences of ways in which companies are doing their part to stop the epidemic, and hoping to inspire other companies to join the national campaign on HIV/AIDS prevention and control. This workshop is an effort to bring that work down to a very practical level, and provide businesses with resources they will need to address the problem in the workplace and local communities where they operate. In introducing the conference, Howard Klee from WBCSD remarked, "This conference on HIV/AIDS is an important part of the WBCSD's larger program on health systems and the role of business in society. Business does have a role to play in addressing a number of social issues, but business alone cannot solve these problems. In the case of HIV/AIDS, the connections between this deadly disease and having a productive workforce and vibrant local market are quite clear. Business has the ability to influence their employees' behavior through education, as well as through the design of benefit, insurance, safety and wellness programs." On behalf of the United Nations Theme Group on HIV/AIDS in China, Constance Thomas, Director of the International Labour Organization for China and Mongolia, illustrated a number of ways in which employers could contribute to HIV/AIDS prevention and control in China. "The workplace is an important and ideal setting where reliable information on HIV/AIDS prevention can be disseminated to the working people, especially to those who may be engaging in behavior that puts them at risk of becoming infected by HIV," Thomas said. "Increasingly, companies in China have taken actions by putting HIV/AIDS workplace policy in place, launching education programmes in their workplaces and beyond. Taking action on HIVAIDS can be considered part of carrying out corporate social responsibility, which is increasingly being seen in China as synonymous with good business practice and harmonious growth." "This workshop is a testament to GBC's work and progress in China," said Michael Shiu, Director of GBC China. "Last March in Beijing at our Joint Summit with the Chinese Ministry of Health, we witnessed Vice Premier Wu Yi call on Chinese businesses to get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In the past year GBC has attempted to galvanize the business response to the Premier's call and today's workshop is a critical step in that direction. By helping participants design and execute a company HIV/AIDS workplace policy, we are paving the way for future private sector HIV/AIDS program development." HIV/AIDS is not only a public health issue but also a social and development issue as China already has over half a million estimated HIV/AIDS cases according to the latest estimation by the Ministry of Health, UNAIDS and WHO. Based on experience in other countries, it is now recognized as best practice to make a proactive attack on the epidemic in its early stages, rather than waiting until a later stage when control becomes more difficult and costly. Giving an example of using the workplace to reach rural migrant workers and local communities where the companies are located, Edmund Settle, Programme Specialist on HIV/AIDS for the United Nations Development Programme, added, "There is an urgent need to strengthen the general population's knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS, and the private sector is in a perfect position to facilitate efficient and sustained distribution of HIV/AIDS education and awareness messages among employees and their families." The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a co-sponsor of UNAIDS and member of the Theme Group on HIV/AIDS in China, works with the private sector to develop partnerships, mobilize resources and use their individual market advantage to become fully engaged with HIV/AIDS in the workplace and support prevention and awareness activities in communities. For more information, please contact: Howard Klee, Program Director for Sustainable Health Systems, World Business Council for Sustainable Development Email: klee@wbcsd.org Edmund Settle, Programme Specialist on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Development Programme Tel: +86-10-6532-3731 ext.296 Email: edmund.settle@undp.org Michael Shiu, Director, Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, China office Email: mjshiu@gmail.com SOURCE United Nations Development Programme
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