Lowest Price on GBCHealth ’13 Conference: Purchase Tickets by December 31!

GBCHealth is offering a special end-of-year price for tickets to the 2013 GBCHealth Conference, May 15-17 in New York City. Buy before December 31st and you will receive a 25% discount on individual tickets. There are only 100 tickets available at this low, advanced rate so act fast! Purchase now.

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Apply for GBCHealth Awards by December 21

Entries for our Business Action on Health Awards close December 21st, so if you haven’t yet begun your application, now is the time. Each year we recognize outstanding private sector health programs – from workplace wellness to mHealth and gender equity initiatives. Rigorously evaluated by an independent judging panel, the GBCHealth Awards enjoy unique prestige in the CSR community and beyond. Awardees are celebrated onstage at our annual conference before an audience of international leaders and their programs are profiled in a variety of online and print media. So don’t miss your chance to shine! Visit our website to find out more or apply. Our awards team is standing by to support you, so please email us with your questions or call us at: 212-584-1647.

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WORLD AIDS DAY EVENTS & ACTIONS

CEOs and GBCHealth Launch World AIDS Day Campaign Against HIV Travel Bans

CEOs from some of the worlds largest companies launched a World AIDS Day advocacy campaign calling for the end of travel restrictions on HIV positive people. The campaign drove awareness with an op-ed featured on the front page of the Huffington Post by Kenneth Cole and the CEO of Levi Strauss & Co., Chip Bergh; a full-page ad in the Financial Times; and a press conference and panel appearance at the United Nations Headquarters. A social media drive included hundreds of Tweets from CEOs such as Richard Branson and public figures, including education activist and the U.K.’s former first lady, Sarah Brown.

Also, more chief executives, including Ford Motor Company's Alan Mulally, signed the CEO pledge opposing HIV travel restrictions, bringing to nearly 50 the number of signatories. The pledge is an initiative of GBCHealth, UNAIDS and Levi Strauss & Co. Forty-five countries ban or restrict the stay or entry of people solely because they are living with HIV.

See Huffington Post Op-Ed by Kenneth Cole and Levi Strauss & Co. President & CEO, Chip Bergh

See GBCHealth/UNAIDS press release

View Financial Times Ad by Y&R

Learn more about the pledge

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GBCHealth's Managing Director Michael Schreiber Speaks at the United Nations on CEO Pledge

GBCHealth’s Managing Director and interim co-President Michael Schreiber spoke at the United Nations on Nov. 29th about the Word AIDS Day call by CEOs for the end of HIV travel restrictions.

Schreiber said that CEOs are using their voices to oppose HIV travel restrictions because such measures are discriminatory and have a negative impact on business by “telling them they can’t move the right person for the job.”

Schreiber spoke at both a press conference and a UNAIDS panel entitled, “Getting to Zero: Strategies for Addressing HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination.” Other speakers addressed how laws and human rights issues could make a significant impact on the HIV epidemic and the strides and challenges relating to HIV stigma in Zambia. One young HIV-positive man gave a personal account of the discrimination and violence he experienced in Nigeria. Read More.

Read takeaway of UNAIDS panel

See release from UNAIDS press conference

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Clinton Unveils Blueprint for AIDS-free Generation

As one of her final contributions in her role as the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton released the much-anticipated President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Blueprint, which lays out an action plan for how the United States will help achieve an AIDS-free generation. “The goal of an AIDS-free generation may be ambitious, but it is possible with the knowledge and interventions we have right now. And that is something we’ve never been able to say without qualification before. Imagine what the world will look like when we succeed,” Clinton said. Read the State Department Fact Sheet or the full Blueprint (pdf).

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Lead a Session, Showcase Your Public Service Announcement at GBCHealth Conference 2013

GBCHealth is pleased to invite members and partners to submit ideas for sessions at our annual conference on May 15-17 in New York City. Leading a panel provides an opportunity to showcase and share best-in-class programs, partnerships and ideas that advance business action on global health. Interested presenters should submit an abstract to present a panel, workshop or short spotlight.

GBCHealth also is excited to introduce a new feature at this year’s conference: a Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest, "Inspiring Behavior Change." When it comes to influencing people’s behavior through media, some of the most exciting and effective work today is done by corporate marketers. Read more.

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GBCHealth Russian Operations to Close December 31

On September 12, 2012 the U.S. State Department received the Russian Governments decision to end USAID activities in the Russian Federation. Since 2004, USAID has been a major donor for GBCHealth in Moscow, currently covering 90% of operating expenses and supporting us as a principal partner in a diverse range of health-related programs and projects throughout the region. Therefore, this sudden and unexpected development has forced GBCHealth leadership to make the difficult decision to close our Moscow office as of December 31, 2012. Read more.

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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

GBCHealth Presents at Mining Safety Conference

November 13-16, 2012 | Santiago, Chile

GBCHealths Pamela Bolton spoke at the recent International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Health and Safety Conference, a three-day event that brought together health and safety experts and executives. Leaders who attended included the CEOs of GBCHealth members Anglo American, Freeport-McMoRan/Americas and Newmont as well as Goldcorp and the Chilean national mining company, Codelco. Themes of safety and leadership dominated the event, with a growing recognition of the need to focus on employee health. Bolton, GBCHealth’s Vice President of Membership and Advisory Services, presented on a session that highlighted the impact of community investments on the health of mine workers. Read more.

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GBCHealth Co-hosts Forum for African Mining Companies on Stepping up TB Efforts

November 28, 2012 | Johannesburg, South Africa

GBCHealth and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) co-hosted a roundtable on the private sectors role in the SADC Declaration on Tuberculosis in the Mining Sector, a commitment of African nations and a call to action to build new partnerships that yield collective impact in the fight against TB. GBCHealth member mining companies in southern Africa discussed the current state of their TB programs and their progress at the forum entitled, Regional Mining Roundtable: Private Sector Support for Operationalizing the SADC TB Declaration. Companies also discussed next steps for the mining sector to address TB, silicosis and other respiratory diseases for the benefit of mineworkers, ex-mineworkers, their families and communities. Companies participating in the dialogue included GBCHealth members Anglo American and its subsidiary Anglo American Platinum, AngloGold Ashanti, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Vale, as well as Gold Fields (whose affiliate Gold Fields Ghana is a member), Harmony, Lonmin, Konkola Copper Mines and Mopani Copper Mines. The South African Chamber of Mines also participated. A second meeting took place Dec. 10th.

See GBCHealth Insights Newsletter on How Business Can Help Reverse the Tide of TB

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS

Mylan to Provide Low-Cost HIV Medicine for South Africa

The South African government has worked out a deal with Mylan Laboratories to provide HIV medicine at a record low cost. The National Department of Health has awarded Mylan a two-year, $127 million USD tender to provide an anti-retroviral (ARV) drug that will cost patients $10 a month. This three-in-one, fixed dose combination pill will cut the daily ARV pill burden to one a day, improving patient adherence. The award is part of a larger $671 million tender granted to three pharmaceutical companies: Mylan, Aspen Pharmacare and Cipla Medpro. South Africa is home to the worlds largest population of people living with HIV. Read more.

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(RED) Raises Over $200 Million for the Global Fund

The Global Fund Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has announced that (RED) has surpassed a record $200 million in funds raised since 2006. These contributions have made (RED), a GBCHealth member, the largest private sector contributor to the Global Fund. (RED) is a member of the Global Funds Private Sector Delegation, which GBCHealth steers.

Established as an innovative cause-marketing campaign, sales of (RED) products from partner companies support Global Fund programs to fight HIV in Africa. In 2012 alone, (RED) partners such as Starbucks, The Coca-Cola Company and Apple raised over $17 million to support an AIDS-free generation by 2015. See the Global Fund’s press release here.

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Abt Associates Spotlight on HIV

In honor of World AIDS Day on December 1st, GBCHealth member Abt Associates shared updates on its involvement in the global HIV/AIDS fight, highlighting critical challenges and opportunities ahead. Ann Lion, vice president in Abts International Health division, noted that although much progress has been made in the effort to control HIV/AIDS, the largest challenge is to maintain the funding needed to continue this momentum. Lion serves on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malarias Finance and Operational Performance Committee and is a member of the Private Sector Delegation to the Global Fund, which GBCHealth coordinates. See video here.

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Save the Childrens Hurricane Sandy Response

A number of GBCHealth member companies sprang into action to help with recovery efforts of Hurricane Sandy. Abbott and its foundation, the Abbott Fund, provided $1 million in funding and product donations to support relief efforts. Save the Children has been working with children and families in shelters and the communities in New York and New Jersey. The organization has identified critical needs — including female hygiene kits, warm clothing and baby cribs — in the largest shelters in NJ and NY that contain significant numbers of children. Save the Children is in constant contact with national partners, such as American Red Cross, FEMA and Childcare Aware, to assess short and long term needs of families impacted by the storm. Corporate partners providing support for the Save the Children effort include GBCHealth member companies Bayer, HP and Merck. Read more.

See Save the Childrens work with poor families in Kentucky featured in New York Times Nicholas Kristof's Sunday column.

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