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| Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC) Announces 2005 GBC Awards for
Business Excellence Winners at Gala Headlined by Secretary Condoleezza Rice, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Angelina Jolie |
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| Senators and CEOs to Discuss Improving Public-Private
Collaboration to Combat the Global AIDS Pandemic at Hill Briefing |
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| Through Global AIDS Simulation, International AIDS
Experts Demonstrate the Potential of Multisectoral Involvement in Stopping the Global AIDS Pandemic |
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| WASHINGTON, September 27, 2005 - Global Business Coalition on
HIV/AIDS (GBC) hosts events this week in Washington, DC, to applaud companies active in the global AIDS
fight, to coordinate the private sector response to the AIDS pandemic and to meet with Congressional
Leaders on how to build opportunities for business and government collaboration on HIV/AIDS.
The GBC will honor the award recipients at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts at a gala
headlined by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador and Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie. Senator
Bill Nelson will give the invocation. |
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| The GBC events, including a Global AIDS Simulation, Congressional Briefing and Awards Gala bring together
multinational CEOs, policy makers, and international AIDS experts. Others scheduled to participate in the
various events include, Senators Robert Bennett, Joseph Biden, Barbara Boxer, Chuck Hagel and John Kerry;
CEOs Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Group of Companies), John Demsey (M·A·C, Estée Lauder), Peter Dolan
(Bristol-Myers Squibb), Ray Gilmartin (Merck and Co.), Jonathan Klein (Getty Images), Sir Mark Moody-Stuart
(Anglo American) and Jonathan Oppenheimer (De Beers); and other Ambassadors and dignitaries.
Six companies that have made innovative contributions to fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic will be honored
tomorrow night by GBC President & CEO and former US Ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke and
GBC Executive Director Trevor Neilson. Announced today, the winners of the 2005 GBC Awards for Business
Excellence include: Workplace Award: Volkswagen of South Africa; Innovation Award: Getty Images; Core
Competency Award: M·A·C Cosmetics; Community Award: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Leadership
Award: Virgin Unite; and Testing and Counseling Award: De Beers. |
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| The 2005 Awards for Business Excellence dinner will be entirely underwritten by
De Beers and attended by over 500 high-ranking guests from business, politics
and international development. |
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| "In today's global economy, a disease that has killed more than 30
million people is everyone's problem - and every company's responsibility,"
said Ambassador Holbrooke. "The companies we are honoring tomorrow night
have stepped forward to make a difference in the fight against AIDS. They are
inspiring examples of how the business community can harness its power to help
curb this global pandemic." |
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| Instituted in 1998, the GBC Awards for Business Excellence identify and honor outstanding
private sector HIV/AIDS programs. A record number of international companies submitted
entries for the 2005 Award's consideration. This year's six winners were chosen for their
unique impact on the global fight against HIV/AIDS. |
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| "These organizations have identified significant opportunities to serve their
employees and communities in the HIV/AIDS relief effort," said Trevor Neilson,
GBC Executive Director. "They've gone the extra mile to help fight this devastating
disease, and they are role models for others in the business community." |
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| At the gala, GBC will announce a $100,000 contribution to the Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to fund life-saving medical services-including
prevention, testing, treatment and care. As the private sector focal point to the
Global Fund, GBC hopes the pledge will inspire additional private sector donations.
A number of companies are pooling resources to enhance the Fund's capacity to
engage businesses worldwide; DaimlerChrysler and Merck are the first to deliver
on their financial pledges. |
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Congressional Briefing
Also tomorrow, the GBC and co-sponsors, Senator Richard
Lugar and Senator Joseph Biden are hosting a Congressional
Briefing titled: "Business, Government and HIV/AIDS: Tackling
Global Economic and Security Threats" at the US Capitol Building.
Together, Members of Congress and CEO's from leading multinational companies will
explore the ways in which the public and private sectors can work together in promoting
global AIDS relief in the workplace, the community and in the international arena. Moderated
by GBC President and CEO Richard Holbrooke, the briefing will be attended by Congressional
leaders, chief executives and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie.
"To really tackle the AIDS pandemic from all angles, it is imperative that government
and the private sector work together." said Ambassador Holbrooke. "Having corporate
and government leaders collaborate on stopping the global spread of AIDS is a necessary
step in wholly addressing this crisis."
Congressional Members scheduled to attend include, Senator Robert Bennett,
Senator Joseph Biden, Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Chuck Hagel, Senator Bill
Nelson, Senator Ken Salazar, Congressman Jim Kolbe and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
Company leaders scheduled to attend include, Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Group of Companies),
John Demsey (Estée Lauder), Peter Dolan (Bristol-Myers Squibb), Roy Gilmartin (Merck and Co.),
Jonathan Klein (Getty Images), Sir Mark Moody-Stuart (Anglo American) and Jonathan Oppenheimer (De Beers). |
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Global AIDS Simulation
Over the last two days, international experts in HIV/AIDS, global security and business convened in Washington,
DC, to develop real world solutions for coordinating the global response to HIV/AIDS. Hosted by the GBC, UNAIDS,
Booz Allen Hamilton and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation the dynamic exercise provided participants the
opportunity to work together to develop and coordinate policy at a national level in two case countries: India and
Nigeria. An economic and behavioral model guided the exercise projecting 20 year outcomes of economic and
human impacts of the AIDS crisis. The findings will be incorporated into a comprehensive HIV policy agenda, and
presented at a series of high-level advocacy meetings in the US and other donor countries later this year. |
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| 2005 GBC Awards for Business Excellence |
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Workplace Winner: Volkswagen of South Africa
Volkswagen of South Africa launched its comprehensive HIV/AIDS workplace program in February 2002.
The Education and Awareness Component employs storytellers, peer educators and comprehensive
campaigns to disseminate culturally-relevant HIV/AIDS information. The Integrated Health Care
Component provides concrete medical services administered by qualified medical staff. Through
Risk Management, Volkswagen conducts HIV prevalence surveys. The Community Programs/Outreach
initiative introduces school children to age-appropriate HIV/AIDS education. |
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Innovation Winner: Getty Images
Getty Images has sent photographer Brent Stirton to South Africa, China and the
Ukraine to document the AIDS crisis in these regions. These photos fill viewers
with a necessary sense of urgency and humanity, encouraging them to learn more
about the disease's impact on emerging economies. In addition to Stirton, Getty's
photographers are encouraged to capture HIV/AIDS-related images whenever possible.
As a result, the company's web site offers more than 2,800 AIDS-related images, which
are provided free of charge to HIV/AIDS-related organizations. The total value of imagery
donated for this explicit purpose is estimated at $875,000. |
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Core Competency Winner: M·A·C Cosmetics
Created in 1994, the M·A·C AIDS Fund has raised more than $48 million for AIDS-related programs,
primarily through the sale of its VIVA GLAM lipsticks. This money is used to provide extensive assistance in
three important areas: advocacy to generate a much stronger overall response to HIV/AIDS; HIV prevention
and awareness-raising; and capacity building in resource- limited settings. The M·A·C AIDS Fund/VIVA GLAM
Campaign is the subject of the company's only advertising campaign. |
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Community Winner: Bristol-Myers Squibb
Through its Secure the Future Initiative (nearly $150 million in critical support),
Bristol-Myers Squibb has made grants to fund several projects: a lab for local
HIV monitoring and research; an HIV nursing curriculum; a physician's exchange
program between Africa and the United States; large-scale studies on antiretroviral
therapy in Africa; and a children's clinical center of excellence. Today, the program
includes an additional $15 million designated for Western African countries. |
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Leadership Winner: Virgin Unite
Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson has been involved with HIV/AIDS causes since
1987. More recently, in 2004, Virgin helped launch "Your Finest Hour," helping to
distribute more than one million copies of educational materials across the United
Kingdom and raising more than $50,000 for South Africa's "Women on the Move Project."
"Women on the Move" unites three South African charities and targets vulnerable young women
between ages 15 and 24, who comprise four of every five new HIV infections among South Africans
in this demographic. |
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Testing and Counseling Winner: De Beers
Begun in the late 1990s, De Beers' counseling and testing services for HIV/AIDS
extend to all employees, dependents and contractors, all of whom are eligible for
free prevention, care, support and treatment. The company has invested in numerous
projects and initiatives, including 28 in South Africa, which has resulted in a drastic rise in testing
of employees and spouses. Specific campaigns have achieved testing rates as high as 80 to 90
percent of eligible individuals. |
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About the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC)
The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS is the pre-eminent organization leading the business
fight against HIV/AIDS. The rapidly expanding alliance of over 200 international companies is
dedicated to combating the AIDS epidemic through the business sector's unique skills and
expertise. GBC's expert teams assist member companies in the design and development of
specialized programs that leverage a company's assets and business skills to tailor an individual
response to the crisis. GBC is the official focal point of the private sector to the Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. For more information, please visit the GBC Web site at
www.businessfightsaids.org. |
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