HIV/AIDS becomes Egypt’s private sector business

“As business men and women, you have the ability to find the pragmatic solutions needed to tackle an issue like HIV/AIDS,” UNICEF Egypt Representative Dr. Erma Manoncourt at the workshop in Cairo

Cairo, May 17, 2006: Over 30 of Egypt's biggest private sector companies have pledged their support to the global partnership against HIV and AIDS, saying that to do otherwise would incur risks the private sector – and Egypt -- cannot afford.

The pledge came at a one-day workshop in Cairo organised by the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) in coordination with UNAIDS Co-sponsors UNICEF, the International Labour Organisation and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime with Care Egypt. The key aim of the event was to launch the Egypt Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS composed of five companies and hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce.

“As business men and women, you have the ability to find the pragmatic solutions needed to tackle an issue like HIV/AIDS,” Dr Erma Manoncourt, Chair of the Expanded Theme Group on HIV/AIDS and UNICEF Egypt Representative told the gathering.

Dr. Ehab Salah, who leads the National AIDS Programme at the Ministry of Health and Population said while Egypt has a low prevalence rate of HIV in the general population, measures were need to ensure the situation remained that way. Recent years have seen a steady increase in the reported number of HIV cases in the Middle East and North Africa in general.

Maha Aon of UNAIDS spoke of the high risk factors facing Egypt as it develops its strategy to address HIV. They included high rates of illiteracy, widespread ignorance about the disease, and a population in which young people make up over 30 per cent.

Representatives of Coca-Cola and Shell -- companies which have already adopted HIV/AIDS policies in the workplace – outlined the initiatives they have undertaken to increase HIV awareness among their staff, to guarantee the rights of workers living with HIV and to reduce the stigma and discrimination they are exposed to.

A number of small but important steps were proposed for companies. Among them: organizing informational workshops for staff; displaying flyers and posters with key messages on HIV; and extending corporate policies that combat discrimination and promote equal opportunities. “We found out that the best approach to reach out to our staff is through education,” said Ghada Abdel Hamid, Coca-Cola Communications manager for North and West Africa.

“HIV/AIDS is our business," said Ms Mushira El Baradai, the head of the Human Resource Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce, representing the Egyptian Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (EBC). "We can lose the human skills we need to expand; we can lose productivity, and suffer lower staff morale. In all these ways, our businesses can be directly hit.”

“You have two options, either be part of the problem, or be part of the solution,” said Mohamed El Kallah coordinator of the Global Compact in Egypt,

The companies already committed to tackling HIV/AIDS are: the American Chamber of Commerce, Coca Cola, Bristol Myers Squibb, Shell, Trane and Cadbury. Other national and multinational businesses expressed interest in joining the Egypt Business Coalition and in contributing to the national response to HIV through workplace programmes.

The Egypt Business Coalition is the first grouping of its kind in the Middle East. The Coalition aims to lead a business-to-business approach providing services to companies such as advice on developing and implementing workplace policies, providing orientation sessions to employees and sharing best practices and lessons learned.

For further information please contact:

Simon Ingram, Communication Officer UNICEF Egypt
Singram@unicef.org
Tel: (202) 5265083 thru 87 Ext 210 / 208
Fax: (202) 526-4218