FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

   The World Bank

		
NEW CHAIR OF GLOBAL BUSINESS COUNCIL ON HIV AND AIDS
CHALLENGES COMPANIES TO CONFRONT PANDEMIC
MTV’s Bill Roedy proposes 5-Point Action Plan, World Bank President 
endorses call to action

	DURBAN, July 11, 2000—In his first speech as the newly-appointed chairman of the Global Business Council on HIV and AIDS (GBC), Bill Roedy, President of MTV Networks International, made an impassioned appeal for companies around the world to take action in the face of the AIDS crisis.
	Roedy, who succeeds Sir Richard Sykes of Glaxo Wellcome in leading the GBC, launched a 5-Point Action Plan at the XIIIth International AIDS Conference in Durban that specifies the role for companies in the battle against HIV and AIDS:
•	Corporate – sign up to the GBC’s Corporate Leadership Statement, committing themselves to an intensified involvement on HIV
•	Employees – raise AIDS awareness amongst their staff and establish effective workplace policies for people with HIV, e.g. creating a written policy on the issue
•	Partnerships  – support community education campaigns by forging partnerships with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and governments, including ‘cause-related marketing’ initiatives
•	Advocacy – help keep AIDS at the top of national and international agendas, including efforts to publicise the HIV crisis through the media
•	Peers – encourage other businesses to get involved in the fight against AIDS, including the establishment of national business councils on the issue

	In a challenge to businesses, Roedy said:  “This disease is the defining humanitarian crisis of our times, and yet the corporate response to date has been inadequate given the scale of the epidemic.  The business community has a key role to play in the fight against HIV and AIDS, working in partnership with NGOs, and governments.  I will do all I can to engage the private sector in this fight and scale up the global response to this pandemic – we have no choice but to get involved.”

	In another boost to the work of the Council, it was announced that James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, is to become the GBC’s new Honorary President, taking over from Nelson Mandela.

	In a special statement Wolfensohn echoed the call to business saying, “The battle against AIDS is one in which every available asset must be put to work. The private sector has a pivotal role to play given the vast human and material resources at its disposal. That is why the World Bank is joining forces with the Global Business Council – because we urgently need the help of companies if we are to win this fight.”

	The GBC also launched a new website at www.gbcaids.com and a landmark report, both providing advice and guidance to companies who want to combat HIV. The report, The Business Response to AIDS: Impact and Lessons Learned, produced in conjunction with the Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum and UNAIDS, cites 17 models of current corporate involvement on AIDS from around the world and assesses the impact on business of the epidemic to date.

	Roedy continued “The report ‘The Business Response to AIDS: Impact and Lessons Learned’ is an invaluable tool for companies who want to get involved in the fight against AIDS, as it gives tangible examples of actual company responses on HIV and AIDS which I hope will inform and inspire others to take up the challenge.” 

	The report is available free at the GBC website on www.gbcaids.com and at the Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum website at www.pwblf.org

	The mission of the Global Business Council on HIV and AIDS is to expand and enhance the business response to AIDS around the world. It was established in 1997 with Nelson Mandela as Honorary President and Sir Richard Sykes of Glaxo Wellcome as Chairman. As of today, James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank becomes the Council’s new Honorary President, and Bill Roedy, President of MTV Networks International, becomes Chairman.

	Council Members include:  Body Shop International, Godrej & Boyce, SSL International plc, Calvin Klein, Industries Villares SA, Standard Chartered Bank plc, Casa Décor, Levi Strauss, Tata Iron and Steel Ltd, Edelman PR Worldwide, MTV International, Telepar, Eskom, and Polaroid.

Further Information:
Contacts:

Rob Hooper					Georgia Franklin
MTV Networks International		MTV Networks International
London					In Durban through 14 July
+44 (0) 20 7478 6520			+44 370 553 827

Mark Levine					Christopher Walsh
MTV Networks International		World Bank
New York					Washington
+1 212 258 7241				+1 202 458 2710