Regional Business Coalitions tackling AIDS.

Regional Business Coalitions tackling AIDS have emerged to share experiences, exchange expertise and find solutions to some of the more complex, but common challenges within regions of working with the private sector and AIDS. Regional Coalitions are a new development and present new opportunities for mobilizing private sector support and action for mitigating the impact of AIDS throughout the world. Today, there are four known Regional Business Coalitions tackling AIDS, all launched in the last two years. (See Figure 6.)

Although they have all chosen to intially focus specifically on AIDS, in the future, the Asia-Pacific Business Coalition (APBCA) plans to examine the impact of diseases increasing HIV susceptibility (Sexually Transmitted Diseases--STDs) and the burden on care (TB). Similarly, the Pan-Caribbean Business Coalition (PCBC) plans to extend into noncommunicable diseases in the future.

The role of regional Business Coalitions

Regional Business Coalitions were established to further engage and increase the private sector response to tackling the AIDS epidemic at both national and regional levels to contribute to the success of national AIDS programmes. They achieve this through a variety of approaches, including supporting existing and new national Business Coalitions, which may involve linking countries without coalitions to existing national coalitions. Here are two examples:

The Pan-Africa Business Coalition (PABC) network is formed of existing anglophone and francophone African national Business Coalitions. PABC's priority is to ensure the collaboration and success of existing African national Business Coalitions, rather than being actively involved in the creation of new networks.

The Asia-Pacific Business Coalition (APBCA) has supported the establishment of a Business Coalition in Papua New Guinea (PNG BAHA) which has one of the highest HIV prevalence in the region (1.8% (0.9-4.4%)* as reported by UNAIDS in 2006. The PNG Business Coalition was launched on 31st January 2007. APBCA works closely with the highly successful Thailand Business Coalition on AIDS, launched 1993, and now has an office in Bangkok co-located with TBCA.

* UNAIDS 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, Annex 1, Country Profiles, Adults aged 15 to 49 HIV Prevalence rate

[FIGURE 6 OMITTED]

Partners

Depending upon the area, different local, regional and international organizations have played a greater or lesser role in establishing and launching regional Business Coalitions. One of the critical success factors in launching regional Business Coalitions has been the partnership role of individual agencies building on the commitment and experience of companies, national coalitions and organizations in the world of work.

For example, UNAIDS and its co-sponsors have played a significant role in uniting the public and private sector in the Caribbean to launch the regional coalition. Similarly, the World Bank and the Corporate Council on Africa provided initial technical assistance and financial support for launching the PABC. It is common knowledge that champions are key in driving and delivering local support. For example, APBCA developed a particularly strong relationship with the UNAIDS Indonesia country coordinating manager who was able to provide a secretariat for the regional coalition.

The ILO brings to the table its constituent partners, the employers' federations and trade unions, as well as the Code of Practice to provide a policy blueprint. GTZ places people in countries to provide short- and long-term technical assistance, thus providing a consistent level of support to national and regional Business Coalitions in Africa.

The World Economic Forum plays a slightly different role, drawing upon its strong relationship with both the private and sector public sector to catalyse global public-private partnerships (PPPs) to tackle global health issues such as AIDS. It also uses both Forum and other international and regional platforms to raise awareness and advocate for action against AIDS by the public and private sectors through partnerships. By developing and piloting concepts at the regional level to tackle the disease, the Forum allows companies to visualize how they can tackle the disease and identify the associated challenges and benefits. Along with the development of such tools and guidelines, the Forum is well positioned to conduct high-level and objective analysis to develop reports such as this one. The World Economic Forum also supports the development and launch of Business Coalitions including the recent facilitation of the launch of the AIDS Business Coalition for the Arab Region (ABCAR) at the World Economic Forum Summit in the Middle East.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In Asia-Pacific, the private sector took the lead in launching a regional coalition, which brought together high-level support from both the public and private sectors, and former US President William Clinton. When APBCA decides to establish a new national Business Coalition, it first meets with the ministry of health and the ministry of labour in the country to ensure there is interest in establishing a Business Coalition. This is an essential step in the process as the local private sector is unlikely to become involved in an initiative that is not supported by the government or that goes against a government decision.

Structural models

There are currently two structural models employed by regional Business Coalitions: the 'NBC only (National Business Coalition) membership' and 'mixed membership' models. PCBC and PABC employ the first model as their members are national Business Coalitions and were formed to serve a network of national Business Coalitions in the region. In both regions, because a number of national Business Coalitions already exist, the intent was to provide a high level platform for information exchange. Such a platform allows Business Coalitions to share ideas, information, knowledge, best practices, useful contacts and technical support.

The PCBC is coordinated by the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), which acts as a secretariat and comprises of the national Business Coalitions. No individual companies are members of the PCBC Regional Business Coalitions.

PCBC has five national Business Coalition members: Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica & Suriname

PABC has 16 national Business Coalition members: Botswana, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This is a contrast to the alternative model which has been adopted by both ABCAR and APBCA. In this model, both the regional coalitions first established themselves as an entity then sought to engage existing coalitions and the private sector as members. Hence the term 'mixed membership'. For countries in this region where a Business Coalition did not exist and particularly where the HIV prevalence is high--the regional coalitions stepped in to work with the government and the private sector to establish national Business Coalitions.

APBCA has since launched a new Business Coalition in PNG, Cambodia and Indonesia. APBCA has received requests from the Indian and Chinese governments to engage with the private sector in these countries and include national coalitions in the APBCA network in the near future. ABCAR hopes to support the launch of future national Business Coalitions in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Dubai. For

APBCA, linking existing national coalitions to form a regional coalition was not an option as the private sector operating in the region demanded a more policy and intervention focused approach from national coalitions rather than just advocacy, awareness and lobbying.

APBCA has seven national coalition members: Cambodia, Indonesia (IBCA), Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam members must be at least 50% funded by the private sector to be an APBCA member to ensure long-term sustainability.

ABCAR will seek to engage and collaborate with four existing national coalitions in the region Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Sudan--and hopes to support the launch of more national coalitions in the Arab region in the future.

Both models have been successful in raising the profile of national Business Coalitions and positioning them as effective channels for the private sector response to AIDS.

Governance

In line with the organizational models, the boards of APBCA and ABCAR are made up of predominantly private sector companies, whereas the boards of PCBC and PABC are made up solely of national Business Coalition representatives.

Funding models

National Business Coalitions tend to have private sector funding and donor agency resources--the percentage of which varies with individual national coalitions. Regional Business Coalitions have primarily two sources of funding, which are in line with the two operating models described above.

PCBC does not currently charge national Business Coalitions for membership in the regional coalition, but is considering introducing fees in the future. Currently, the regional coalition obtains 40% of its funding from UNAIDS, CDC (US Centers for Disease Control) and PANCAP (Pan-Caribbean Parntership Against HIV/AIDS). The funding has been secured for the next three to five years for the implementation of its medium-term plan, 40% from the private sector for specific projects, and 20% from other sources.

Funding for the PABC, which shares a similar model to PCBC, will come from membership fees to be paid by individual national coalitions. Currently, PABC does not have any funding. The secretariat services are currently provided by the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Kenya and there are no full-time staff. GTZ is supporting the PABC with establishment costs (company registration, website/logo design) and has committed to providing additional technical support in the immediate future. The PABC advisory committee is made up of representatives from eight national coalitions. The chairmanship comes from the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA), which also provides administrative and logistical support. PABC does not partner with the government as this relationship is maintained by the individual national coalitions at the National AIDS committee level.

Most of APBCA's funding comes from the private sector. The key sponsor is Qantas Airlines, with additional in-kind support provided by founding companies represented on APBCA's board. Additional funds are raised from APBCA's other members in the form of an annual membership fee. APBCA currently has 27 members and offers two levels of membership which includes free membership for not-for-profit companies and research institutes. APBCA does not seek funding from governments.

APBCA's two membership levels

1. Standard Corporate membership; $AUD 5,000 per annum.

2. Partners/Honorary membership/ not-for-profit companies/ research institutes: no membership charge.

APBCA also receives considerable in-kind support from member companies to cover office costs, legal, accounting, travel, secondees and website design and marketing.

ABCAR has not yet received any funding due to the delay in establishing the legal entity. UNDP is currently funding ABCAR and will do so until March 2008 when it is envisioned that funds can be channelled from company membership fees. ABCAR's focus is on employees and the private sector. For this reason, it also hopes to limit government involvementy, which may help to define and steer the focus. The annual membership fee will be determined by the companies, and will also allow smaller companies to become members. There are currently four national coalitions in the Arab region. ABCAR is still to determine how to engage and collaborate with them.

Funding implications

In the APBCA and ABCAR model, where funding is sourced predominantly from the private sector, one may question whether conflict may arise. Should a large company become a member of the regional or national coalition(s) given it must pay a membership fee to each? However, the regional coalitions tend to be supported by large multinationals operating at a regional level. For example, Shell regional office for the Arab region supports ABCAR whereas national coalitions tend to be funded by the local division of either a large multinational such as Shell in Egypt or by local companies. The funding tends to come out of different budgets for the multinational making it possible to provide support at both the national and regional level.

In situations where companies can only support initiative, the aim of the regional coalitions is to ensure that funding is directed to national coalitions. For example, APBCA recently directed Chevron to support the new Indonesian Business Coalition (IBCA), and ABCAR redirects national organizations to support local national coalitions where they exist.

It is key that the private sector supports national coalitions to ensure the latter's long-term sustainability.

Expectations of National Business Coalitions

A number of national Business Coalitions were asked what support and services they expected from their regional Business Coalition. The responses were similar across the different regions--all have high expectations. Some of their most common aspirations are listed below with the most important being sharing and learning from the other coalitions in the region:

* Sharing of information, experiences and best practices across the region.

* Identifying new ways to leverage financial and technical resources to enhance private sector involvement.

* Increasing private sector membership and hence engagement, especially with regards to multinationals operating in the region in multiple countries.

* Executing baseline surveys/impact assessments across borders or in specific regions.

* Implementing a common approach to tackling AIDS in the region.

* Lobbying at the sub-regional and regional levels to overcome socio-political obstacles to progress on AIDS related matters.

* Sharing of resources and skills across the different national coalitions.

* Increasing collaboration and the opportunity to discuss regional challenges and issues.

* Monitoring and evaluating regional and cross-border trends of AIDS and/or other infectious diseases, for example TB and malaria.

* Providing specific guidance to address identified needs and challenges.

* Identifying strategic options for mobilizing private sector resources and leadership.

One African national coalition summed up their hopes for the PABC to "become the voice of business in Africa."

Future Opportunities

Despite the four regional Business Coalitions being in different stages of development and supporting different organizational, membership and funding structures, the goal is the same: To create AIDS awareness and educate employees on how to prevent or effectively address the epidemic in the workplace. Several opportunities for working together have been identified.

Synergy

Create synergy and common positions on HIV Policy issues among the country Coalitions, for example pre-employment, during and post-employment HIV testing.

Political leadership

Advocate for political leadership on some critical matters and also try to link the private sector's response to HIV to the overarching political regional institutional response. For example in the Caribbean, The Pan-Caribbean Business Coalition is linking up with the Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against AIDS on key political HIV and AIDS issues.

Multinationals

There is an opportunity for regional Business Coalitions to work with the same MNC across several different regions. This makes it easier for MNCs to have a more focused impact as they can concentrate work with a fewer number of coalitions. The regional coalitions could help direct efforts in line with what the MNCs, the national and regional coalitions need.

Materials

Regional coalitions can share their existing training materials so as to not duplicate any efforts. For example, APBCA has developed a training manual based on the ILO Code of Practice, which could be used across the other regions. In some cases, translated materials can be shared. For example, French speaking Vietnamese can use training materials developed for Francophone Africa.

Insights

Given that some of the regional Business Coalitions are more established than others, or have focused their efforts to develop different skills, there is an opportunity for the coalitions to share tips and best practices. For example, APBCA has considerable experience in establishing new Business Coalitions in the region. This knowledge would be extremely useful for ABCAR, which is looking to launch some new Business Coalitions in the Arab region in the near future.

Standards

The South African National Standards (SANS) Bureau having launched a new standard for the management of HIV and AIDS in the workplace called SANS 16001:2007. The AIDS Standard Organization (ASO) in Thailand has launched a workplace standard. This presents an opportunity to develop a global AIDS workplace standard that is recognized by companies around the world.

Both the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the private sector--including large multinationals such as Unilever--have expressed an interest in such a global standard. Unilever's current roadmap on HIV and AIDS includes accreditation as a measure of success of their HIV and AIDS programmes implemented within the organization, with their customers and with their suppliers. Such a standard would give companies an added incentive to work with Business Coalitions, which could be trained to accredit their HIV and AIDS workplace management procedures and programmes.

Such a standard would also give companies and added incentive to work with Business Coalitions. The regional Business Coalitions could support this effort by providing regional input into the development of this standard. National coalitions could then be supported to help companies implement such standards in the workplace.

The World Economic Forum initiated discussions with both ISO and ILO in this area where both bodies would ensure harmonization among different standard-setting initiatives, taking account of the new international labour instrument on AIDS being developed at the ILO. Simultaneously, APBCA has been actively working in the area together with its national coalitions (especially Thailand), the developers of the SANS 16001 standard, and with the World Economic Forum.

Meetings

The four regional coalitions came together for the first time via teleconference in November 2007. There are numerous opportunities for this group to meet and work together more closely. They should also look to ensure MNCs, donors, governments and all other key stakeholders are aware of each other. The next scheduled meeting is in March 2008.

Databank

Regional coalitions should explore the creation of a common place to host information and documentation or provide links to sources that already provide this information. Information could include up-to-date country contact information, current programmes and policies, legal frameworks, national labour laws, and polices. This information should be used to catalyse cross-fertilization of ideas, learning and scaling up of programmes, and document approaches of effective initiatives. The back of this report contains key country contact information as a start. This directory together with individual national and regional Business Coalition profiles can be found on www.weforum.org/globalhealth.