-- TRIPs Consultants Meeting
Cairo, Egypt, 19-20 August 2007

-- ABCAR Launch at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East
Dead Sea, Jordan, 18-20 May 2007
Steering Committee Meeting:
Building on the first Technical Meeting, the network members who participated to the meeting - joined by other private companies interested in this initiative - agreed on the creation of the AIDS Business Coalition in the Arab Region (ABCAR) "held in Jordan Movenpick Dead Sea, Al Diwan Hall, Friday 18th of May 2007, 18:00", which represents a great cornerstone in the involvement of the private sector in the response to HIV/AIDS in the Arab region. It shows not only the increasing awareness of private companies of the seriousness of HIV/AIDS, but also the eagerness to act early, based on the lessons learnt in other regions of the world and in coordination with national business coalitions, in order to stem and reverse the spread of the epidemic now that the opportunity is given to us. Once it will have gained momentum, we are convinced that ABCAR has the potential to foster significantly the private sector's willingness to join other stakeholders already involved in the response by taking simple but life-saving and cost-effective measures on the workplace, and subsequently in the communities in which they are operating.

-- HARPAS Participation at ILO Regional Workshop for Tripartite Consultancy
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 16-18 April 2007

-- Research:
HARPAS published in May 2006 "Saving Lives, Saving Money - The Private Sector's Response to HIV/AIDS in the Arab Region". This research analyzes the profile of the Private Sector in the Arab region, the social and economics reasons for the Private Sector operating in the Arab region to get involved in the response to HIV/AIDS, as well as the current - and relatively limited to far - response to HIV/AIDS from private companies in the Arab region.

-- Technical Meeting:
A pioneering meeting took place in Cairo last December 2005 and gathered key players of the Private Sector and/or the HIV/AIDS response. During this meeting, a promising network of companies eager to respond to HIV/AIDS has been created. The participants actively discussed the most appropriate and cost-effective way for private companies operating in the Arab region to respond to HIV/AIDS. After two days of animated brainstorming sessions and conversations, they finally made important decisions in regard to their future involvement (cf. report of the technical meeting).

-- Session on HIV/AIDS during the World Economic Forum on the Middle East:
HARPAS has organized an important session on HIV/AIDS during the World Economic Forum on the Middle East which took place in Sharm El Sheikh, 20-22 May 2006. HARPAS's assessment of the private sector's link and potential response to HIV/AIDS in the region - 'Saving Money Saving Lives' - was launched during this event via an eminent panel discussion which included H.E. Amre Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Dr. Khadija Moalla, UNDP/HARPAS Coordinator, as well as other influential business representatives from the Arab region.

-- Steering Committee Meeting:
Building on the first Technical Meeting, the network members who participated to the meeting - joined by other private companies interested in this initiative - agreed on the creation of the AIDS Business Coalition in the Arab Region (ABCAR) "held in Jordan Movenpick Dead Sea , Al Diwan Hall, Friday 18th of May 2007, 18:00", which represents a great cornestone in the involvement of the private sector in the response to HIV/AIDS in the Arab region. It shows not only the increasing awareness of private companies of the seriousness of HIV/AIDS, but also the eagerness to act early, based on the lessons learnt in other regions of the world and in coordination with national business coalitions, in order to stem and reverse the spread of the epidemic now that the opportunity is given to us. Once it will have gained momentum, we are convinced that ABCAR has the potential to foster significantly the private sector's willingness to join other stakeholders already involved in the response by taking simple but life-saving and cost-effective measures on the workplace, and subsequently in the communities in which they are operating.

HIV/AIDS impacts are likely to concentrate on young adults in their most productive years. Thus, AIDS is projected as having the potential to become the second major cause of death among adults of working age in the world - including the Arab world - posing a serious economic threat. The epidemic is eroding productivity just at the time when developing countries, including most of the Arab countries, need to become more competitive to cope with rapid globalization. In the private sector, this raises the costs of business and deters investment. On one hand, HIV/AIDS could have effects on the size and productivity of the current labor force because of higher mortality and morbidity. On the other hand, HIV/AIDS could affect the accumulation of future human capital. The private sector must realize that its best asset, its functionality and working capital - in other words its present and future workforce - are greatly endangered.

At first sight, many stakeholders see the private sector's role responding to HIV/AIDS as a mere source of resources. However, the latter's ability to contribute to the response to HIV/AIDS is much more significant. Even though it is undeniable that certain private entities operating in the region have significant financial means and could provide a crucial support to the mobilization of financial resources, this point of view is only one part of the story and does not fully recognizes the great potential of private entities in the regional HIV/AIDS response. Even though the primary impact of business involvement is generally an immediate influx of financial resources, it is crucial to realize the importance of the secondary impact of this involvement, which is an immense level of expertise on outreach. Private entities are increasingly employing a larger percentage of the Arab population, and According to Professor Diana Barrett from the Harvard Business School, "the unique capabilities of businesses give to this sector new responsibilities: the same companies that have distribution network, the skill set and the financial acumen to make certain companies' products available in every minuscule African town, have the ability to apply these capabilities to the problem of HIV/AIDS, with an efficiency, flexibility, and speed that governments can simply not match."

As a result of the HARPAS June 2006 Private Sector Steering Committee Meeting, the Regional Programme has formed active partnerships with a wide range of regional businesses to create the AIDS Business Coalition in the Arab Region (ABCAR). ABCAR serves as a regional business network for sharing knowledge and scaling-up the HIV/AIDS response via this powerful sector including provision of services and supplies, business expertise, advocacy and financial support. ABCAR is currently organizing national events throughout the arab region to foster the establishment of national business committies on HIV. During this key business event, major multi-national business leaders, regional and global stakeholders met to discuss ways that businesses can propel the response as a global model for best practice.

. Private Companies
. International Labor Organization
. Arab Labor Organization
. World Economic Forum/Global Health Initiative
. Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS
. National Business Coalitions operating in the Arab region
etc.

For more information on this initiative please contact

Pierre-Etienne Vannier
pe.vannier@undp.org