GBC-Brookings Private Sector Malaria Forum
March 12, 2007
Washington, D.C.
Hosted at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C, the March 12th Private Sector Malaria Forum convened public and private sector leaders deeply committed to combating malaria, a disease that kills 3,000 children in Africa every day and affects between 300-500 million people. It provided an opportunity to highlight key achievements and present innovative methods for an effective corporate malaria response. The forum was divided into four key panels—Community, Workplace, Core Competency, and Advocacy and Leadership—representing the key ways in which GBC advocates business engagement on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. It was made possible through generous support from the Exxon Mobil Corporation, which was represented by Dr. Steven Philips, who chaired the community discussion.
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The forum opened with a powerful presentation from Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Finance Minister and Foreign Minister of Nigeria and Brookings Distinguished Visiting Scholar. After explaining that she has suffered from malaria an astounding 20 times, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala explained that she is still quite hopeful we can overcome the disease. She lauded the private sector’s involvement, noting that a business forum on malaria was inconceivable several decades ago. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala stressed that malaria affects worker productivity, increases absenteeism, and seriously hinders economic development and urged the forum participants, "If we do not put our budgets where our mouths are, we will not be credible."
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In addition to noting that malaria poses a significant threat to people infected with HIV, forum participants discussed that malaria mandates numerous interventions, including the provision of insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs), indoor residual spraying (IRS), and the promotion of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). The disease also requires that special attention be paid to vulnerable populations, including pregnant women; interventions should include a gender component.
Participants included representatives from GBC member companies including APCO Worldwide, Bayer Environmental Science, BD, BHP Billiton, Booz & Company, Chevron, DeBeers, DHL, Exxon Mobil, Getty Images, GlaxoSmithKline, Heineken International, Marathon Oil, McKinsey & Company, NBA, Newmont Mining, Novartis, Pfizer, Premier Medical, Royal Dutch Shell, Standard Chartered Bank, Sumitomo Chemical, Vestergaard Frandsen, Virgin Unite, and the Washington Times. Also present were representatives from AngloGold Ashanti, Malaria No More, and Dalberg Global Development Advisors and partners from Development Finance International, World Bank, Friends of the Global Fund Africa, Global Health Initiaitive of the World Economic Forum, Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.
Public Private Partnerships (PPP’s)
On March 13th, Executive Director John Tedstrom convened a consultation for GBC members and partners to strategize and formulate a superlative public private partnership strategy to fight HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria. GBC, in collaboration with the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), will engage member companies and other U.S. NGOs on these important initiatives. The model for PPP’s involves mobilizing an increased number of partners within each individual project, achieving heightened impact through the use of pre-existing infrastructure. This model does not replace or compete with GBC’s current initiatives; rather it provides a new opportunity to build on the US Government’s investment in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria.
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Follow-Up
Global consulting firm Booz & Company will partner with GBC to publish a forum report outlining a strategy for businesses to fill gaps in the epidemic response. Additionally, GBC and the Brookings Institution have agreed to periodically convene private sector malaria forums to assess successes and challenges, and continue the vital dialogue.