New Findings - Success Factors for Public-Private Collaboration in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

New York, December 10, 2003 — The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Booz Allen Hamilton and the Confederation of Indian Industry issued a groundbreaking report today detailing the findings of the first ever simulation aimed at identifying critical multi-sectoral responses to the AIDS epidemic in India. The simulation, involving over 200 leaders from government, business and non-governmental organizations, found that successful prevention and targeted early actions are often the least expensive interventions, and can mitigate longer term economic, political and social costs of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India.

"HIV/AIDS is one of the most serious threats to the economy and society of India and other developing nations, and we were proud to provide a forum for new ideas to fight this epidemic," said Booz Allen Senior Vice President Heather Burns.

Teams worked together to develop and articulate a range of novel partnerships and initiatives to fight the epidemic:

• 53 new partnerships between public and private organizations were explored for their potential effectiveness in combating HIV/AIDS



• 100 new initiatives were proposed, from business-led efforts to raise awareness and increase access to treatment, to national government programs targeting high risk populations

The decisions made by the teams were run through an integrated epidemiological and economic model to assess their impact on the potential future growth of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India and its public health implications. The simulation found that the suggested initiatives could provide dramatic benefits:

• Reducing projected HIV/AIDS prevalence, incidence and mortality by over 50%



• Cutting simulated losses in India's GDP by $31.5 billion and discretionary spending by $9.2 billion

Key conclusions from the simulation included:

• Clearly defined strategic priorities are critical, given the enormous resource and infrastructure constraints in India



• Governments have a responsibility to dramatically increase funding and rapidly mobilize resources



• Broad collaboration between and within sectors is needed to unleash new sources of energy and new ideas



• The expertise of the business sector can and must be used to improve the reach and effectiveness of HIV programs



• Co-investment partnerships between sectors should be used to scale up existing initiatives



• Leaders in the private and public sectors must speak out publicly and commit the time and energy necessary to drive effective action across sectors

Director-General of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Mr. Tarun Das said, "There is a clear need and opportunity for business to supplement government efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. Business associations have a very large role to play. I urge leaders to engage and enlist the support of business associations in their own country and around the world to tackle this epidemic."

Ratan Tata, Chairman, Indian Business Trust for HIV/AIDS and Chairman, TataSons praised the creativity of the participants and their heightened level of commitment to the HIV/AIDS issue. He noted critical need for new initiatives and new partnerships in India to fight this epidemic.

Shivesh Sinha, Chief Financial Officer, Lafarge India, said, "As a result of the October events and in line with Lafarge Group HIV/AIDS Guidelines, Lafarge India is currently working on how to tackle this issue in India. The emphasis, initially, will be to increase the awareness and prevention of AIDS in and around our plants."

"Public/private partnerships have a critical role to play in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India and internationally. Through this unique process, the Simulation allowed us to assess the future impact of our decisions. We must now work to implement successful partnerships on the ground to prevent future deaths and improve the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS," said Trevor Neilson, Executive Director of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS.

The report concludes the "AIDS Epidemic Strategic Simulation", which took place in New Delhi, October 11-13th, 2003 as part of an international Conclave on Accelerating the Business Response to HIV/AIDS, hosted by GBC and CII. The global management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton conducted the Simulation designed to encourage government and the business community to explore innovative ideas and practical steps to address the spread of HIV/AIDS in India. Participants analyzed the economic, social and human impact of HIV/AIDS and the competing needs of the various stakeholders.

Looking forward based on the success with India, the Global Business Coalition and Booz Allen will be supporting other countries as they address this human epidemic as it reaches the tipping point in the next year (i.e. China, Russia). This ability to facilitate and overcome barriers to action through private and public partnership will define the battlefield to fight this war.