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Developments:
In late June I attended on behalf of the World Economic Forum a think tank on Business & AIDS, held in Durban, South Africa. The meeting was hosted by UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. Its 60 participants from business, government, academia, NGOs and the media examined the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS among workers in South Africa, the impact on the workforce, and the efficacy of workplace HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs.
Among the most interesting challenges facing those advocating for greater business involvement in the struggle against AIDS is the issue of small and medium enterprises. SMEs in southern Africa have hitherto displayed little interest in implementing programs - most do not see the virus as a serious problem and those that do lack the resources to deal with it. A few promising solutions were mooted at the seminar, including large firms encouraging and helping their SME suppliers to develop programs, business associations playing a more prominent role, and clusters of small firms working together to share knowledge and tools. Perhaps the first question that should be asked, however, is whether small firms should act on HIV/AIDS at all.
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