The third Global Compact Leaders Summit concluded on 25 June. In the closing session of the Summit, participants adopted a “New York Declaration by Business” to renew their commitment to the Global Compact Principles.

Among other things, the declaration empasizes a strengthened support for critical development goals, particularly the MDGs, through core business, social investment and advocacy performed individually and in partnerships with civil society and Governments.

Participants also commit to increase transparency and dialogue, as well as engagement, with civil society and labour organizations in their work to advance the ten principles and support development goals.

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“The South African business sector fully endorses and supports Government’s HCT campaign, its targets and the keen focus on HIV prevention,” says Brad Mears, the CEO of the SA Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA).

After consultations with over 140 South African business representatives and service providers, SABCOHA is now releasing the draft Business Sector Strategy to support the National HCT Campaign.

Key components of the strategy are: Advocacy and Communication, Social mobilization and Leadership, Implementation and Testing and Monitoring and Reporting.

The strategy includes extensive plans to improve the business sectors’ monitoring and reporting in relation to HIV/AIDS. SABCOHA is planning to provide a web-based HCT reporting tool for the business sector. Through this system companies and private health service providers will be able to report and download output data by province, district and industry. The tool is planned to go live in July 2010.

SABCOHA also commits to provide technical M&E assistance to companies and private health service providers,  analyse and report progress made towards achieving business sector targets as well as share business sector stories of lessons learned and achievements.

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By: Johanna Löfgren, Manager AIDS Accountability Business Ranking

UK based One World Trust has examined how NGOs address the accountability challenges they face in particular when engaging in advocacy and explains some of the strengths and weaknesses of existing self-regulation. The study is built on a world-wide survey of civil society self-regulatory initiatives.

It shows some quite worrying results. There is only a quite limited level of self-regulation developed in the field of advocacy by NGOs, and  also it is weak with very few commitments being translated into measurable indicators that would allow effective policing of standards.

Johanna Löfgren, Manager AIDS Accountability Business Ranking Initiative

I would like to recommend a BSR report from September 2009 on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria in mainstream investing. The report shows an increased demand for ESG integration from both investors and clients.

For many investors, ESG performance is considered as a proxy for a company’s strong management and a demonstration of the business’ ability to identify risks and plan for long-term, strategic growth. Noteworthy, investors are increasingly perceiving ESG factors as material to the financial success of businesses.

The report identifies pension funds as clients that are driving this trend.

However, the report also shows that companies are not communicating proactively or regularly on ESG to these mainstream investors. Also, the number of investors that are integrating ESG factors across their entire portfolio, is a rare exception.

The UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) has 500 signatories which represent US$18 trillion of assets.

Johanna Löfgren Product Manager, AIDS Accountability Business Ranking

On March 8 - the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day-  numerous business reports on women and gender were released. Here are two particularly interesting:

The World Economic Forum’s Corporate Gender Gap Report 2010 is the first study to cover the world’s largest employers in 20 countries and benchmark them against the gender equality policies that most companies should have in place but are in fact widely missing. It shows that leading companies are failing to capitalize on the talents of women in the workforce.

Companies in the United States, Spain, Canada and Finland lead the world in employing the largest numbers of women from entry level to senior management. Yet women at many of the world’s top companies continued to lag behind their male peers in many areas, including pay and opportunities for professional advancement.

BSR’s released a report on its HERproject, a factory-based women’s health initiative. The Report is showing that the project has improved women’s health awareness, leadership skills, and relationships with their employers in China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Pakistan, and Vietnam.

“HERproject has given women the knowledge to improve their health behavior, and has empowered them to seek leadership roles in their jobs and their communities,” said HERproject Manager Racheal Yeager.

by: Johanna Löfgren, Product Manager AIDS Accountability Business Ranking

As World AIDS Day, 1st December, is approaching we at AAI would like to acknowledge some of the private sector initiatives that are happening around this day.

The Financial Times is launching a special report ‘Combating AIDS’  with contribution to Global Business Coalition. The supplement will be distributed in all global editions of the FT on Tuesday 1st December. ‘Combating AIDS’ will include an exploration of how corporations have responded to the AIDS crisis, including specific case studies as well as an examination of the scientific and pharmaceutical responses to AIDS, including a look at the latest developments in vaccines, drugs and diagnostic processes.
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SABCOHA is collaborating with the Sunday Times on a special insight on ‘Business and HIV’ on 29 November 2009. The profile will cover topics like workplace programmes and public-private partnerships.
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The Swedish Workplace HIV and AIDS Programme (SWHAP) organizes a Business Combating HIV/AIDS Conference in Stockholm. Invited participants represent company managements, trade unions, government agencies and international organizations. The keynote speaker is Mr Åke Svensson, President and CEO of Saab. The conference is a part of the official programme of the Swedish EU presidency. The Conference includes a price ceremony for the SWHAP Achievement Award for the best workplace programme.
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By: Johanna Löfgren, Business Ranking Coordinator, AIDS Accountability International

It’s with great interest that AAI has noted that the SWHAP 2009 Achievement Award has been given to Atlas Copco SA (Pty) Ltd.

The aim of the SWHAP Achievement Award, introduced in 2008, is to “further commitment at the workplace level to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS and alleviate the effects of the HIV pandemic”.

The  award is granted to a workplace involved in the Swedish Workplace HIV/Aids Programme in Sub-Saharan Africa. The selection is based on a scoring card consisting of almost 30 variables relating to comprehensible workplace programme. The scoring card has been developed together with AAI as part of our business ranking initiative.

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By:Johanna Löfgren, Project Coordinator, AIDS Accountability International

Hi and welcome to the Business Ranking Blog,

Here you can find recent information about the development of the AIDS Accountability Business Ranking and related initiatives. The blog will be updated frequently so be sure check back every now and then!

The aim of the AIDS Accountability Business Ranking is to create a mechanism that will reintroduce the notion of Company Best Practice and Corporate Citizenship in HIV/AIDS. Once the ranking is developed and piloted, it is expected that a company ranking will be publicly issued annually, and that this issuance will reward leading companies that are coming through on their promises, and incentivize laggards to improve upon their ranking and take action on their promises.

The ranking is developed with the active cooperation and involvement of relevant businesses. In order for the tool to be widely used, recognized, and credible, it must be of value to businesses. Key stakeholders that will benefit from the rating tool, such as investors, employees, civil society and faith based organizations, governments, health sector professionals, academics, and others.

In Sep/Oct 2009 AAI is establishing a Development Team to assist us in developing and piloting a ranking methodology. We are very proud to present the following members: Ramnik Ahuja, Confederation of Indian Industry; Pamela Bolton, Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; Charles Dalton, Consequent; Gavin George, HEARD University of KwaZulu-Natal; Ludvig Hubendick, Swedish Workplace HIV/Aids Programme; Brad Mears, South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS; Susana Frazao Pinheiro, Catholic University, MIT Legatum Center for Entrepreneurship and Development & Local InSight.

Get Involved!
Would you wish to join the expert dialogues during the ranking development phase? Fund or support the development of the ranking? Pilot-test the ranking?
Contact us at:johanna@aidsaccountability.org

by: Johanna Löfgren, Project Coordinator, AIDS Accountability Business Ranking