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Mexico City, February 15, 2005 – “The companies here today are leading the fight against HIV/AIDS in the workplace and we are proud to support their battle – it’s good for people, good for business,” said U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza. “Public and private partnerships are critical in the fight against this deadly disease.”
In a major development for the national fight against HIV/AIDS in Mexico, the National Business Council on HIV/AIDS was launched today at an event attended by U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza; United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean Adolfo Franco; Secretary of Health Julio Frenk; Dr. Jorge Saavedra Director General of the Center for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS (CENSIDA); and Abner Mason, Chair, International Committee of President Bush’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
The National Business Council on HIV/AIDS is composed of twelve large corporations in Mexico who have joined forces to eradicate stigma and discrimination against AIDS in the workforce. The effort was spearheaded by a public-private partnership between the founding companies, the U.S. government, and key AIDS prevention organizations in Mexico. Today the coalition announced its plans for future activities and its intention to aggressively expand its membership in 2005.
Ambassador Garza added, “The U.S. is making the global fight against HIV/AIDS a major foreign policy priority; we have done more to fight against AIDS than any other country in the world. Mexico is a strong ally in this fight and the collaboration between our two nations is one more example of our partnership on issues of mutual importance.”
This year the United States government, through USAID, has committed $2 million to support AIDS prevention in Mexico.
For more information on the U.S government’s global fight against AIDS, please go to www.state.gov/s/gac
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