The Asian Business Coalition on AIDS (ABC on AIDS) is a regional partnership between companies that aim to prevent and control HIV/AIDS in the workplace and not-for-profit organizations that provide technical services on HIV/AIDS, such as training. Our mission is to facilitate business responses to HIV/AIDS in Asia by pursuing two strategies:

1. Regional advocacy to companies to manage HIV/AIDS in the workplace.
2. Strengthening of local service providers’ capacities to assist companies with the implementation of HIV/AIDS workplace activities.

This website aims to inform companies about how to effectively manage HIV/AIDS in their workplace. In our network we work together with service providers in 11 countries in Asia that provide assistance to companies to prevent and control HIV/AIDS.

The Role That Business Can Play

The utilization of corporate resources, such as management and marketing know-how, distribution and suppliers networks and funds - is of crucial importance to effectively prevent HIV/AIDS in the workplace.
Businesses can minimize the socio-economic costs of the AIDS epidemic by educating workforces, implementing non-discriminatory policies and partnering with the public sector and civil society to provide medical care to HIV-positive employees. By doing so, businesses are able to promote the important message that people living with HIV/AIDS can have positive and productive lives.

Business taking action to manage HIV/AIDS

The below document gives readers a general overview of the business link to HIV/AIDS, workplace programs and how business can partner with the community in building their response to HIV/AIDS. The back of the publication includes a range of service providers in eleven countries throughout Asia.

Link : ABC on AIDS service provider and trainer in Singapore

Part [1] [2] [3] [4]

Recent Activities at ABC on AIDS

Private Sector Mobilization and Workplace Initiatives in Response to HIV/AIDS in South East Asia Project

The Asian Business Coalition on AIDS is currently working in collaboration with the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on the project ‘Private Sector Mobilization and Workplace Interventions in Response to HIV/AIDS in South-East Asia and China’. Together we will work on this regional project in Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia and China (Beijing).

The overall objective is to expand the involvement of the private sector in the response to HIV/AIDS in Asia through the implementation of HIV/AIDS workplace policies and programmes. This will be delivered in two ways:

1) By raising the awareness of HIV/AIDS as a business and workplace issue among local and international businesses in the Asia region; and

to companies in support of HIV/AIDS workplace policies and programmes. 2) Through expanding the network of HIV/AIDS related service providers to new organisations, such as the ILO's partners, business associations, to provide adequate services.

For more information please contact Khun Simon at TBCA

TBCA's Global Fund Project

The Thailand Business Coalition on AIDS is currently working on a Global Fund project. This project will run from October 2003 until September 2004. The project will be officially launched with the Thai Ministry of Labour and the Thai Ministry of Public Health in May 2004. The projects offical partners are the Department of Protection and Social Welfare, and the Department of Disease Control.

The project has two objectives: 1) To reduce risk behaviour for Infection; 2) Reduce discrimination in the Workplace

In January 2004 the project trained 34 Thai Non Government Organization (NGOs), each located in a different province in Thailand. These NGOs can now provide HIV/AIDS training and advocacy services to businesses in their provinces. One of the main goals of these NGOs is to establish a working group of 10 businesses in their province which will advocate and push other businesses in the province to meet the AIDS Response Standard Organization (ASO).

TBCA will assist in calculating thre scores of each business through the NGOs in each province and the Thai Ministry of Labour will certify the Certificates to each Company. There are five main outcomes from this project:

1) Workplaces to have a 10% increase in companies that have a HIV/AIDS policy;

2) A 10% increase in companies that have a policy of AIDS education for all employees;

3) A 2% increase of HIV/AIDS knowledge of all employees and managers;

4) Employees access to condoms inceases by 5% in each province

For more information please contact Khun Surachai at TBCA

Access to Health Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS

The Objective is to improve the access of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to quality-assured HIV/AIDS-related services, through public-private-community partnership (PPCP) for their economic and social empowerment.

The project is in partnership with The United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Thai Ministry of Public Health, the Thailand Business Coalition on AIDS (TBCA) and diverse private sector companies and civil society groups, are supporting the Centre for People and Families living with HIV/AIDS (CPA).

The project also aims to target the community of people living with HIV/AIDS, in developing a system that links income-generation with the sustained delivery of HIV/AIDS-related services to those community members most in need.

TBCA in collaboration with MSF (Medicine Sans Frontieres), have trained eight CPA members to work with PLWHA in hospitals to relieve the time nurses and doctors spend with PLWHA. This also creates a peer support model to PLWHA who receive advise and motivation from other PLWHA.

The outreach care and psychosocial support being provided by trained people living with HIV/AIDS community members meets the need for care and support that is crucial to adherence to ARV treatment. Meeting that need also relieves public sector hospital staff members of a substantial task that they would normally have had to undertake. This allows hospital staff members to increase the number of patients receiving ARV treatment, thus supporting the Government policy to expand treatment to 50,000 patients by the end of 2004.

TBCA found that 45% of CPA members are either unemployed or without a regular source of income. 95% of CPA members reported an income loss due to HIV/AIDS. The average monthly HIV/AIDS-related medical costs account for almost 50% of the average monthly income of those with an income. Loss of confidence and hope has affected the ability of many to make a new start in their lives, after acquiring the virus.

The project also includes an income generation component for people living with HIV/AIDS to market a company that utilizes strategic business plans, extensive links to a network of people living with HIV/AIDS community producer groups and private sector financial and in-kind support, to retail their products in a competitive market.

It is hoped that this component of the proejct will create a renewed sense of dignity and confidence among people living with HIV/AIDS participating in the income-generation scheme, as well as the group and individual benefits created.

For More Information please Contact Khun Bruce at UNESCAP, Tel:

New Project for 2005

TBCA has recieved support from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention Thailand (US CDC) for a one year period. TBCA will conduct training in China and Cambodia and work with busiensses in these countries. The project aims to increase the number of NGOs who can conduct training on HIV/AIDS in both countries and encourage more businesses receive training from these NGOs for employees and senior management. For more information please contact Khun Simon at TBCA Tel:

Recent and Future Activities

TBCA and UNESCAP will hold a three day workshop on the community program's 5 partners project, which has established a business run by HIV positive people and sources and sells products made by positive people. The workshop will also include members from other Asian countries who will share their experience conducting workpalce programs with busiensses. The workshop is fom 30th November - 2nd December 2004, 2 days Bangkok and one in Chiang Mai. For more information please contact Khun Simon at TBCA Tel: or Khun Bruce at UNESCAP Tel: .

ABC on AIDS will attending a Busienss Forum on HIV/AIDS in Singapore on the 26th November 2004, "HIV/AIDS: Education is the key - How business can help". Organized by the American Chamber of Commerce Singapore, Action for AIDS and the Business Coalition on AIDS Singapore. This even will be at the Pan Pacific Hotel from 8-10 am. Interested businesses should contact Ms. Susan Solomon on Tel: 6737 5451 or Ms. Joyce Odom on Tel: 6235-0077

The Myanmar Business Coalition on AIDS will hold a workshop on Busienss & HIV/AIDS and their work in the past year in Yangon at the Traders Hotel on December 8th 2004. If you are interested please contact Dr. Aye Aye on Tel:

TBCA will hold a two day HIV/AIDS training for the Chinese Center for Disease Control and 15 of their community health workers from around China in April 2005. The training will include a one day training in Bangkok and a full day visiting a HIV/AIDS hospice in to learn effective care, support and treatment of positive people to regain their health and return to work. For more information please contact Khun Simon at TBCA, Tel: or simon

More About the Role of Business in HIV/AIDS Prevention:

Link to managing HIV/AIDS

Myanmar Business Coalition on AIDS reactivated

"A senior official from the United Nations' AIDS Program in Yangon has welcomed the reactivation of a business group on AIDS which was set up informally two years ago." Read more...

Link Myanmar Business Coalition on AIDS

New on this site

NEW: management manual on HIV/AIDS

Download from our document library the management manual developed by the Business Coalition on AIDS in Singapore. This manual gives a comprehensive overview of all topics related to HIV/AIDS intervention in the workplace.

Link to document library

NEW: case studies: Nike, Tata Tea, AIA etc.

Visit our section on case studies where you can download cases on workplace HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention programs.

Link to case studies

NEW: Chinese translated advocacy materials

Link Chinese translation 'Business Taking Action'
Chinese translation of the ABC on AIDS advocacy document "Business Taking Action to Manage HIV/AIDS". This 24-pages document contains a selection of business practices responding to HIV/AIDS in- and outside the Asian workplace.

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