A Turning Point in the Business Fight:
2008 Gala and Awards for Business Excellence
An unprecedented package of business actions kicked off in New York on June 9th among some of the biggest players in global fight.
The major announcement by the Coalition includes a global business/UN health-action roadmap for optimal cross-sector coordination; a New York Stock Exchange/Euronext-led tighter integration of business into the malaria fight; and a series of critical-action teams to be deployed in Africa.
Special Envoys, Health Ministers, Business Leaders Gather
GBC’s 2008 Gala and Awards for Business Excellence brought together private sector leaders with major partners in the fight, including:
- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (featured in video)
- UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot (featured in video)
- UN Special Envoys on Tuberculosis and Malaria President Jorge Sampaio and Ray Chambers
- Global Fund Chair of the Board Rajat Gupta and Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine
- Ministers of Health from Angola, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, El Salvador, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, South Africa, Swaziland, Sudan and Tanzania
- Heads of state from El Salvador, the Kingdom of Swaziland and the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis
- The First Ladies of Rwanda, Sudan and the Republic of Georgia
Major Partnerships Transform the Fight
GBC Executive Director John Tedstrom announced the biggest package of cross-sector partnerships in GBC history at the June 9th Gala. Among them: the kick-off of a series of critical-action teams called Impact Initiatives.
» Read more about GBC’s multisector roadmap and action plans
Award-Winners Show the Way
Partnerships prevailed in the 2008 Awards for Business Excellence. These nine winners are exceptional examples of the kind of programs that will propel the fight forward.
Corporate Leaders and UN Secretary-General Champion Cooperation
Nine CEOs came together ahead of the Gala and Awards to brief the UN Secretary-General on the state of the business fight and to outline Coalition commitments going forward. Later, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke about the UN’s openness to collaboration with business.
CEOs Focused on Next Phase of Private Sector Engagement
Eight Coalition member CEOs answer critical questions about why business needs to be active in the global fight and how the private sector can maximize the impact of cross-sector collaborations moving forward.
» Read the Q&As in the Special Awards Issue of Business Action
2008 Technical Sessions: Measuring Performance, Communicating Impact
Co-sponsored by HSBC and Booz & Company, experts demystified the monitoring and evaluation process for workplace and community programs, enabling businesses to identify at-risk groups and demonstrate their impact on behavior change.
