NGOs, Private Sector, Governments ‘Can Join Together’ To Fight AIDS, Malaria, TB in Africa, ExxonMobil Ad Says

The economic impact of malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa "has been enormous," and the "health crisis in Africa is too big for the governments there to handle by themselves," ExxonMobil writes in an opinion piece advertisement published in the Washington Post today. The company states that "[j]ust as there is a gathering crisis, there is a gathering response" and lists several organizations and inititatives "dedicated to mobilizing the resources and skills of private companies in improving public health," including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; President Bush's five-year, $15 billion initiative against AIDS; the Global Coalition on HIV/AIDS; the Global Health Initiative Task Force of the World Economic Forum; the World Health Organization's Roll Back Malaria initiative; and the Corporate Council on Africa. "ExxonMobil is actively involved in their work," the company states, adding, "Private companies benefit from healthy communities and a healthy workforce. That is why ... we support the initiatives just mentioned." ExxonMobil says that governments of African nations "need help -- from other countries, from responsible NGOs and from the private sector," concluding, "All can join together to help offer an effective response to deadly disease -- and hope to millions" (ExxonMobil ad, Washington Post, 3/7).