It’s a busy summer for GBCHealth both in New York City and with milestone events coming up in Ethiopia and Nigeria. Next week, a GBCHealth delegation will travel to Addis Ababa for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) to announce a new innovative financing initiative called the Health Credit Exchange. Developed in collaboration with Total Impact Advisors and the MDG Health Alliance, the Exchange will mobilize sustainable sources of private capital to drive better health outcomes through a pay for performance model. The Exchange will be shared with FfD attendees during an official side event to which all interested parties are invited to attend.

On July 24th, GBCHealth will host its Annual Business Leadership Awards Dinner – one of our most important events of the year – in Nigeria for the first time ever. The Dinner will include conferring of three GBCHealth Awards, networking with Nigerian government, business and development leaders, and entertaining performances by local artists. We are excited to bring our flagship event to Nigeria, and thank our in-country partners, Access Bank and the National Malaria Elimination Program for Nigeria, for their strong collaboration through many months of planning.

Read on for more details on our summer events and other news from the GBCHealth network.

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New Content

We are pleased to share four new private-sector focused resources, developed in 2015. Delve into the accomplishments of the Private Sector Delegation (PSD) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; explore the depth and breadth of current private sector initiatives and commitments to save newborn lives; examine India’s corporate investments related to health; understand the importance of investing in a women’s right to health.

2014 Marks A Transformative Year for the PSD: Annual Report Released
Read the PSD’s 2014 Annual Report to learn about the its contribution to the Global Fund’s mission over the past year. As a member of the Global Fund Board, the PSD has had an active voice in the on-going Board debates to shape and prepare for the launch of the new funding model. The Delegation also contributed to additional major decisions related to governance, performance and risk management frameworks. Finally, the Constituency launched a new task force structure, nominated a new representative to the Finance & Operational Performance Committee (Abt Associates’ Nazzareno Todini), supported a major regional malaria forum in Yangon, Myanmar, and continued its role as a committed advocate for private sector partnership in support of the Global Fund. Read the report to find out about these and other achievements.

The Ultimate Investment in the Future: Newborn Health Report
Earlier this year, GBCHealth and the MDG Health Alliance released a first-of-its-kind case studies publication profiling 48 companies and industry associations investing in saving newborn lives. Written in support of the Every Newborn Action Plan, this report showcases outstanding current investments and also presents opportunities for greater corporate action. Click here to access the report.

Call to Action: Investing in Women’s Right to Health
Principle 3 of the Women’s Empowerment Principles encourages companies to ensure the health, including sexual and reproductive health, of all workers. Investing in women’s health not only benefits employees and surrounding communities, but it also has a positive social and economic effect on business itself. To raise awareness among companies on the importance of investing in women’s health, GBCHealth supported the development of the UN Global Compact’s Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP) Issue Brief on Investing in Women’s Right to Health, culminating in the final brief, Call to Action: Investing in Women’s Right to Health, available here.

Business and the Health Millennium Development Goals in India: Closing the Gaps
Written in partnership with the MDG Health Alliance, this GBCHealth report presents a snapshot of health-related corporate investments in India, with a focus on business action on the MDGs. Based on survey findings from 23 leading Indian and multinational companies, the report documents the key characteristics of health CSR programs and provides an informative look at how participating companies are currently investing their CSR rupees, their priority health focus areas, preferred partnership strategies, drivers and future investment priorities. The report also offers suggested action areas for business, in light of recent government legislation requiring companies operating in India to invest two percent of profits into CSR activities as well as in the final year of the MDGs and in the transition to the Post-2015 agenda. Click here to access the report.

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Case Study

Sandoz: Reducing Newborn Mortality through Amoxicillin Dispersible Tablets and Midwife Trainings

Sandoz, the generic pharmaceuticals division of Novartis, is reducing newborn mortality from pneumonia and other infections by increasing global access to effective antibiotics and by offering midwives an opportunity to acquire the skills and education necessary to provide their patients quality obstetrics care.

Sandoz is committed to producing, distributing and promoting the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended treatment for childhood pneumonia—amoxicillin 250 mg dispersible tablets—to at least 500,000 children in developing countries in the first year of a new partnership with UNICEF. Amoxicillin is a penicillin-class, broad-spectrum antibiotic, commonly prescribed to children for treatment of pneumonia and other illnesses including bacterial infections of the ears, sinuses, throat, urinary tract, skin, abdomen and blood, and it is also often used as part of the treatment regime for severe acute malnutrition. Read more about Sandoz’ commitments to newborn health, as well as other corporate investments here.

Sandoz has also launched New Life & New Hope, an enhanced skills training program which will sponsor four Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care trainings for 100 healthcare professionals, or midwives, in Ethiopia. Facilitated by the Ethiopian Midwives Association (EMA) and in partnership with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the trainings of these 100 midwives will impact the care of approximately 40,000 pregnant women and their newborns in the Addis Ababa area. Learn more.

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Pfizer and GSK Launch Analysis Paper: The Central Role of Health in the Post-2015 SDGs

In response to concerns around health becoming marginalized in the era of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — where health is one of 17 goals as opposed to three of eight under the MDGs — Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) developed a collective analysis paper reflecting the views of the Business & Health Action Group, a loose network of over 50 companies convened by GBCHealth, Global Health Council and the UN Foundation.

The Central Role of Health in the Post-2015 SDGs posits that contrary to being sidelined, the focus on health can be more present, more integral and more influential under the SDG framework. Improved health is both an end in itself and also an enabler of sustainable development more broadly, as it is inextricably linked to the 16 other SDGs. The paper calls for the private sector to “play a leading role in the translation of not only the ‘health’ goal, but of all the relevant goals, into concrete actions and measured outcomes.” Read the full paper here.

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GBCHealth Welcomes New Global Health Corps Fellows to the Team

The GBCHealth team is excited to welcome Erica Ciaraldi and Annie Chauma from the Global Health Corps Fellowship Program to our growing team. As part of their year-long fellowships, Ciaraldi will provide policy analysis, task force coordination and general support to the Private Sector Delegation to the Global Fund, while Chauma will focus supporting the two malaria-focused constituencies, the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa and the Roll Back Malaria Private Sector Constituency.

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Upcoming Events

GBCHealth Hosts Side Event at the 2015 Financing for Development Conference

July 13, 2015 | 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

GBCHealth will provide critical input at a number of high-level events at the upcoming Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, including the International Business Forum on July 14th. We will also host a side event along with Total Impact Advisors and the MDG Health Alliance to launch a new innovative financing initiative called the Health Credit Exchange.

The Health Credit Exchange is designed to mobilize sustainable sources of private capital to drive better health outcomes. Through a pay for performance model, the Exchange offers both small and large donors an opportunity to pool their resources and expertise to incentivize cooperation toward meeting Sustainable Development Goals. By paying for results only after progress has been achieved, the exchange aims to reward innovative approaches and provide significant funding for the immediate scale-up of successful programs. The Exchange will be a powerful tool for aligning private capital with development goals in a coordinated and accountable manner.

During the side event, speakers will share an overview of the Health Credit Exchange and request feedback from the audience on the concept as it moves from incubation to execution phase. For more information on this invitation-only event, please contact npatel@gbchealth.org.

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CAMA Hosts 2015 Annual Technical Forum on Malaria in Lagos, Nigeria

July 23-24, 2015 | Lagos, Nigeria

CAMA’s 2015 technical forum, The Road to 2020: Mobilizing the Private Sector in Nigeria’s Fight Against Malaria, will bring together private sector companies, the government and development organizations for a two-day workshop in Lagos, Nigeria. This event will provide a platform to share opportunities for public-private partnerships, to maximize the impact of private sector contributions to malaria control, and ultimately to support the government in successfully moving the country to a state of pre-elimination. Click here for more information and to reserve your seat.

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The 2015 GBCHealth Business Leadership Awards Presented in Nigeria

July 24, 2015 | Lagos, Nigeria

Join GBCHealth as we host our Business Leadership Awards Dinner in Nigeria for the first time. This high-level dinner will gather the country’s government, business and development organizations to recognize the leadership and vision of private sector champions and honor their commitments to saving lives. The highlight of the evening will be the conferring of three GBCHealth awards: Richard C. Holbrooke Business Leadership Award for Outstanding Contribution to Global Health, the Vision and Impact Award and the Frontline Hero Award. Not to be missed, guests will be entertained by inspiring performers with a deep devotion to health and will hear from visionaries—from the board room to the front lines—each addressing the essential and influential role of the private sector in creating a healthier world. For more information, contact events@gbchealth.org.

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Seeking Private Sector Input into The Next Global Fund Strategy: Upcoming Consultations for Business

July 24, 2015 | Lagos, Nigeria

The PSD is seeking input from a wide range of Global Fund partners and stakeholders from the business sector on the next Global Fund strategy, which will cover the five-year period from 2017 to 2021. As a voting member of the Global Fund Board, the PSD is committed to engaging with a diverse cross-section of private sector companies and business organizations to capture their inputs to help shape the future direction of the Global Fund and the fight against the three diseases.

Between June and August 2015, the PSD will host a series of consultations for companies interested in the future of the Global Fund. Companies do not need to be current PSD members to participate. Consultations were recently held on June 23 in Bangkok, Thailand (prior to the Global Fund Partnership Forum event) and on June 29 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Upcoming consultation opportunities include:

• Friday, July 24 in Lagos, Nigeria (Following the GBCHealth/ Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa Annual Forum)
• Tuesday, August 4 in New York, USA

Please contact and download the consultation one-pager here for more information on private sector consultation opportunities.

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Past Events

CAMA and Harvard’s Defeating Malaria Initiative Look at How Academics and the Private Sector Can Advance the Malaria War in the Post-2015 Era

April 24, 2015 | Cambridge, Massachusetts

On the eve of World Malaria Day 2015, the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa and Harvard University’s Defeating Malaria gathered over seventy stakeholders from the academic, private, non-profit and multi-lateral sectors to review the successes of malaria-focused public-private partnerships and to look ahead to the challenges that remain leading up to the 2015 MDG deadline.

Participants of the half-day forum, entitled Partnerships for Malaria Elimination: Lessons & Opportunities, emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships in driving innovation, mobilizing new financial streams and enhancing technical support, all of which are essential to effectively fight malaria in the post-2015 era. Read major highlights from the event here.

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What We’re Reading by Nisa Patel, Program Officer

Anne Fadiman, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Exploring the clash between one refugee Hmong family and their local health clinic, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, presents the need for the inclusion of socio-cultural communications skills and services in the healthcare system. The clash between the clinician’s desire to cure a sick family member using a medicalized approach and the family’s need to provide cultural and spiritual balance leads to growing mistrust between both parents and providers, ultimately resulting in the least desirable outcome. As we work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and provide access to quality healthcare services to those in the most remote regions, we must take care to work within their cultural beliefs as much as possible and to maintain open dialogue with both patients and communities.

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