Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International - Monday, 25 June 2001
Rodolfo A. Windhausen
The Joint U.N Program on HIV/AIDS has signed an agreement with the Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland. Under its provisions, the Foundation will coordinate the efforts of Coca-Cola Africa and its bottling partners in the region to support AIDS education, prevention and treatment programs.
"The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation brings substantial resources to the international battle against AIDS," said Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS. "Coca-Cola Africa's special strength is its ability to bring its unrivalled marketing and logistics expertise to responses to the epidemic - from the community to the highest political level. We are excited about this partnership and what it means for the fight against AIDS."
"We are proud to be joining the UNAIDS team in the fight against AIDS," said Alexander B. Cummings, president of Coca-Cola Africa Group. "Coca-Cola is completely committed to the future of the African continent, its economy, people, communities and health. We will do all that we can to enable Africans to reach their full potential."
The UNAIDS program brings together seven U.N. system organizations, including UNICEF and the World Bank, to help the world prevent new HIV infections, care for those already infected and mitigate the epidemic's impact.
The new partnership between Coca-Cola and UNAIDS is the first major initiative for The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to implementing the Coca-Cola system's philanthropic and corporate citizenship programs in Africa, according to a statement from UNAIDS.
The collaboration will focus on Africa, where 70 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world live.
Coca-Cola is the largest private-sector employer in Africa.
The announcement comes as the U.N. AIDS conference started in New York Monday with call by U.N. Secretary-General Annan for a global AIDS fund.
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