Currently, Caroline Hope is working with the World Bank's Multi-Country AIDS Program (MAP) to assist in the organization of the Private Sector Sub-regional Forum on HIV/AIDS to be held in Blantyre, Malawi June 14-18.

The Malawi Forum is the third in a series of four conferences designed to develop innovative partnerships between the public and private sectors in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The series is jointly sponsored by the World Bank, UNAIDS and the World Economic Forum.

The Forum will bring together leaders of business coalitions and associations, national AIDS commissions, and other public and private sector policy makers. It will provide the participants with the tools to support and implement action plans and work programs and to engage the private sector in the national AIDS agendas of participating countries.

The key objectives of the meeting are to:

• Develop strategies and identify mechanisms and tools that can be used to maximize effective private sector engagement in the fight against the epidemic.
• Discuss the role of national business coalitions in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment.
• Identify the components of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS workplace policy.
• Discuss collaboration between the different sectors and locate financial and technical resources available to the private sector.

Representatives from Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Mauritania and Kenya are expected to participate.

For more information about this Forum, or the fourth Private Sector Mobilization Regional Forum, to take place in October, 2004, please contact Caroline Hope, HIV/AIDS Program Manager, CCA at chope@africacncl.org.