On November 25, 2009 VI Roundtable of “Business for Healthy Society” National Association was held in Moscow in recognition of World AIDS Day. The event was organized in cooperation with the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC) and hosted by Mercedes-Benz Russia SAO, member of the National Association.

The event was opened by co-chairs of the National Association - Jurgen Sauer, Executive Director of ZAO Mercedes-Benz Rus and Sergei Litovchenko, Executive Director of Russian Managers Association.

During the event, Larisa Deventieva, Deputy Head of the Department for Surveillance on HIV/AIDS, Federal Service for the Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-being, presented to the participants situation with development HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia. In her speech, Ms. Dementieva emphasized the need to widen workplace prevention programs in order to prevent further spread of HIV/AIDS epidemic among adult people, which is currently on raise in Russia.

Best projects implemented by Russian and Multinational companies actively involved in the prevention of social diseases were presented at the event. Vera Sheinina, Public Affairs Manager, Chevron Neftegaz Inc., talked about two projects implemented by the company in 2009. The first project was focused on supporting HIV-positive pregnant women, second – on providing informational support to HIV-positive children and their parents. Alexander Smolyaninov, HR Services Lead, Shell Exploration and Production Services (RF) B.V., presented comprehensive project on HIV/AIDS prevention with the focus on HIV-positive orphaned children. Nikolay Tenshov, Team Leader, Occupational Health and Safety, Mercedes-Benz Russia SAO, presented company’s comprehensive project on prevention of socially significant diseases. Xenia Zenkova, Communications Manager, Coca-Cola HBC Eurasia, delivered presentation on a project “Raising awareness on HIV on example of photo exhibition “Affects me. Affects everyone”.

Participants of the Roundtable also had an opportunity to learn about the accomplishments of the HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C prevention project implemented at five large scale Russian enterprises in the framework of National project “Health”. The project was presented by Yulia Brodskaya, Program Coordinator, Russian Healthcare Foundation.

Tools and prevention training modules recently developed by GBC HEALTH@WORK program were also presented during the Roundtable, as well as the overview of the significant events of “Business for Healthy Society” National Association in 2009 and its major accomplishments.

In conclusion, representatives of companies who recently have joined the National association received membership certificates.

Among the participants of the Roundtable there were representatives of such companies – members of National Association and Global Business Coalition as Eurocom Med, Conoco Phillips, Moscow Metropolitan, Lukoil, Shell Neft, Orenburg Neft and others.

Roundtable was held with the financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)