Category: World
Service
Date: 18.10.2004
Printable version
In the second
of a series of short talks on World Business Report on 91热爆 World
Service, World Bank officer and former country director Katherine
Marshall calls on the business community worldwide to play its part
in beating Aids 聳 ultimately it would be to its advantage, she
says.
"A lesson from past epidemics is that alliances can beat back the
disease. Forthright leadership and a sense of common purpose can in
fact wake society to the dangers it faces and prompt people to change
behaviour 聳 like being prepared to allow more spending on this
so, so important area of medical research," she says.
"But companies can do much more. It is to their commercial advantage,
but more important they are key social actors.
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"Apart from the family, they are often the first
point of contact for people living with Aids. an employer can reach
many more people, than a politician's rhetoric, or a medical centre's
waiting room.
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"Companies will face political and shareholder
pressure to play more active roles."
However costly and difficult, Aids belongs on the daily business agenda,
she says.
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"Future generations will look back to our time
and judge us on what we did. And if we do not mobilise every ounce of
energy and resource that we have, to confront this modern plague, we
can be sure that the judgement will be very harsh."
In her first talk, broadcast on World Business Report last week, Katherine
Marshall, spoke about the impact of lobby groups protesting against
the debts of the world's poorest countries.
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"In a world dominated by bankers and politicians
there are people 聳 like those gathered in Washington 聳 who
are determined to mix compassion with economics, and make it an essential
part of the debate 聳 and possibly the solution," she said.
Katherine Marshall's latest talk will be broadcast on World Business
Report at 18.32 and 22.32 BST (UK time) on Wednesday 20 October 2004.
Notes to Editors
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Katherine Marshall is counsellor to the president of
the World Bank on development and ethics matters.
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During a 32-year career with the World Bank she has
served in managerial positions an Africa, Latin America and Asia.
