Public Remarks
Remarks to USRBC/Global Business Coalition Reception
William J. Burns, U.S. Ambassador to Russia
Moscow, Russia, October 24, 2007
Thank you. As American ambassador, but more importantly as a great admirer over many years of the work of both the U.S.-Russia Business Council and the Global Business Coalition, I'm honored to be with you this evening.
I know of few institutions that have done more to promote public-private partnerships than the USRBC and the Global Coalition. And I can think of no more urgent priority for public-private partnerships than the threat posed to Americans and Russians and all of us in the international community by the deadliest infectious diseases. The hard truth is that the number of people around the world who are HIV positive is increasing -- not decreasing -- as we gather here this evening. With the search for a cure still frustratingly uncertain, prevention and detection are still huge challenges. HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis remain a direct threat to Russia's promising economic future, worsening an already daunting problem of demographic decline, and shrinking an already diminishing labor force.
Both our governments are well-aware of the importance of making sure that the "public" side of public-private partnerships against these diseases is about action, not just talk. Russia made infectious diseases one of the central themes of its G-8 Presidency last year, has emerged as a generous international health donor, and has multiplied by some 30 times its annual federal spending on domestic HIV-AIDS prevention and treatment programs. Through the PEPFAR program, the United States has massively increased its contributions to the global anti-AIDS campaign.
It is equally heartening to see Russian and American businesses doing their part, especially to deepen public dialogue about these challenges, to advance efforts at education and prevention, and to help diminish the stigma that so often comes with HIV-AIDS. One of the best examples is the Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV-AIDS, which brings together 40 of Russia's leading media companies, including Ekho Moskvy and MTV Russia, to promote public awareness. In Tolyatti, Avtovaz is working with Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS, and in other parts of the country Eli Lilly and Partners in Health are expanding a multi-drug resistant tuberculosis pilot program. Much more remains to be done, and much more is possible.
In that spirit, I am delighted this evening to commend a new public-private partnership, which will train a core group of Russian medical professionals in the most effective practices in HIV care and treatment, including anti-retroviral therapy. This promising new project is co-funded by the U.S. government, through PEPFAR, and GlaxoSmithKline, one of the founding members of the Global Business Coalition. It is exactly the kind of public-private collaboration which we, Americans and Russian alike, so urgently need.
Again, thank you very much for inviting me to join you this evening. I wish you all the very best in tomorrow's conference.