3 April 2018, Geneva, Switzerland.-The NCD Alliance welcomes the announcement by the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund) to suspend its partnership with Heineken, but urges the organisation to go one step further and terminate the relationship in the long-term. The rationale for termination should be based on the inappropriateness of a major alcohol manufacturer and supplier being involved in the delivery of  services to people living with infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis.

 “We have made it clear from the outset that we believe that the Global Fund´s partnership with an alcohol company such as Heineken is incompatible on the grounds of public health,” said Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance. 

“It is unacceptable that a company whose core business is based on promoting products and choices that are of detriment to people´s health and wellbeing, should be seen as a viable partner by an organisation like the Global Fund that is charged with bettering the health of so many millions of people around the world.

“The suspension of the partnership is a first step, but simply not good enough in the longer-term. At the Global Fund´s invitation last month we met with its senior staff to express our concerns. We reiterate our willingness to continue dialogue with the Global Fund’s leadership to ensure the partnership is terminated in the long-term, and to encourage a review of its partnership policy and due diligence process to prevent this from happening again.”

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For more information please contact:

Michael Kessler

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