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A group of nine large corporations joined forces to launch the new coalition: Productos Kraft; Ford Motor Company; Pfizer; GE Internacional de Mexico; Eli Lilly de Mexico; Xerox Mexicana; FedEx Express Mexico; Merck, Sharpe & Dohme; and Banamex. The CONAES members adopted a mission statement which commits all its members to "eradicate HIV/AIDS discrimination in their workplaces."

The effort was spearheaded by a public-private partnership between the founding companies, the AIDS Responsibility Project, the POLICY Project, AVE de Mexico, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Mexicos Centro Nacional para la Prevencion y Control VIH/SIDA/ITS (CENSIDA). The coalition also announced its intention to aggressively expand the membership of CONAES throughout 2005 and to hold its first corporate conference on HIV/AIDS in the workplace in Mexico next year.

"Corporate leadership has been a decisive factor in the fight against AIDS around the world, and with the formation of CONAES, Mexico adds another element to its global leadership on AIDS," said Abner Mason, executive director of AIDS Responsibility Project.

"Partnerships between government, corporations and AIDS organizations have been the winning combination against this epidemic, and CONAES is a tremendous opportunity for all employers in Mexico to join together, share information and voluntarily adopt effective workplace policies that will improve productivity, recruit and retain the best talent, and position the Mexican business sector favorably within the global community," said Mirka Negroni, resident advisor for the POLICY Project in Mexico.

Carlos Garcia de Leon, director of Ave de Mexico, added, "The possibility for civil society and the private sector to work together in the response to HIV/AIDS allows us to envision a better future for all, and one where Mexican business leaders will assume their rightful position as leaders and visionaries of the global business community."

AIDS Responsibility Project (www.aidsresponsibility.org) is a U.S.-based international non-profit educational organization dedicated to building and enhancing ties between major global entities, both public and private, and underserved populations affected by HIV/AIDS. The POLICY Project (www.policyproject.com) is a global project of the U.S. Agency for International Development, implemented by Futures Group in collaboration with The Center for Development Activities (CEDPA) and Research Triangle Institute (RTI). POLICY works with host-country governments and civil society groups to achieve a more supportive policy environment for family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH), HIV/AIDS, and maternal health. AVE de Mexico (www.avedemexico.com.mx) is a civil society organization formed in 1988 and comprised of professionals who provide education, training and prevention services to vulnerable and high-risk populations as part of the response to HIV/AIDS in Mexico.