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What is it?
The World Alliance for Community Health is a private sector initiative formed to develop and implement community health projects in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO).
It works with private sector, government and non-government partners to plan and implement long term community health projects in developing and under serviced areas. It assists member companies identify priority needs, design cost-effective projects, develop project standards and access international expertise.
Who are the members?
The World Alliance was formed in 1999 by BHP, Placer Dome, Pasminco, Rio Tinto and WMC. All five founding members are international resource companies with an operational presence in developing regions.
Membership is available to private sector companies from all industries similarly committed to the development and implementation of sustainable community health projects.
Why was it formed?
World Alliance members have learnt from direct experience that communicable disease can have a devastating impact where they occur. Diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and filariasis are endemic to many countries, and communities often lack the financial and medical resources to effectively treat the problems.
In many instances, the isolated location of communities has made it difficult for people to access basic government services, and they are increasingly looking to the private sector to assist in addressing their needs. World Alliance members have recognized the strategic business value of fostering good relations with communities where they operate, and as a result, have established their own health programs in local communities with considerable success.
The World Alliance for Community Health was formed when member companies realised that their health programs would be more effective and could be extended to benefit more people if they worked with other organizations. The cooperative relationship with the WHO will assist the private sector to work in partnership with local governments, charitable organizations and universities in the development and delivery of health programs.
The WHO has supported this initiative in line with its own policy of forming strategic partnerships, and with the recognition that a unified private sector approach will encourage the provision of innovative, cost-effective and sustainable community health improvements in developing countries. World Alliance members believe that this will be achieved by focusing on capacity building and education at the community level while working in close partnership with all stakeholders.