CEOs Advocate for the End of Travel Restrictions for People Living with HIV
You may be surprised to learn that 45 countries still restrict the entry, stay or residence of people based only on their HIV-positive status. GBCHealth, in partnership with UNAIDS and Levi Strauss & Co., is securing the commitment of CEOs to use their voices to oppose restrictions on the freedom of movement for people living with HIV.
See the GBCHealth/UNAIDS press release
See Huffington Post Op-Ed by Kenneth Cole and Levi Strauss & Co. President & CEO, Chip Bergh
Financial Times Full Page Ad, by Y&R
Watch Video on HIV Travel Restrictions
GBCHealth has produced this powerful video highlighting the impact of travel restrictions on an employee who was traveling en route to a business meeting.
Discrimination That's Harmful to Business
The United States lifted its HIV travel ban in 2010. But 45 countries still deport, detain or deny entry to people solely because they are HIV positive.
Most HIV-travel restrictions were imposed by governments in the 1980s when ignorance, prejudice and fear surrounded HIV transmission. Today we know better. Such measures are discriminatory and violate human rights. They're also bad for business and harm the bottom line.
In today's globalized world, travel and relocation are routine for most multinational corporations, which need to send workers overseas, regardless of HIV status. Leading countries in the manufacturing, agriculture, energy and mining industries still impose HIV-related travel restrictions.
CEOs Seek An End To Unfair Travel Restrictions
That is why more than 40 CEOs are using their voices to call on 45 governments to lift these archaic and discriminatory restrictions. They are leveraging their collective might as an advocacy tool for World AIDS Day 2012 and beyond.
Participating CEOs as of November 28, 2012
Learn More About the Effort to Lift HIV+ Travel Bans
UNAIDS has prepared a useful briefing document that outlines the key HIV travel restrictions facts and messages underlying the effort to end these discriminatory practices. The document also provides answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Countries Restricting Movements of HIV+ People
The Latest Country to Lift its HIV-Travel Restrictions
Click here to upload the UNAIDS Travel Ban Fact Sheet
To learn more, watch Levi Strauss & Co.'s video on HIV travel restrictions or click here to download a copy
| Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Group Managing Director/CEO, Access Bank Plc |
| Mark Bertolini, Chairman, CEO and President, Aetna |
| Robert Hanson, CEO, American Eagle Outfitters |
| Cynthia Carroll, Chief Executive, Anglo American plc |
| Vincent A. Forlenza, Chairman, CEO and President, BD |
| Debra Lee, Chairman & CEO, BET Networks |
| Lamberto Andreotti, CEO, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company |
| Andy Burness, President, Burness Communications |
| Muhtar Kent, Chairman of the Board and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company |
| Dr. Frank Appel, CEO, Deutsche Post DHL |
| Richard Edelman, President & CEO, Edelman |
| Alan Mulally, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company |
| Mark R. Kramer, Founder and Managing Director, FSG |
| Glenn K. Murphy, Chairman and CEO, Gap Inc. |
| Jonathan D. Klein, CEO and Co-Founder, Getty Images |
| John C. Martin, PhD, Chairman and CEO, Gilead Sciences, Inc. |
| Karl-Johan Persson, CEO, H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB |
| Dr. Chris Kirubi, Chairman, Haco Tiger Brands |
| Jean-Francois van Boxmeer, Chairman of the Executive Board/CEO, HEINEKEN NV |
| Victor Y. Yuan, Chairman, Horizon Research and Consultancy Group |
| Bong Yong Dam, CEO, Hub One International Company Ltd |
| Jena Gardner, President & CEO, JG Black Book of Travel |
| Alex Gorsky, Chief Executive Officer, Johnson & Johnson |
| Kenneth Cole, CEO, Kenneth Cole Productions |
| Dr Titus Naikuni, MD and CEO, Kenya Airways Ltd |
| Chris Salgardo, President, Kiehl's USA |
| Chip Bergh, President & CEO, Levi Strauss & Co. |
| Kaushik Shah, CEO/Director, Mabati Rolling Mills Ltd |
| Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman and CEO, Merck |
| Heather Bresch, CEO, Mylan |
| David J. Stern, Commissioner, National Basketball Association (NBA) |
| Blake Nordstrom, President, Nordstrom, Inc. |
| Ji Yong, General Manager, Northeast Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd |
| Douglas A. Michels, President & CEO, OraSure Technologies, Inc. |
| Ian C. Read, Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc. |
| Tzameret Fuerst, CEO, Prepex |
| Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom |
| Li Jinliang, Chairman, Shanghai Desano Pharmaceuticals Investment Co., Ltd. |
| Hiromasa Yonekura, Chairman, Sumitomo Chemical |
| Liam E. McGee, Chairman, President and CEO, The Hartford |
| James C. Smith, CEO, Thomson Reuters |
| Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, CEO, Vestergaard Frandsen |
| Philippe Dauman, President & CEO, Viacom |
| Dominique Limet, CEO, ViiV Healthcare |
| Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Unite |
| Melissa Waggener Zorkin, CEO, President & Founder, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide |
| Andy Payne, CEO, Wilderness Holdings Ltd |
| David Sable, CEO, Y&R |
| William H. Roedy, AIDS Activist and former Chairman, MTVN International |
Countries Restricting Movement of HIV+ People
According to UNAIDS, as of July 2012 45 countries, territories and areas still impose some form of restriction on the entry, stay and residence of people living with HIV based on their HIV status:
| Andorra | Jordan | Samoa |
| Aruba | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia |
| Australia | Lebanon | Singapore |
| Bahrain | Lithuania | Slovakia |
| Belarus | Malaysia | Solomon Islands |
| Belize | Marshall Islands | Sudan |
| Brunei Darussalam | Mauritius | Syrian Arab Republic |
| Comoros | Mongolia | Chinese Taipei |
| Cuba | New Zealand | Tajikistan |
| Cyprus | Nicaragua | Tonga |
| Democratic People's Rep. of Korea | Oman | Turkmenistan |
| Dominican Republic | Papua New Guinea | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| Egypt | Paraguay | United Arab Emirates |
| Iraq | Qatar | Uzbekistan |
| Israel | Russian Federation | Yemen |
Latest Country to Repeal its Travel Ban: South Korea
The latest country to repeal travel restrictions. Click Here for UNAIDS' press release.