Anglo Americans latest Report to Society

The corporate response to HIV/AIDS features strongly in the pages of Anglo Americanís latest íReport to Societyí.

The mining groupís review of its social, economic and environmental performance shows that at the start of this year, 2,456 employees with HIV/AIDS had begun free drug treatments as part of a company programme that has run since November 2002.

Of the 1,965 employees remaining on ART, 94 per cent are ícompletely well and able to carry out their normal workí. Anglo American estimates that without ART, at least a third of these would already have died from AIDS.

The document, assured by KPMG, sets a target of 50 per cent of employees to have had voluntary counselling and testing for HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005, and 75 per cent by 2007. The take-up rate in Southern and Eastern Africa at the end of 2004 was 21 per cent.

Among other things, Anglo American, which is chaired by Mark Moody-Stuart, also:

- says that by the end of 2005 it expects to have carried out 45 assessments using Angloís innovative Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox, which assesses the strength of links forged between local communities and the companyís mines, paper plants and other operations

- details by region its economic benefit to society, beyond the equity benefits enjoyed by shareholders, including its tax payments in the major countries where it operates
- declares its involvement in major national and international lobbying campaigns.

The report can be viewed at