Corporate social responsibility as a tool to enhance the fight against HIV/AIDS

Abstract

The question as to what extent Corporate Social Responsibility can contribute to the fight against HIV/AIDS touches upon many interesting questions. The rights of HIV positive people find their basis in the right to health. When assessing the difficulties for States to realise the right to health, issues such as the impact of patents on access to medicine are important. This matter simultaneously demonstrates a first link between the fight against HIV/AIDS and the private sector. The adverse social and economic consequences of HIV/AIDS provides the reader with an idea of the impact it has on the lives of persons living with HIV/AIDS, their loved ones, the community but also on national economy and the functioning of the private sector. The question arises whether corporations have a moral or legal duty to contribute to the fight against HIV/AIDS and the realisation of human rights in general. This dissertation underscores the fact that corporations share a responsibility towards society.The social contribution required from corporations, provided it remains economically viable, should in the future be embedded in a legally binding framework on Corporate Responsibility and human rights.