One of the most significant obstancles to responding effectively to the AIDS pendemic is inadequate accountability and leadership.

AIDS Accountability International (AAI) is currently developing a scientifically based independent assessment tool to measure progress towards agreed targets. 

AIDS Accountability International (AAI)

AIDS Accountability International's (AAI) overall mission is to help improve the quality of the global response to AIDS and ensure its implementation by holding key actors accountable for their promises and performance. AAI will achieve this by rating country performances, and in turn, governments, private sector, donors and civil society performances, on an annual basis

Through AHI's rating initiatives the organisation intends to:

Encourage debate and dialogue in the scientific, expert and political communities as well as in civil society more broadly, regarding the complex factors driving the disease as well as how best to respond to it.

Analyse existing data and make more reliable data available to a broad range of stakeholders.

Provide tools for advocacy that can identify and compare international, regional and national efforts, as well as highlight where changes are needed if progress is to be made.

Contribute to shifting the global HIV leadership paradigm to the epicentre of the HIV pandemic by co-ordinating and enabling capacity in high-burden countries and facilitating global recognition of nationals as legitimate authorities and leaders.

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Global Reporting Initiative

In adopting the GRI reporting principles (the Global Reporting Initiative's 11 reporting principles seen as crucial for an organisation to reflect its economic, social and environmental performance in a balanced way), members can show that they comply with reporting standards. SABCOHA can help member companies to implement these guidelines pertaining to their interventions around HIV/AIDS, and, where appropriate, communicate this information to the business community.

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King Report on Corporate Governance

The Second King Report on Corporate Governance has also included a number of new non-financial risk factors that are required to be reported to stakeholders. HIV/AIDS is one such factor and the report provides an excellent succinct set of recommendations. Less than 40% of companies surveyed are reporting on HIV/AIDS - in line with the number of companies that appear to have implemented HIV/AIDS programmes.

South African Bureau of Standards

Those running HIV/AIDS workplace programmes will now be in a position to measure them against an official set standard that charts the way for ongoing improvement in the pursuit of best practice.

The South African Bureau of Standards has now published SANS 16001, the HIV and AIDS workplace quality management system designed to give companies a benchmark against which to voluntarily measure their HIV/AIDS programmes.

Once a company has decided to use the standard as the benchmark against which their programme will be measured, there will be a set of absolute requirements that they will have to achieve. These requirements will achieve specific outcomes through actions deemed to be in line with currently accepted good practice and must be objectively verifiable by a suitably qualified auditor.

If the company is found to be compliant with the standard requirements, the auditor will recommend the company for certification.

The standard requires that the company commits to continuous improvement and is compatible with ISO 90001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001.

SABS CEO Martin Kuscus said at the launch in 2007: "I am proud that the SABS has produced and published this standard, which will help make it possible for businesses and organisations throughout South Africa to better manage the impact of HIV/AIDS on their enterprises."

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