Representatives from Standard Chartered Bank and UNAIDS in Bangladesh recently signed an agreement to create a business coalition on HIV/AIDS in the country, the New Nation reports. The coalition aims to encourage businesses and other institutions in Bangladesh to provide resources and skills, as well as to create an environment that promotes an effective response to the disease. Dan Odallo, line director of Bangladesh's National AIDS/STI Programme and UNAIDS county coordinator, said that the coalition is the "first of its kind" in the country and that the partnership aims to "generate broader engagement from the business community" to fight HIV/AIDS. Osman Morad, Standard Chartered Bangladesh's CEO, called the fight against HIV/AIDS a "commercial imperative," adding that the health and "well-being of our people and customers is vital for sustainable economic growth" (New Nation, 8/19).

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