Attention: John Pope
Mr. Douglas N. Daft
Chief Executive Officer
Coca-Cola Company
One Coca-Cola Plaza
Atlanta, GA 30313
Dear Mr. Daft,
I am writing as a shareholder of Coca-Cola out of concern for Coca-Cola's business practices in countries whose populations are struggling with the AIDS pandemic.
In Africa, Coca-Cola had the highest volume growth of all the regions in 2001. That same year 2.3 million African people lost their lives due to HIV/AIDS.
While I recognize Coca-Cola's efforts in Africa to combat AIDS, I ask that you exercise true commitment by bolstering the number of employees benefiting from Coke's HIV/AIDS workplace policies to include the 100,000 workers in the bottling, distribution, and marketing operations.
At modest cost, Coca-Cola can prevent further infections and needless deaths among the men and women that bottle, can, and distribute Coke products throughout Africa.
Particularly, life-sustaining HIV/AIDS medications and treatment for HIV infected workers and their dependents will save lives and decrease untold suffering among Coca-Cola's vast African workforce.
In the midst of the most severe human health disaster, Coca-Cola must now, more than ever, take responsibility for the workplace policies and programs within the Coca-Cola System and ensure all HIV infected/affected workers, and their dependents, have access to AIDS treatment and care.
I ask that you act now to reaffirm Coca-Cola's commitment to the future of the Africa, its economy, people, communities and health by refusing to leave behind the workers and families struggling with the worst pandemic in human history.
Sincerely,
