BRUSSELS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 16, 2026--
AIDS Healthcare Foundation ( AHF ) Europe will hold an advocacy action in Brussels on March 18 at 11:00 a.m. CET on Archimedes Street, followed by an in-person and virtual press conference at Press Club Brussels Europe titled “ EU: Stop Blocking Health Equity,” urging European Commission (EC) decision-makers to support a legally binding Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement. Click here to access the Press conference Zoom link, and the Facebook Event page.
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Adopted in May 2025, the WHO Pandemic Agreement cannot advance until the PABS Annex is finalized. The Annex governs how pathogen samples and genetic data are shared to develop vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments, and how benefits are equitably returned. Negotiations remain difficult, with the European Commission and rich countries like Germany and Switzerland resisting key equity provisions.
With the May 2026 deadline fast approaching, failure to secure a binding agreement risks delaying ratification and repeating the inequities seen during COVID-19 — while also undermining efforts to build regional manufacturing capacity and genuine health sovereignty in low- and middle-income countries.
Key Asks to EU decision makers:
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a global non-profit organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 2.8 million people in 50 countries worldwide in Africa, the Americas, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Europe. We are currently the largest non-profit provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the world. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on X: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.
The AHF Global Public Health Institute develops and advocates for evidence-based policy change to create a more equitable and effective global health architecture. With a focus on infectious diseases and health systems, our work addresses critical gaps in global health security, equity, governance, law, and finance. The AHF Global Public Health Institute is part of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Visit our website for more information: ahfinstitute.org
AHF banner for the advocacy campaign : "EU to Stop Blocking Health Equity" .
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 16, 2026--
The R&A and Accenture (NYSE:ACN) today announced a new six-year partnership which will see Accenture become the Official Business and Technology Consulting Partner of The R&A as well as an Official Patron of some of golf’s most iconic championships—The Open, AIG Women’s Open, and ISPS HANDA Senior Open until 2031.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260316147526/en/
As the Official Business and Technology Consulting Partner of The R&A, Accenture will provide business transformation and management consulting services to support its strategic priorities across governance, championships and development of the sport by harnessing deep expertise in digital, cloud, data and artificial intelligence. The partnership will accelerate the use of technology in golf - enhancing insights, operations, and fan and player experiences - to help open the game to more people, in more places, around the world.
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, said: “Accenture has a renowned reputation worldwide for its expertise in technology, data and innovation and we see this partnership as a valuable opportunity to support our strategic priorities in golf and help shape the future of the sport.
“As both an Official Patron of our major championships and our Official Business and Technology Consulting Partner, Accenture will work closely with us to help modernize how we govern and deliver the game, while sharing our ambition to inspire people through world-class championships and showcase golf as a sport for everyone to enjoy.”
Through the partnership, Accenture will provide consultancy support to help modernize how the sport is governed, delivered and experienced, building on its track record of working with major global sports organizations to drive innovation at scale.
Mauro Macchi, CEO of Accenture in EMEA, said: “Golf is one of the world’s great global sports, with a rich history and an exciting future. We’re proud to partner with The R&A as its Official Business and Technology Consulting Partner, as well as an Official Patron of its most iconic championships.
“Together, we will apply technology, data, and AI to help open the game to an even wider audience - strengthening the sport’s foundations, enhancing experiences on and off the course, and supporting The R&A’s mission to grow and evolve golf for generations to come.”
Accenture will also collaborate with The R&A to activate its Patron status across The Open, AIG Women’s Open, and ISPS HANDA Senior Open, supporting the storytelling, heritage and global reach of golf’s most prestigious championships.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading solutions and services company that helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed across the enterprise, bringing together the talent of our approximately 784,000 people, our proprietary assets and platforms, and deep ecosystem relationships. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. Through our Reinvention Services we bring together our capabilities across strategy, consulting, technology, operations, Song and Industry X with our deep industry expertise to create and deliver solutions and services for our clients. Our purpose is to deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity, and we measure our success by the 360° value we create for all our stakeholders. Visit us at accenture.com.
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The R&A and Accenture today announced a new six-year partnership which will see Accenture become the Official Business and Technology Consulting Partner of The R&A as well as an Official Patron of some of golf’s most iconic championships—The Open, AIG Women’s Open, and ISPS HANDA Senior Open until 2031.
