SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 or 15d-16 OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Report on Form 6-K dated December 3, 2010
(Commission File No. 1-15024)
Novartis AG
(Name of Registrant)
Lichtstrasse 35
4056 Basel
Switzerland
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:
Form 20-F: x Form 40-F: o
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
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Novartis International AG |
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Novartis Global Communications |
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CH-4002 Basel |
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Switzerland |
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http://www.novartis.com |
- Investor Relations Release -
Representatives of the UN, NGOs and private sector discuss new approaches to achieving the Millennium Development Goals at the Novartis Foundation symposium
· Experts from North and South continue the New York Millennium Summit dialogue at the annual symposium held by the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development in Basel
· The symposium will assess the progress made to date in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and recommend specific solutions for achieving such targets as halving poverty and reducing maternal and child mortality by 2015
· The annual symposium of the Novartis Foundation provides an important platform for open dialogue on issues relating to development policy
Basel, December 3, 2010 — Today experts are discussing “10 years of Millennium Development Goals — Progress to date and the road ahead” at this year’s symposium of the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development in Basel. International representatives of the UN, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private sector are taking stock of progress and presenting ways to achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. The symposium continues the dialogue started at the Millennium Summit in New York in September 2010, where the UN reviewed progress and looked ahead to the five years left for realizing the MDGs.
Special Advisor to the UN for the MDGs Jeffrey Sachs will report in Basel on the current status of implementation. While encouraging progress has been made — for instance, the proportion of the world population living in poverty has fallen, more children now attend school than before, and many people have access to clean drinking water — there is still much to be done: the reduction in the mortality rates for mothers and children is insufficient to achieve the targets set by 2015.
The aim of the Novartis Foundation symposium is not just to take stock, but also to come up with specific proposals for the remaining five years. For instance, using an actual project in Tanzania as an example, Flora Kessy and Salim Abdulla are showing interventions that can be used to improve access to healthcare, particularly for mothers and children.
Responsibility for achieving the MDGs lies primarily with governments, emphasizes Eveline Herfkens, founder of the UN millennium campaign. The main focuses of the MDGs — and hence the key tasks of national authorities — are education, health and a fair economic system, she notes.
Alongside governments, international organizations and NGOs, the private sector must also play its part. “The healthcare industry is part of the solution to the global challenges we face,” says Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis, in his opening address. “The Novartis access-to-medicine
programs reached almost 80 million patients around the world in 2009. This is an important contribution to achieving the health-related development goals.”
The speakers agree that all actors must work in concert to achieve the goals. Amir Dossal, Founder of the Global Partnerships Forum, will illustrate the strategies the United Nations pursues to promote new models of partnership between the UN, NGOs, private donors and business. Klaus M. Leisinger, President and Managing Director of the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development, will describe what is needed if such multi-stakeholder partnerships are to function effectively.
Hans Rosling, Professor at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, is providing a historical perspective on the MDGs and will illustrate the statistical errors that may occur when setting such specific targets.
Finally, Gesine Schwan of the German Social Democratic Party, a well-known German political expert and President of the HUMBOLDT-VIADRINA School of Governance, is introducing a new aspect. The former candidate to the German presidency will explore the question of whether society in industrialized countries — and not merely in developing countries — should agree on a specific goals aimed at social and economic development.
You can follow the symposium live today as a webcast from 09:00:
www.novartisfoundation.org/webcast
From 11:30 you will be able to download the biographies and photos of speakers, as well as their speeches:
www.novartisfoundation.org/symposium
About the Millennium Development Goals
In 2000, the governments of all UN member states agreed on eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be jointly achieved by 2015. The goals cover specific, quantifiable targets in the areas of poverty, education, gender equality, health and environmental protection. Two-thirds of the time to the deadline has already lapsed. Progress has been mixed and varies widely by region.
For more information on the MDGs, visit: www.un.org/millenniumgoals
About the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development
The Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development is a nonprofit organization whose activities form part of the Corporate Responsibility portfolio of Novartis AG, which finances the foundation’s operations. For 30 years, the foundation’s mission has been to support healthcare programs in developing countries, providing help for self-help. Its core competencies also include in-depth analysis, consulting and publications in the fields of corporate responsibility and development policy. By harnessing synergies between project work, think tank activities and the facilitation of dialogue, it elaborates innovative strategies for common development problems. In 2009, the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development invested approximately CHF 10 million, largely in Africa and Asia.
For more information on the foundation and specific projects, visit:
www.novartisfoundation.org
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Novartis Media Relations
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Central media line : +41 61 324 2200 |
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Eric Althoff |
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Sabina Matter |
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Novartis Global Media Relations |
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Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development |
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+41 61 324 7999 (direct) |
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+41 61 697 71 17 (direct) |
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+41 79 593 4202 (mobile) |
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+41 79 833 98 86 (mobile) |
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eric.althoff@novartis.com |
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e-mail: media.relations@novartis.com
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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Novartis AG |
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Date: December 3, 2010 |
By: |
/s/ MALCOLM B. CHEETHAM |
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Name: |
Malcolm B. Cheetham |
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Title: |
Head Group Financial Reporting and Accounting |