HIV/AIDS

Find out more from

In a relatively short period, the pandemic of HIV/AIDS has become one the most critical workplace issues in our time. In addition to the epidemic’s devastating impact on these women and men and their families, it affects the world of work in many ways. For example, discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS threatens fundamental rights at work, undermining opportunities for people to obtain decent employment. Following consultations among governments, employers and workers, the ILO in 2001 adopted a Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work. The pioneering Code is designed to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS while managing and mitigating its workplace impact. Among the Code’s key principles are non-discrimination, gender equality, a healthy working environment, no HIV testing for purposes of employment, confidentiality and the continuation of the employment relationship. Increasingly, the code is serving as a reference point for employers and trade unions negotiating agreements on handling HIV/AIDS in the world of work.

What's new

  • ‘Coming out’ from isolation, stigma and discrimination in the Caribbean
    30 November 2009 - The world’s current economic woes have already forced some governments to curtail HIV/AIDS programmes. This is why World AIDS Day focuses on universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support as a fundamental human right this year. For the ILO, the workplace is at the centre of efforts to guarantee this right. ...
  • In Zambia, a commitment to inclusive approaches for people with disabilities
    09 July 2009 - An estimated 7 to 9 per cent of women and men in Zambia live with a disability, most of them in poverty. ILO Online reports from the country’s capital Lusaka where Disability Equality Training (DET) is part of a new effort to make sure that the needs of people with disabilities are taken into account in development programmes.

RSS: HIV/AIDS

Key resources

Latest