Mexico City, Mexico (ILO Online) ─ The world of work emerged as a major theme at the 2008 International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.
The Conference highlighted the impact of AIDS on the productive population of some of the world’s most vulnerable economies, as well as the need for successful mobilization of the workplace as an entry point for AIDS responses.
It also set the stage for discussions on the development of a new international labour standard on HIV/AIDS, currently in preparation for approval at the International Labour Conference in 2010.
Government, employer and worker representatives, who attended the conference from all regions, jointly conveyed the message that it is not only workplace action but tripartite action in and through the workplace that has proven itself to be effective and sustainable.
“The world of work can offer a lead through tripartite collaboration to create trust, tolerance and respect for rights and human dignity. This is at the heart of the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda”, said Mexico’s Minister of Labour, Dr Javier Lozano Alarcon, who chaired a satellite meeting organized by the ILO to discuss a new international labour standard on HIV/AIDS.
Speaking on behalf of the employers, Mr Patrick Obath, President of the Federation of Kenyan Employers (FKE), emphasized the ground-breaking role of the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work and the lead shown by employers in its implementation.
Sir Roy Trotman, General Secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union and workers’ spokesperson to the ILO Governing Body, also pointed to the importance of the Code and urged the AIDS community to give workers the chance to use their comparative advantage in reaching communities at the grassroots level.
The Director of the ILO/AIDS Department, Dr Sophia Kisting, affirmed the need for the tripartite constituents of the ILO to have ownership of the process to develop a new HIV/AIDS labour standard, while Mr Michel Sidibe, who spoke on behalf of the UNAIDS family as a whole, said “the world of work is one of the most important spaces to make a difference in the fight against AIDS”.
The satellite – which also included speeches by the Minister of Labour of El Salvador, Dr Jose Roberto Espinal, and the ILO’s Regional Director for the Americas, Mr Jean Maninat.– concluded a series of activities organized or supported by the ILO, as well as a successful programme of activities by the ILO’s constituents.
These included a meeting organized by the International Organization of Employers (IOE), which showed the leadership role employers are playing in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It also presented the activities they’re developing within their own sphere of influence.
The Global Unions AIDS Programme – which brings together the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and ten international union federations covering all major economic sectors – arranged a Labour Forum ahead of the Conference to promote the participation of union members and exchange experiences.
The XVII International AIDS Conference – which gathered more than 20,000 participants from around the globe – provided an important opportunity for the ILO and its constituents to engage with a broad range of workplace stakeholders to discuss HIV work-related issues and future courses of action.
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