BALI (ILO News): The first draft text of an international labour standard in the form of a Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the world of work has been released by the ILO.
Based on the discussions held at the International Labour Conference in Geneva this June, the draft text of the human rights instrument has been sent to member States for tripartite consultations.
“If adopted in 2010, this will be the first international human rights and labour standard to focus specifically on HIV/AIDS”, says Dr. Sophia Kisting, Director of the ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the world or work.
“The existence of an instrument focusing on HIV and the world of work, and its linkages to the wider community, will give new impetus to anti-discrimination policies at national and workplace levels. It will strengthen the contribution of the world of work to countries’ achievement of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and encourage information-gathering and reporting” she said.
Governments, in consultation with employers’ and workers’ organizations, are to send their comments on the draft text to the ILO by November 2009. Ministries of Labour are advised to consult other national Ministries and institutions dealing with HIV/AIDS, such as Ministries of Health and National AIDS Commissions, as well as other relevant organizations, including associations of people living with HIV. There will be a second discussion in June 2010 with a view to the adoption of the instrument.
The ILO’s constituents in Asia and the Pacific have made important contributions to the standard-setting process, and the ILO is using the opportunity of the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) in Bali to share information and broaden dialogue with participants and journalists from the region.
UNAIDS has welcomed and supported the new instrument, which promotes and guides the development of national policies on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, with an emphasis on rights and the provision of HIV prevention and other services at the workplace.
The draft text of the Recommendation can be consulted on the ILO website. The site also includes a first report which provides an overview of national and international measures taken with respect to HIV/AIDS in the world of work, as well as a questionnaire to gather views of the governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations. A second report , issued earlier this year, summarizes the replies to the questionnaire.
For more information, please visit: 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific
For further information, during the ICAAP 2009, contact:
Gita Lingga, Information Officer of ILO in Indonesia
Email: gita@ilo.org
Mobile: +62 8158845833
Josée Laporte, the ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work
Email: laporte@ilo.org
Mobile: +62 813 8400 6520
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