GENEVA (Issued jointly by ILO and UNAIDS) - The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today announced that the International Labour Organization (ILO) has formalized its commitment to fighting the global HIV/AIDS epidemic by becoming a Cosponsor of UNAIDS.

The ILO joins the seven existing UNAIDS Cosponsors, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNDCP, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. UNAIDS brings together the efforts and resources of its Cosponsoring organizations to help countries prevent the spread of HIV, provide care and support for people infected or affected by the disease, reduce the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV/AIDS, and ease the socioeconomic and human impact of the epidemic.

"The ILO brings to UNAIDS its understanding and expertise in the world of work. We know the workplace is a key location for HIV/AIDS prevention and care programmes," said Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS. "ILO's Cosponsorship will considerably strengthen UNAIDS."

ILO Director-General, Juan Somavia, said "HIV/AIDS affects everyone today but has an especially profound impact on workers and their families, enterprises and employers, and national economies. With the accession of the ILO to UNAIDS, we now add the historic force of tripartism - governments, workers and employers - to the international efforts being undertaken to meet the challenge of HIV/AIDS and its impact on the world of work."

The ILO has already made a major contribution to the global campaign against HIV/AIDS with the adoption of a pioneering Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work. ^* The Code was launched at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, in New York, 25-27 June 2001.

The Code is a product of intensive efforts by HIV/AIDS experts representing the ILO's tripartite partners - workers, employers and governments. It provides guidelines for developing concrete responses to HIV/AIDS at enterprise, community and national levels in the following key areas: prevention of HIV/AIDS, management and mitigation of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the world of work, care and support of workers infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and elimination of stigma and discrimination on the basis of real or perceived HIV status.

Since the establishment of the ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work (November 2000), the ILO has carried out country-level activities in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean to support the efforts of governments and their social partners at national, sectoral and enterprise levels to combat the epidemic. In this regard, the ILO Code of Practice provides a basis for developing national codes of practice and workplace policies and programmes at the enterprise level. As a Cosponsor of UNAIDS, the ILO will be able to expand its activities jointly with other UNAIDS partners to fight the epidemic.

For more information please contact ILO Department of Communication, tel. +4122/799-7912, fax: +4122/799-8577, e-mail: communication@ilo.org.

* An ILO Code of practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, Global Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work. International Labour Office, Geneva, 2001. ISBN: 92-2-112561-0.