ILO, employers' and workers' organizations strengthen joint action against HIV/AIDS in Africa

The African Regional Organisation of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU-AFRO) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) jointly organized a capacity-building meeting on HIV/AIDS for employers and workers in Kampala, Uganda on 12-14 December 2006. The meeting was hosted by the National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU) and the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE), with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and its International Training Centre in Turin, Italy.

The objective of the meeting was to evaluate programmes and activities based on the IOE-ICFTU joint agreement on HIV/AIDS (2003) and joint action plans agreed in Geneva in 2004; to identify persisting challenges; and to build capacity in project/programme management. The meeting also discussed ways of strengthening partnerships with key agencies at national level and of mobilizing resources - particularly through the Global Fund - in order to scale up joint employer and union action on HIV/AIDS through the workplace.

The meeting adopted a number of recommendations to ensure follow-up by employers' and workers' organizations and to strengthen partnerships, especially with the ILO.