Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference

On 28-30 October 2009 the Third regional Eastern European and Central Asian AIDS Conference took place in Moscow. More than 2500 delegates from all CIS countries as well as from Eastern Europe, Central Asia and many other countries took part in the conference.

News | 28 October 2009
Political and civil society leaders, researchers and health professionals, people living with HIV and representatives of civil society from the region had an opportunity to interact and discuss the most urgent issues related to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The International Labour Organization took an active part in the conference. In addition to the ILO specialists from the Subregional office in Moscow, the ILO delegation consisted of focal points on HIV/AIDS and the world of work nominated by the social partners – representatives of employers’ organizations from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, trade unions’ organizations of Russia and participants of the ILO Project “HIV Workplace Education Programme in Russia” invited by the ILO to participate in this regional forum on HIV/AIDS. The ILO information materials in Russian and English (posters, leaflets, booklets, CD-ROMs on HIV prevention at workplace) were presented at the UN information booth.

The ILO organized session «Business and Youth: in Search of New Ways of Cooperation in HIV Prevention”, which took place on 29 October 2009 as part of “Youth Village” – a special platform for youth, where during 3 days of the conference most acute and interesting issues, related to HIV counteraction among youth, were examined. This session was focused on opportunities and initiatives on HIV counteraction that business can undertake, as well as on the role of youth and young people’ associations in organizing workplace educational campaigns. A number of companies and enterprises that had already incorporated the prevention of socially significant diseases in their social responsibility policies, took part in this session’s discussions.

The ILO actively intervened during Satellite “Prevention Programmes on HIV/AIDS, STI and Viral Hepatitis at Workplaces. Theory and Practice”, 29 October 2009. This event was organized by “Russian Healthcare” Foundation in the framework of “Health” Priority National Project. Ms. Elena Kudriavtseva (ILO) presented the ILO position towards preventive programmes at workplace, as well as the ILO standards on HIV prevention in the world of work. Participants learnt about the realization of “Health” Priority National Project in the Russian Federation, representatives of large-scale enterprises – participants of the project – shared their practical knowledge and expertise. Best practices of workplace education programmes from the countries of the region were also presented, in particular, projects of the Russian National Association “Business for healthy society” and Deutshce Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ).

Within the framework of the conference, the ILO was one of the judges of two contests aimed at HIV prevention among youth – “Projects’ Fair” and “Best Publication”.

The conference resulted in the adoption of a conclusion calling to “develop and expand special programmes aimed at HIV prevention that will supplement healthy lifestyle programmes targeting general population; to continue counteraction against stigma and discrimination; to strengthen intersectoral cooperation between ministries, institutions, lawmakers, civil society, trade unions and private sector, while making sure that all interested parties are fully and fairly included the process”.