Why AIDS is a workplace issue
AIDS is a workplace issue because it affects workers and the families, enterprises and communities which depend on them. At the same time, the workplace has a vital role to play in the wider struggle to control the epidemic. Workplace programmes support prevention, expand access to care and treatment, and promote non-discrimination. > More
 |
News from ILO/AIDS
African trade unions ask for better G8 better accountability mechanisms about HIV/AIDS
The General Secretary of ITUC-AFRO, Kwasi Adu-Smankwah, has endorsed the call by the Global Union AIDS Programme (GUAP) for trade unions to deliver a message about HIV/AIDS to the Japanese Embassy of their country in preparation to the G8 meeting to be held in July in Japan. This meeting will be an opportunity for the richest countries of the world to discuss African development and universal access to HIV treatment, care and support, as well as the strengthening of health systems generally.
Mr. Adu-Smakwah also encouraged unions to plan their actions as for the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers, 28 April, which aims to highlight health system development and delivery under the banner of "Good Occupational Health For All Workers".
More languages!
The Joint ILO-WHO guidelines on health services and HIV/AIDS are now available in Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Russian, and Vietnamese, as well as English, French and Spanish. ILO and WHO staff in country offices are assisting with their dissemination and application.
The ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work has now been translated into 54 language with the recent addition of Chichewa.
Saving Lives, Protecting jobs: impact data and success stories
More than 650 workplaces across the world are now collaborating with the ILO/AIDS SHARE (Strategic HIV/AIDS Responses in Enterprises)programme, which today launches its second report, "Saving lives, Protecting jobs" in English and in French.
The report provides findings on the impact of workplace interventions, as well as a collection of good practices and success stories.
It gives an insight into the overall SHARE programme, which has now been running for five years. It includes a special focus on the experiences and achievements of the pioneer country projects in Belize, Benin, Cambodia, Ghana, Guyana, India and Togo, which are becoming sustainable national programmes. The report also captures major developments, innovations and partnerships from other countries.
The SHARE Programme aims to implement the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work through overcoming discrimination, changing behaviour and facilitating access to services and treatment.
It covers 24 countries and has reached an estimated one million workers to date with the financial support of the United States Department of Labor.
International standard on HIV/AIDS and the world of work: report with extensive new data
To expand and strengthen AIDS responses in the world of work, the ILO Governing Body decided in March 2007 to develop a new labour standard on HIV/AIDS. In preparation, the Office assembled information for an overview 'law and practice' report, including the most comprehensive compilation to date of national laws and policies on HIV/AIDS, covering 170 countries. The report and its accompanying questionnaire have been sent to the ILO's member States for consultation with its constituents on the form and content of the proposed standard. Governments are to reply to the questionnaire in consultation with employers and workers.
The draft standard - an "autonomous Recommendation" - will be discussed at the International Labour Conference in June 2009.
ACCESS THE REPORT IN YOUR LANGUAGE:
> English 
> Français 
> Español 
> Arabic 
> Deutsch 
> Russian 
> Chinese 
> Read more about the drafting procedure
The replies of governments and constituents to the questionnaire should be received by the Office by August 2008. Based on these replies, the Office will prepare a second report consisting of a summary of the replies and draft conclusions for the first Conference discussion that will be sent to the constituents by January 2009.
Universal Action Now: International AIDS Conference, 3-8 August 2008
This Conference takes place every two years, bringing together the scientific community, activists, international organizations, donors, pharmaceutical companies and others with a stake and interest in HIV/AIDS.
The Conference will take place in Mexico City this year. The theme - Universal Action Now - emphasizes the need for continued urgency in the worldwide response to HIV/AIDS, and for action in all sectors and at all levels. The theme is a rallying call, reminding us of our individual and collective responsibility to reach the goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, and eliminating HIV stigma and discrimination.
We wish to encourage and support representatives of our constituents and others with a stake in the world of work to participate in the Conference and to submit abstracts or proposals for skills building-sessions and/or to apply for a scholarship.
> Read more
Workers mobilized against the HIV pandemic in Africa
On the World Social Forum's Global Day of Mobilisation, 26 January 2008, Mr. Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation - African Regional Organisation (ITUC-Africa) stressed the need to use union structures and collective agreements to protect the rights of people living with HIV at the workplace. Mr. Adu-Amankwah called on trade unions in Africa to play an active part in the implementation of national HIV/AIDS policies and workplace programmes. He also called for more resources to be dedicated to sensitization, care, support, and capacity building.
> Read the statement in English and in Français
Trade unions' joint policy on HIV/AIDS in Sri Lanka
On 29 January 2008, 22 trade union representatives in Sri Lanka signed the Trade Union Joint Policy on HIV/AIDS at the Ministry of Labour. This policy aims to strengthen trade union interventions in HIV prevention and impact management. It was developed in the framework of the draft National Policy on HIV/AIDS and is based on the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. > Read the policy
ILO partner nominated for Red Ribbon Award
Responding to the Red Ribbon Award call for nominations to honour community leadership and action on AIDS, the ILO's HIV/AIDS Workplace Education Programme nominated one of its partners in Russia, the Murmansk Regional Public Organization Supporting Persons Living with HIV/AIDS. This biennial award, which will be presented at next summer's International AIDS Conference in Mexico, will honour 25 community-based organisations for their contributions in responding to AIDS. > Read more about the red ribbon award
New guidelines for the construction sector
HIV/AIDS has a triple impact on the construction sector through its effects on workers, enterprises and the economy as a whole. These guidelines for the construction sector aim to help employers, workers and the relevant authorities protect the health of the workforce and manage the impact of AIDS.
We will update the guidelines once we have received feedback from those who have applied them. If you make use of the guidelines in any way - from policy development to training - your feedback is invited and welcome.
Employers strengthen their response to HIV at the workplace in Africa
A workshop held on 10 December in Nairobi, Kenya, brought together employers from 12 countries to address HIV at the workplace and review strategies to mitigate its impact. Called 'Reinforcing Employers' Interventions on HIV/AIDS in the Workplace in Eastern and Southern Africa,' the workshop was sponsored by the International Labour Organization. Ms Jacqueline Mugo, Executive Director of the Federation of Kenyan Employers, presented a new evaluation methodology developed by employers to get accurate data on the impact of HIV, taking into account both labour costs and loss of productivity. > Read more
Protecting the health of workers in Russia
A panel of experts on HIV prevention in the Russian Federation recently discussed the innovative workplace education programmes of the ILO and partner enterprises in the Murmansk Region. The United Nations Office reports on this discussion in an article published for World AIDS Day. > Read the article
Peru protects workers living with HIV
To fight stigma and discrimination, the government of Peru has decided to sanction any enterprise which fires a worker on the basis of his or her HIV status. The Director of the Labour Inspectorate at the Ministry of Labour provides details about the claim process.> Read more
World AIDS Day 2007 in the World of Work
On World AIDS Day we celebrate the leaders and communities worldwide who are setting example, taking initiative and helping the world to keep its promise to act on AIDS. A wide variety of events are planned at the ILO to mark it.
The ILO, IRU (International Road Transport Union) and ITF (International Transport Workers'Federation) launch a new multimedia 'toolkit' for battling the spread of the disease among lorry drivers worldwide, one of the sectors most
affected by the virus. >Read more
The ILO also present an exhibition presenting 45 persons (employers, workers, and governments representatives) who take the lead in the global response to HIV and AIDS in the world of work.
As in previous years in Geneva, the ILO is also joining the efforts of the international community and Geneva-based associations to commemorate World AIDS Day. >For more details: please see the flyers
OAS Ministers of Labor pledge workplace programmes on AIDS
Ministers of Labor adopted the Declaration of Port of Spain 2007 at the XV Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (IACML) of the Organization of American States in Trinidad and Tobago, 11-13 September 2007. In this Declaration, Ministers commit to put in place workplace policies to prohibit AIDS stigma and discrimination and reduce the incidence of HIV. They also adopted a Plan of Action for the implementation of the Declaration. The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Labour and Small and Micro enterprise Development in Trinidad and Tobago, and attended by the ILO Director-General, the ILO Regional Director for the Americas and the Director of the ILO Subregional Office for the Americas.
Launch of business coalition in Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan Business Coalition (SLBC) was launched during the recent International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (see below) with the support of Standard Chartered Bank, a number of national companies, the employers' federation and trade unions, and the ILO. The SLBC aims to coordinate the AIDS activities of companies operating in Sri Lanka, to highlight good practices, and send a strong message to other employers and workers to take action. It uses the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work as the reference for workplace policies.
Asia ministers, employers and workers meet on HIV and AIDS
More than 3000 delegates met in Sri Lanka in August for the 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP 2007) to discuss critical issues related to HIV in the region. One of these related to the situation, rights and needs of the many migrant workers in and from the region.
During the Congress, the ILO hosted a high level symposium to review the legal response to HIV/AIDS in the region and discuss the content, application and impact of developing a legal instrument on HIV and AIDS at the workplace. The panellists included the Ministers of Labour of India and Sri Lanka, and representatives from the Employers' Federation of Pakistan, the International Transport Workers' Federation, the International Trade Union Confederation and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
CARICOM Heads of Social Security discuss HIV and AIDS at the workplace
At the ir 18th Meeting, held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in June, the Heads of CARICOM Social Security organizations agreed on the need to be more involved in the issues of HIV and AIDS at the workplace. The ILO repersentative pointed out the valuable contribution these agencies can make to the national response in terms of support for people living with HIV. In adition, the unique collection of data they generate could be used for monitoring of the epidemic in the region.
Barents Sea Newsletter focuses on HIV/AIDS Workplace Education Programme
The second issue of the Barents Sea Newsletter (2007) includes an article about its HIV/AIDS Workplace Education Programme, launched in 2004 in Russia, explaining its development and implementation in the Russian context. >Read more
India Central Trade Unions unite to fight against HIV
On 30 August 2007, the Central Trade Unions in India launched a joint statement of commitment on HIV/AIDS in which they commit to join their forces to enhance interventions on prevention and management of HIV at the workplace. The Unions emphasize the particular vulnerability of migrant workers and workers in the informal economy, and the need to give them access to information and education on HIV and to strengthen the protection of their rights. They also underlined the need to build up welfare schemes and income-generating activities across the board. This complements a similar statement made by the seven national employers' federations in 2005. Both statements commit to joint employer-worker collaboration as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
News from around the world
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
)
)
