HIV/AIDS

The ILO's concern in the field of HIV/AIDS will be to obtain a commitment from member States, employers and workers' organizations to promote strategies that are likely to protect and benefit workers, their families and communities at large and prevent discrimination at work based on HIV status. In Southern Africa, it will seek to highlight the linkages between labour administration, productivity and the informal sector within the overall context of ILO core Conventions. There can be no doubt that HIV/AIDS is a major disaster for Southern Africa and SAMAT will continue with the initiatives that it already has underway as well as mainstreaming the issue into all of its key areas of activity. In particular, it will focus on health and safety at the workplace and financial/economic analysis and projections in social security and the extension of health care into the informal sector.

Following the Regional Tripartite Workshop in Windhoek, Namibia, 11-13 October 1999 the 9th African Regional Meeting in Abidjan, 8-11 December 1999 adopted the "Platform of Action on HIV/AIDS in the World of Work in Africa". In order to establish effective actions against the HIV/AIDS crisis and address its many social and economic implications this resolution identifies the role of the ILO and the corresponding activities. Given the present structure of SAMAT and areas of specializations covered, the following activities identified in the Platform of Action will be undertaken by the Team:

• eliminating the stigma and discrimination attached to HIV/AIDS by adopting and applying ILO's international labour standards and national labour legislation;

• documenting and disseminating information and statistical data through effective labour market information systems; empowering women economically, socially and politically in order to reduce their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS;

• integrating HIV/AIDS in existing social security schemes and developing new ones to ensure coverage for all;

• building capacity to address the dilemma facing AIDS orphans and children exposed to infection or forced into child labour; promoting income and employment opportunities for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families through, for example, informal sector and small enterprise development;

• strengthening the occupational safety and health systems to project groups at risk.

Many bilateral and multilateral agencies and NGOs are making efforts to combat the pandemic. In order to avoid duplication it is important to establish the area of intervention for each of the involved organizations and create linkages and coordination between them. SAMAT efforts will henceforth be focusing on the world of work and we will use our unique tripartite structure to respond to the HIV/AIDS problem.

For further information, please contact Ms. Judica Makhetha

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