“HIV/AIDS Prevention in the Road Transport Sector of the Russian Federation: Development and Implementing of Policies and Programmes through Social Dialogue”

In autumn 2006, the ILO, in consultation with its constituents in the Russian Federation, embarked on a project titled: “HIV/AIDS in the road transport sector: Developing and implementing policies through social dialogue in the Russian Federation”. This project aims to strengthen the capacity of the constituents in the Russian Federation in developing and implementing through social dialogue HIV/AIDS gender-sensitive policies in the road transport sector with particular emphasis on international drivers. The project started with a national-wide research study to establish the current profile of the road transport sector in the Russian Federation, so that the HIV/AIDS sector specific policies to be developed and implemented under this project would be compatible with and correspond to the current and future needs and specificities of the sector.

Based on the research findings, the Project Steering Committee members – representatives of the Ministry of Transport, Association of International Road Carriers (ASMAP), All-Russian Auto Transport and Road Workers’ Union - initiated discussion of further steps aimed at developing HIV/AIDS prevention in the sector and came to a decision to develop models of HIV/AIDS policies for the road transport sector at the national level and at enterprises’ level for their subsequent submission to corresponding state institutions and national organizations in the Russian Federation.

Another direction of the work under the project will be HIV/AIDS training activities for drivers, managers and trainers. The corresponding toolkit – “Driving for Change: Training Toolkit on HIV/AIDS for the road transport sector” – was recently developed by the ILO, International Road Transport Union (IRU) and International Transport Federation (ITF), validated in a number of countries including Russia and translated into Russian. The Russian edition of the Toolkit appeared in September 2009.

For the year 2010 the following activities are envisaged:

• Introduction Workshop on the usage of the Training Toolkit for the Ministry of Transport, ASMAP, Russian Auto Transport Union, All-Russian Auto-transport and Road Workers’ Union and big transport companies;
• Training of trainers on the organization of educational activities on HIV/AIDS prevention for the road transport sector;
• Series of trainings on HIV/AIDS Prevention in the Road Transport Sector in the selected regions of Russia and the Republic of Kazakhstan.