BREMEN – The new Declaration adopted at a Conference organized by the German Government in Bremen, Germany on 11-12 March commits signatories to consider new initiatives for fighting AIDS in the European context, including discrimination and the protection of rights, confidentiality and the reintegration in the labour market of HIV-positive workers on antiretroviral treatment.
The ILO welcomed the Declaration by Ministers of Health from the European Union (EU) on HIV/AIDS, saying it contains provisions that give greater recognition to the role of the workplace, recognizing its central role in the fight against the pandemic. The Declaration invites governments, employers and workers to ensure non-discriminatory policies for people living with HIV and care and support for those affected.
The ILO’s presentation to the Conference showed how its work is based on the Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. The value of the Code was also explicitly recognized in the Declaration.
According to UNAIDS, an estimated 270,000 people in Europe were newly infected with HIV in 2006, bringing to 1.7 million the number of people living with HIV – a twenty-fold increase in less than a decade.
For more information on the Conference in Bremen, please go to: http://www.bmg.bund.de/cln_040/nn_1030704/DE/Themenschwerpunkte/Internationales/EU-Ratspraesidentschaft/Konferenzen/bremen-12-3.html.