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

Facing the realities in Africa: the ILO at the 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), Dakar, Senegal, 3-7 December 2008

The ILO is bringing governments, employers and workers together to demonstrate the effectiveness of workplace responses to HIV/AIDS at ICASA 2008.

The ILO is organizing seven satellite sessions jointly with a range of partners, on key themes such as migration, public and private sector workplace programmes, responses in the mining sector, women in business. On Thursday 4 December, we will hold a special session to discuss the proposed new labour standard on HIV/AIDS, with key workplace actors, including the Minister of Labour of Senegal, employers' and workers' representatives, UN partners, and legal specialists.

In addition the ILO is offering four skills-building workshops and holding a special media event. > Read the programme of ILO activities in English and in Français

The ILO is also presenting an exhibition of posters depicting HIV/AIDS leadership by constituents across the continent. > Read the stories for Benin, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

World AIDS Day 2008 in the World of Work

The ILO and its constituent invite you to take a moment to remember the more than 25 million people who have died as a result of AIDS, and the over 7000 who are newly-infected with HIV each day. At the same time we celebrate the fact that almost three million people with HIV are continuing to live and work as a result of antiretroviral medication.

In response to the epidemic, governments, employers and workers worldwide are leading workplace responses in their countries, empowering workers to protect themselves and their families from HIV, and delivering HIV prevention, care and treatment at and through the workplace.

ILO offices, constituents and workplaces in every region are organizing events to mark World AIDS Day in support of national AIDS programmes. > Read the country round-up and list of activities organized by the ILO

At headquarters, the ILO is presenting an exhibition of Shona sculpture from Zimbabwe, organized by the Ruwa Gallery which was set up in 1990 as a workshop and school as well as a gallery. The sale of sculptures helps maintain the school and support the artists. HIV/AIDS has become a major threat to this unique form of art, as prominent artists succumb to the epidemic. Master artists are prevented from passing on their knowledge, and younger artists are being lost. >Read more about the exhibition

At 12.30 there will be a short ceremony in the ILO Colonnade to open the sculpture exhibition and launch World AIDS Day - we will also form our annual human AIDS ribbon. Join us for the picture.

As in previous years, the ILO is also joining in the Geneva-based activities of the international community and local associations to commemorate World AIDS Day. >For more details: please see the flyers

Empowering employers and workers in the transport sector

The ILO and the international organizations of employers and workers - IRU (International Road Transport Union) and ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) - are holding a three-day training course for managers and workers in the transport sector, based on the new ILO, IRU and ITF toolkit for the road transport sector. >Read more about the event

The world of work emerged as a major theme at the 2008 International AIDS Conference in Mexico City

The Conference highlighted the impact of AIDS on the productive population of some of the world's most vulnerable economies, as well as the need for successful mobilization of the workplace as an entry point for AIDS responses.

It also set the stage for discussions on the development of a new international labour standard on HIV/AIDS, currently in preparation for approval at the International Labour Conference in 2010

Government, employer and worker representatives, who attended the conference from all regions, jointly conveyed the message that it is not only workplace action but tripartite action in and through the workplace that has proven itself to be effective and sustainable.

"The world of work can offer a lead through tripartite collaboration to create trust, tolerance and respect for rights and human dignity. This is at the heart of the ILO's Decent Work Agenda", said Mexico's Minister of Labour, Dr Javier Lozano Alarcon, who chaired a satellite meeting organized by the ILO to discuss a new international labour standard on HIV/AIDS. Speakers included the Minister of Labour of El Salvador, Dr Jose Roberto Espinal, the ILO's Regional Director for the Americas, Mr Jean Maninat.

Speaking on behalf of the employers, Mr Patrick Obath, President of the Federation of Kenyan Employers (FKE), emphasized the ground-breaking role of the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work and the lead shown by employers in its implementation.

Sir Roy Trotman, General Secretary of the Barbados Workers' Union and workers' spokesperson to the ILO Governing Body, also pointed to the importance of the Code and urged the AIDS community to give workers the chance to use their comparative advantage in reaching communities at the grassroots level.

The Director of the ILO/AIDS Department, Dr Sophia Kisting, affirmed the need for the tripartite constituents of the ILO to have ownership of the process to develop a new HIV/AIDS labour standard, while Mr Michel Sidibe, who spoke on behalf of the UNAIDS family as a whole, said "the world of work is one of the most important spaces to make a difference in the fight against AIDS".

The satellite concluded a series of activities organized or supported by the ILO, as well as a successful programme of activities by the ILO's constituents.

These included a meeting organized by the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), which showed the leadership role employers are playing in responses to HIV/AIDS. It also presented the activities they're developing within their own sphere of influence.

The Global Unions AIDS Programme - which brings together the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and ten international union federations covering all major economic sectors - arranged a Labour Forum ahead of the Conference to promote the participation of union members and exchange experiences.

The XVII International AIDS Conference - which gathered more than 20,000 participants from around the globe - provided an important opportunity for the ILO and its constituents to engage with a broad range of workplace stakeholders to discuss HIV work-related issues and future courses of action.

UNAIDS launches 2008 Global Report on AIDS epidemic

The 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic was launched on 29 July at UN Headquarters in New York by Dr Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director, Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, and Kemal Dervis, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. Simulataneous launches were held in regional offices of the UN and in Geneva. Dr Sophia Kisting, Director of ILO/AIDS, spoke at the ceremony in Geneva, together with Dr Kevin de Cock, Director of the WHO HIV/AIDS Department, and Dr Paul de Lay, UNAIDS Secretariat.

This report is the most comprehensive to date on the response to AIDS. It includes data from 147 countries against 25 core targets set in the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS adopted in 2001, and the political declaration adopted at the 2006 High Level Meeting on AIDS. The information presented in the report enables readers to assess progress made since 2001 and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the AIDS response at country level.

It highlights the significant increase in prevention and treatment services which are producing measurable results particularly with a decreasing number of new HIV infections. But the epidemic is not over in any part of the world as for every 2 people starting on treatment there are 5 new infections. The report clearly shows that stronger measures are needed to turn the epidemic around and prevention remains a priority.

The report also stresses the stability of new infections among women: about half of them are women. About 45% of these were among young people aged 15-24 years.

Universal action on HIV/AIDS at the workplace: the ILO at the XVII International AIDS Conference, 3-8 August 2008, Mexico City

The ILO will host a series of events at the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, which opens this Sunday, designed to illustrate the growing importance of the workplace in responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Its delegation is led by Mr. Jean Maninat, Regional Director for the Americas.

The ILO's Programme on HIV/AIDS in the World of Work (ILO/AIDS) will use the Conference as a global platform for presenting progress in developing a new international labour standard on HIV/AIDS during a satellite session at 18:30 on Thursday 7 August.

The Conference will also see an event on Tuesday 5 August, organized by the International Organization of Employers and supported by the ILO, which will highlight the contribution of the private sector and employers' organizations to national efforts on HIV/AIDS.

The ILO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will join forces to discuss labour migration and mobility, which are emerging as increasingly critical issues in the design of AIDS responses. UNAIDS, in collaboration with the ILO and IOM, have developed a policy brief focusing on the HIV-related needs and rights of international labour migrants, which will be formally launched on Sunday 3 August at a satellite session at 09.00. See also the policy brief.

The ILO, the World Bank AIDS Campaign Team for Africa (ACTafrica) and UNAIDS will hold a satellite session on their operational and collaborative experiences in responding to HIV/AIDS in the Workplace in Sub-Saharan Africa on Sunday 3 August, at 11:15.

The ILO will host a WORKPLACE ADVICE CENTRE in the networking zone of the Global Village - this will offer advice, materials and the chance to meet and exchange experiences of workplace action. It will be supported by UN Plus, the network of HIV-positive UN staff.

Posters on the responses from employers, workers and governments to HIV/AIDS through the workplace in various countries will be presented from Monday 4 to Thursday 7 August in the Posters exhibition area, Hall D.

See the complete list of ILO events.

To meet with the ILO's representatives at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico and get more information about global, regional and country level responses to HIV/AIDS at the workplace, please go to stand 422 of the Global Village or the ILO desk in the UNAIDS booth - C322 in Exhibition Hall D.

African trade unions ask for 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 in English, Français, Español
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.