A ground-breaking new labour instrument to address HIV in the world of work is one of the issues considered at the annual International Labour Conference (ILC- 99th Session) in Geneva from 2-18 June 2010.

Following ILO’s formal standard setting process, an HIV/AIDS Committee, comprised of 120-150 tripartite representatives, is reviewing ILO’s draft recommendation before its final presentation to the Conference plenary for adoption on 17 June 2010. On 3 June, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Ms Jan Beagle, addressed the HIV/ADS Committee to support the draft formulation of an international labour standard which will be “the first global human rights instrument to focus specifically on HIV and the world of work.”

In 2001, the ILO developed the Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS in the world of work as a framework for workplace action. Since its adoption, it has contributed to fight stigma and discrimination and to break down barriers to testing and treatment in the world of work. Although some progress has been made, prevention and care strategies need bolstering.

If adopted by the ILC, the proposed recommendation on HIV - which builds on and extends the 10 key principles contained in the ILO Code of Practice - would upscale significantly the impact of prevention programmes undertaken by the ILO and UNAIDS. Protecting human rights such as freedom from discrimination play a tremendous but often overlooked role in facilitating the implementation of prevention programmes. Individuals may find in the workplace a confidential and supportive environment to access prevention, treatment, care and support when needed.

As Ms Jan Beagle expressed, “Many workers are still subject to stigma and discrimination and the threat, or reality, of losing their jobs due to their HIV status. The international labour standard before this Committee would help change this situation.”

UNAIDS welcomes in the draft recommendation the promotion of a coordinated action among governments, employers and workers alike, including networks of people living with HIV. As stated by Ms Beagle, ”one of the key strengths that the AIDS response has brought to the development table, is its capacity to connect and mobilize a wide array of constituencies.”

Ms Beagle paid tribute to the ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work, for having raised awareness of the social, economic and development impact of the HIV epidemic and its effects on labour and employment.

The review of the Draft Recommendation by the HIV/AIDS Committee is the last phase of a four year cycle which began in 2007 when the ILO Governing Body requested ILO to place an item on HIV/AIDS and the world of work on the agenda of the 2009 and 2010 Conferences for a double discussion leading to the adoption of an autonomous Recommendation.

ILO officials have gathered every year since 2006 to form a human red ribbon to commemorate World AIDS Day in ILO headquarters
Credit: ILO

About one hundred officials gathered to form a human red ribbon to commemorate and celebrate World AIDS Day at the International Labour Organization (ILO) headquarters in Geneva on 1 December.

This symbolic gathering was followed by ceremony moderated by Mrs Manuela Tomei, Director of the Condition of Work and Employment Programme. Mrs Maria Angelica Ducci, Executive Director, read a statement by the Director-General, Juan Somavia which highlighted the importance of enabling HIV-positive workers to remain in their jobs by eliminating stigma and discrimination. He further emphasized the need for a multi-dimensional approach with long-term commitment, creativity and diversity in order to prevent more infections.

The ILO gave a voice to people living with HIV. Mr Rodrigo Pascal from the UN System Positive Staff Group (UN Plus) presented a testimonial. He explained that UN Plus now counts 170 members, representing 28 UN entities in 43 countries. He underlined the right to work for people living with HIV: “We also have the right to keep our jobs and to be promoted according to our skills and performance.” He added that “where there is access to treatment we can live a regular life, the side effects of treatment are generally pretty manageable. We can face challenges as any other human being.”

in the absence of Dr Sophia Kisting, Director of the ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the world of work who is attending a special World AIDS Day Event in the context of the First African Decent Work Symposium on recovering from the Crisis Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Jazz concert from the Namibian musician Jackson Wahengo and his band
Credit: ILO

A jazz concert from the Namibian musician Jackson Wahengo and his band concluded the celebration. Mr Wahengo performed his songs in Oshiwambo his native language. One such song was Takamifeni which means be careful is the message of a HIV positive father to his son.

Dr Sophia Kisting, Director of the ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the world of work was in attendance at a special World AIDS Day event in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso during the First African Decent Work Symposium on recovering from the Crisis.

ILO officials have gathered every year since 2006 to form a human red ribbon to commemorate World AIDS Day. This year’s event marked the conclusion of the festivities of the 90th anniversary of the ILO, eight years after the creation of the ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the world of work in 2001.

Participants at the second regional meeting of Business coalitions held on Bangkok, Thailand on November 17-18 2009.
Credit: UNAIDS

Business coalitions on AIDS (BCA) have emerged as an effective platform for the private sector to respond to the HIV epidemic and strengthen their corporate social responsibility efforts.

In order to take stock of progress made by BCAs in the Asia Pacific region and to ensure that standards are upheld as services are scaled up by BCAs, UNAIDS, the Asia Pacific Business Coalition (APBCA) and the Asian Business Coalition on AIDS (ABCA) organized a regional meeting of BCAs from the region in Bangkok, Thailand on November 17-18 2009.

"The meeting of business coalitions in the Asia Pacific region has been a tremendous opportunity for the coalitions to learn from each other and find ways to enhance the private sector's contribution in the AIDS response," said Stephen Grant, Asia Pacific Business Coalition on AIDS Chief Executive Officer.

Over twenty participants gathered to discuss key issues around the activities and services offered by BCAs in the region, the challenges and opportunities they face as well as key partnerships and relationships developed with national and international stakeholders. Participants also analyzed the impact and value of BCA, their business models (membership and funding models), organizational structures and governance, and the advocacy work they do.

Strengthening the private sector response to AIDS

Although some companies are already addressing HIV in the workplace, others do not know how or what to do to start mitigating risks. Business coalitions have emerged to fill this gap and provide the private sector with tools and processes needed to effectively address HIV in the workplace and surrounding communities. The comprehensive business responses can be seen in corporate policies for HIV management. Businesses focus on prevention through peer education, provision of antiretroviral treatment and support for affected staff and their dependants.

"People who are at the core of the epidemic include men who are mobile and who practice sex with multiple partners. Many of them are workers who are employed by thousands of businesses and industrial establishments across Asia and the Pacific. Accessing them through well planned workplace programmes is a good way to counter the epidemic and business coalitions are well placed to assume leadership in this area," said Prasada Rao, UNAIDS Regional Director for Asia and Pacific.

Business responses can start within the workplace and respond beyond to form mature partnerships with business, business associations, and communities as well as governmental authorities to form a private public partnership, which will enhance society’s efforts to combat the epidemic.

The workshop was attended by coalitions from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, PNG, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, the regional coalitions (Asia Pacific Business Coalition (APBCA) and the Asian Business Coalition on AIDS (ABCA) as well as private sector representatives from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines and Sri Lanka. The Asia Pacific Network of people living with HIV/AIDS, the Global Fund, ILO, the Burnet Institute (the leading medical research and public health Institutes in Australia) and the HIV Alliance also participated.

One of the deliverables of the meeting will be a manual designed to help BCAs set priorities and next steps. It will guide BCAs on where to seek technical assistance (and what type) to address hurdles, on how to ensure they promote sustainable programs in support of the national AIDS response and target the most vulnerable communities, etc.

The first established Business coalition on AIDS (BCA) was launched in Thailand in 1993. Today, there are 47 coalitions around the world that have emerged and four regional business coalitions. In most countries in Asia Pacific, BCA now exist in various forms and in different stages of development.

This second regional meeting was a follow up to the 2003 meeting on BCAs which took place in Bali and brought together 55 participants from 11 countries – Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Over 150 participants from 10 WCA countries came to the workshop
Credit: UNAIDS

A strategic combination of private sector know-how and technologies with public sector expertise and funding could lead to improved health and a more efficient AIDS response in West and Central Africa. This was the message from a one day workshop held in Ghana focusing on the role of the private sector in Global Fund processes that brought together 60 companies, 10 national business coalitions tackling HIV and employers federations, as well as trade unions and development partners from all over West and Central Africa.

The workshop was organized at the initiative of UNAIDS and with the support of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GBC), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (Global Fund), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the German Development Cooperation (GTZ), and Partenaires contre le Sida (PCS). The October 22 workshop followed a two day event on malaria organized by the GBC.

“If we work together to ensure that the resources, know-how, and technologies of the private sector are strategically combined with public sector funding and expertise, we can significantly improve the health and well-being of people in West and Central Africa, and around the world,” said John Tedstrom, GBC’s President and CEO. “By sharing best practices, and collaborating with the Global Fund to ensure that help is delivered to the areas of greatest need, we may finally have the ability to slow down and eventually defeat AIDS, TB and malaria.”

During the lively discussions, participants shared ideas and identified opportunities to partner with the Global Fund both as fund recipients, and as co-investors, in order to scale-up community HIV, TB and malaria programmes. Businesses also discussed how to deploy their resources, skills and expertise to support oversight and governance of the Global Fund mechanisms and processes at the local level. Technical support providers described how and where private sector actors could obtain relevant support at each of the various stages of the Global Fund processes.

The Ministry of Health in Ghana gave the keynote speech
Credit: UNAIDS

The Minister of Health of Ghana, Benjamin Kumbuor gave a keynote speech at the event. He highlighted the importance of working hand in hand with the private sector to support the implementation of HIV, TB and malaria programmes, and that Ghana serves as a good example of this. According to the Minister, the momentum seen in his country should extend across the continent and serve as catalyst for greater impact in reducing the social and economic burden of these epidemics. It also means working collectively to yield greater return on investments and more impact on the ground. UNAIDS agrees. “We need smarter investments in the AIDS response, to ensure that we can achieve more with less,” said Léopold Zekeng, UNAIDS Country Coordinator in Ghana. “As long as there are five people newly infected for every two people starting HIV treatment, we will not change the trajectory of the epidemic. The Global Fund is a strategic and responsive investor in AIDS, and UNAIDS is working in close partnership supporting the Fund’s full grant cycle – from the development of AIDS grant proposals, to programme implementation, to monitoring and evaluation.”

A group photo with all key partners involved in the organization of the workshop: from left to right, GBC CEO, Ghana AIDS Commission Director, Minister of Health, UNAIDS Ghana Coordinator and the UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana.
Credit: UNAIDS

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Information and Communication, Mr Alhaji Aliyu Ikra Bilbis, launched the campaign.
Credit: UNAIDS

To mark World Post Day on 9 October, Nigeria held a national launch of a global awareness campaign in collaboration with the Universal Postal Union, UNAIDS, the ILO and UNI Global.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Information and Communication, Mr Alhaji Aliyu Ikra Bilbis, launched the campaign by calling for the involvement of more stakeholders to support the government in the AIDS response in a comprehensive manner, adding, “Nigeria has demonstrated dynamism in the response to HIV.”

While congratulating Nigeria Post (Nipost) on its latest effort towards contributing to achieving the Millennium Development Goal of halting and reversing the spread of HIV by 2015, UNAIDS Country Coordinator Dr Warren Naamara said, “Nigeria has shown her commitment to achieving this MDG goal, but there is still a need to get more stakeholders and players on board so that the country’s response to HIV reaches even more people.”

Dr Naamara encouraged Nipost to collaborate with the country’s National Agency for the Control of AIDS and the State Agencies for the Control of HIV to build a sustainable comprehensive multi-sectoral response to HIV and AIDS.

This innovative campaign provides post office visitors and employees with important information about how to prevent HIV through a series of eye-catching posters and hand-outs. The materials also give the address of a multi-language website on HIV prevention, hosted by UNAIDS, which provides detailed information about how to prevent infection.

The campaign in Nigeria is part of the first phase in a series of similar drives undertaken by the participating agencies in six other countries: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Estonia and Mali. The countries were chosen because of their HIV prevalence rates and to give a broad geographical spread. Nigeria has an HIV prevalence of 3.1% and ranks second only to South Africa in terms of the number of people living with HIV.

UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé has commended the campaign for its innovativeness, saying, “The postal network has an extremely wide outreach; it is open to everyone from the young to the old and is an excellent and innovative way to raise awareness about how to prevent HIV.”

The Postmaster General of Nigeria Mallam Ibrahim Mori Baba read a statement at the launch.
Credit: UNAIDS

During the first phase, nearly 24,000 post offices in seven countries are displaying and distributing information materials with more UPU member countries expected to join later. For the second phase, ILO is preparing a toolkit for postal employers to inform their staff about HIV. UNI Global, a global union which brings together over 900 trade unions representing over 15 million members worldwide, is working closely with the postal departments and trade unions for this phase. The third phase is planned for 2011, where the UPU will invite its member countries to issue a stamp to commemorate the identification of AIDS in 1981.

In many parts of the world, post offices already have a social role by promoting public health messages within their community. Over the next three years, the campaign will be expanded globally, potentially making its way into 600,000 post offices worldwide. This would mean that millions of people who use postal services every day as well as the 5.5 million postal employees worldwide would receive important information about how to prevent HIV transmission.

Today, October 7 2009, we mark World Day for Decent Work. The International Labour Organization, a Cosponsor of UNAIDS, works towards achieving the globally endorsed goal of Decent Work. Rights at work include freedom from discrimination, expansion of employment opportunities, social protection for all and social dialogue.

Supporting the rights of people living with HIV in the workplace: The Honourable Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Minister of Labour and Employment (speaking) and Syed Mohammad Afsar, ILO’s HIV and AIDS Technical Specialist for South Asia and National Project Coordinator for India
Picture courtesy of ILO

An innovative tool in India’s response to HIV in the world of work has just been launched by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the India Network of People living with HIV/AIDS (INP+). The two organizations have come together to release a unique training video and handbook package aimed at guiding those living with the virus in AIDS advocacy in the workplace.

Unveiled by the Honorable Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Minister of Labour and Employment, the package contains testimonies from people living with HIV (PLHIV) in workplace settings as this has proven to be a very effective training initiative in the past. Practical, and offering step-by-step guidelines, it is designed to encourage HIV-positive people to be open about their status and spread the message of tolerance, anti-discrimination and respect for human and employment rights for those affected by the virus across the country.

The video and handbook have been developed with contributions from more than 100 people living with HIV and are available in both English and Hindi.

One active participant in this process is Hari Singh, a board member of the Delhi Network of People Living with HIV, who has been working with the ILO in advocacy initiatives since 2007. He spoke at the launch of his growing confidence in talking about his HIV status. He now speaks to employers, workers and trade unions about his life experience and provides clear and specific anti-AIDS messages.

As in many other countries and communities, AIDS stigma and discrimination are still rife in Indian society, including the workplace, and a number of individuals have been hounded from their jobs because of their status. According to Naveen Kumar of the Delhi Network of Positive People, this can have devastating consequences: “If you take away our jobs, you will kill us faster than HIV.” Removing punitive laws, policies, practices and stigma and discrimination that block effective responses to AIDS is one of the nine priority areas in the UNAIDS Outcome Framework 2009-2011.

This latest intervention is part of an ongoing umbrella project spearheaded by the ILO in India, the first country in the world to implement an ILO technical cooperation project on HIV following the creation of the agency’s programme on HIV/AIDS and the world of work in 2001. From the very beginning, a person living with HIV has been represented on the ILO Project Management Team.

Hari Singh addresses the launch of the video and handbook package. He has been working with the ILO to make sure that the voices of PLHIV are heard in the workplace.
Picture courtesy of ILO

“The ILO in partnership with INP+ has been actively pursuing the principle of right to employment and other basic employment-related rights of PLHIV in the development and implementation of HIV workplace policies and programmes,” explains K.K. Abraham, INP+ president.

As Syed Mohammad Afsar, ILO’s HIV and AIDS Technical Specialist for South Asia and National Project Coordinator in India maintains, “Work is just as important as treatment for people living with HIV. The ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work includes non-discrimination for purposes of employment as one of its key principles. People should be allowed to work and earn a living as long as they are fit to work.”

The ILO India project has been supported by the United States Department of Labour and, more recently, by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). It is now seen by many as something of a yardstick for other programmes executed by the ILO with ministries of labour and with employers’ and workers’ organizations to address AIDS in the world of work.

“In the ILO project, we have been building the capacity of people living with HIV and engaging them from the beginning. So far, 165 PLHIV from 20 networks in India have been trained in workplace advocacy programmes,” Mr Afsar added.

According to Charles Gilks, the UNAIDS Country Coordinator for India, the initiative is highly welcome. “We cannot stress enough the importance of the rights of people living with HIV – to respect, dignity, access to care and treatment, and here in this project the right to work. Building the capacity of people to advocate this is critical and we salute the achievements of ILO and INP+ in this regard.”

Credit: The World Bank

Transport corridors in sub-Saharan Africa, as elsewhere, enable movement of people and goods, increasing economic activity and spreading wealth. But they also facilitate the spread of HIV. In response, the Africa Transport Sector of the World Bank has published a practical new booklet on how to implement HIV prevention activities as part of road construction projects.

The booklet, The route to good living: An overview of roles and responsibilities for HIV prevention strategies in transport sector projects, shows just why this matters. Numerous studies find relatively high HIV prevalence in this sector, especially among long-distance truck drivers. Several have shown that truckers in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda were more than twice as likely to be living with HIV as the general population.

Many transport workers spend weeks or months away from their families, and often have multiple sexual partners, which can facilitate the spread of HIV. In Nigeria, for example, one study documented each driver having more than six sexual partners at various stops along his route. This means that people living in and around major transport hubs also have increased vulnerability. In Kenya, along the Trans-Africa Highway, high risk behaviour has been reported among boys and girls visiting truck stops and incidence of sexually transmitted infections was documented in 50 percent of the girls and 30 percent of the boys.

Credit: The World Bank

The route to good living highlights practical steps that can be taken to prevent new infections among transport workers and roadside communities, with special emphasis on road construction works. It summarizes ‘do and don’ts’ for transport ministries, World Bank teams, contractors, consultants, country project units, donors and NGOs when designing and implementing such projects. An overview of the roles and responsibilities of each set of actors within the project cycle is provided: from identification to preparation to implementation and, finally, completion. An HIV prevention strategy should be not an afterthought but an integral part of the undertaking.

The booklet is the latest addition to the information and tools available on the World Bank Africa Transport Sector's AIDS web site.

Promoting HIV prevention in the transport sector is a key component of the overall AIDS response
Credit: The World Bank

It is the result of the sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Programme (SSATP) encouraging discussions and collaboration among a range of partners, including the Bank, to provide concrete support in dealing with HIV. The SSATP, a unique partnership of 35 countries, eight regional economic communities, three African institutions (including the African Union/New Partnership for Africa's Development) and international partners recognizes the importance of the transport sector in achieving its goals of reducing poverty and promoting economic growth and regional integration.

In order for the transport sector to fulfill its pivotal role, the potentially devastating effects of the AIDS epidemic must be effectively challenged. The route to good living provides a concrete guide to help achieve this goal

The world of work is a key arena for successfully challenging the AIDS epidemic, which affects the most economically active in every population. The majority of those living with the virus across the globe are workers. To promote this challenge in Morocco, the Ministry of Employment, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNAIDS, hosted a two-day national workshop on HIV workplace programmes in Casablanca at the end of June.

Bringing together actors from a number of sectors, the meeting included representatives from trade unions, government ministries, employers and businesses, NGOs, people living with HIV, medical officers and experts. It is the first of this scale and reach to be held and over 60 discussion topics were explored.

The main aim of the workshop was to progress towards the development of a strategic AIDS plan. This three-pronged plan would include: HIV prevention in the workplace; care and support for people living with the virus and tacking stigma and discrimination; and management and coordination of the challenge to AIDS.

In order to arrive at this goal, the first day of the meeting was devoted to exploring the country's AIDS response in the world of work to date, which included a high-level discussion on challenges and lessons learned in developing HIV programmes in this sector. The principles and guidelines of the ILO, with emphasis on its Code of Practice on HIV and the world of work, adopted in 2001, were also examined.

 

It was noted that a great deal of good work had already been achieved by a number of individuals and organizations, including the Association Marocaine de Lutte contre le Sida (Moroccan Association for the Fight against AIDS - ALCS), AIDS Entreprises Morocco (a national network of companies working on HIV and STI programmes in the workplace), as well as trade unions and occupational physicians. However, all still face a number of constraints in integrating the AIDS response into the world of work.

Dr Moucharafou Idohou, the ILO National Project Coordinator in Benin, attended the Conference to present core ILO policy tools and share experience of workplace action in Francophone West Africa. He said he was pleased at progress made so far. "I congratulate the Moroccan authorities on their commitment to the AIDS response on the basis of a multi-sectoral approach and for including the workplace in this response. The initiative of developing a sectoral plan on HIV workplace programmes by the Ministry of Employment makes Morocco a pioneer country among other low prevalence countries."

While working towards the development of the strategic plan, participants took a number of areas into consideration. They debated how to move towards implementing a programme aimed at the most vulnerable, i.e. informal and mobile workers.

Also necessary would be strengthening the capacity of employers’ organizations, unions and other business institutions, while mobilizing their resources for HIV prevention and education activities and challenging stigma and discrimination. How to continue raising awareness of the human rights aspect of HIV and its impact on companies, and setting a legal framework which could serve as a basis for national AIDS programmes responding to HIV in the world of work, were also discussed.

There were a number of conclusions emerging from the workshop. The delegates recommended:

1. Setting up a national committee to focus on HIV in the workplace with representation from employers, unions and the government;
2. Development of advocacy activities to sensitize social partners;
3. Adapting the legislative framework to ensure good HIV programmes in the . workplace;
4. More research on most at risk groups;
5. Mobilization of national and international funding to implement the strategic AIDS plan.

The government of Morocco, through the Ministry of Employment, reiterated its commitment and willingness to work with its partners to effectively implement a national plan to respond to HIV and STIs in the workplace.

According to UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Morocco, Dr Kamal Alami, “The challenge to AIDS in the workplace is a key opportunity on the road to achieving universal access. We must pay special attention to the workers who are most at risk in terms of HIV infection and to the informal sector."

Credit: ILO

Some four thousand representatives of governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations from 183 states around the world are meeting in Geneva for the annual conference of the International Labour Organization. Challenging the AIDS epidemic is high on the agenda and the development of a new international labour standard on HIV and the world of work is one of the key issues for discussion during the Geneva conference which runs from 3-19 of June.

The new labour standard, ground-breaking in its scope and reach, is designed to address the global threat of HIV in the world of work and is an international human rights instrument aimed at extending and strengthening the role of the workplace in the AIDS response.

The virus affects the most economically active age range in every population and the majority of the 33 million people living with HIV worldwide are workers. Many are still subject to stigma and discrimination and the threat, or reality, of losing their jobs due to their status. Although some progress has been made, prevention and care strategies also need bolstering. The international labour standard aims to help change this situation and would be the first global human rights instrument to focus specifically on HIV and the world of work.

According to Dr Sophia Kisting, ILO/AIDS Director, in an interview with ILO Online, “The existence of an instrument focusing solely on HIV and the world of work will give new impetus to anti-discrimination policies at national and workplace levels. It will strengthen the contribution of the world of work to countries’ achievement of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and encourage information-gathering and reporting.”

The journey towards the international standard began when a first report, entitled HIV/AIDS and the world of work, Report IV (1), was sent to all ILO members in January last year. It contained a detailed and wide-ranging questionnaire concerning all aspects of the challenge to AIDS in the workplace. A second document, Report IV (2) , synthesized and summarized the nearly 250 responses received from governments, workers, employers and other partners, most of whom agreed with the need to focus greater attention on HIV through a new international instrument. It is the draft conclusions from this report that will be discussed in depth at the 2009 conference. A second discussion will take place next year and it is expected that the formal adoption of the labour standard will occur at this point. At present the proposal is for an autonomous Recommendation, but the final decision on its form and content rests with the Conference.

ILO Recommendations are not legally binding but serve as guidance for policy and law. If adopted, the new standard would be submitted to national authorities “for the enactment of legislation or other action” and would reinforce the impact of the existing ILO Code of Practice on HIV and the world of work which was adopted in 2001.

The global threat of HIV for workers is inextricably linked with the overarching theme of the International Labour Conference; the growing impact of the world financial crisis on employment and social protection. The ILO has organized a ‘Summit on the Global Jobs Crisis’ scheduled for 15-17 June, involving a number of Heads of State to examine this issue. The forecasts of rising unemployment and poverty have potentially grave implications for the successful response to the AIDS epidemic, given the connection between poverty and HIV.

The ILO highlights the fact that the crisis may lead to cutting of AIDS programmes. Increased poverty may also bring greater risk of HIV as some are forced into unsafe behaviour to support themselves. A recent World Bank report also stressed that funding for AIDS drugs is under threat as the crisis hits the health sectors in a number of countries in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. The International Labour Conference is committed to trying to ensure that the many gains that have been made in the challenge to the epidemic in the workplace are not lost or reversed due to current, stark economic realities.