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13 July, 2010
In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report, among other news items, on the first ICEM – IndustriEnergi (IE-Norway) workshop on HIV/AIDS in Jordan, on the adoption of an ILO Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, and on the launch of the Global Fund “Born HIV Free” campaign.
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ICEM, IndustriEnergi of Norway Break Ground on HIV/AIDS Work in Jordan
The ICEM organised a first HIV/AIDS workshop in a Middle Eastern country! Following a request from its affiliate in Jordan, the General Union of Petroleum and Chemical Workers in Jordan (GUPCW), and with solidarity funding from its Norwegian affiliate, IndustriEnergi, the workshop was organised in Amman in June.
The workshop was attended by some 30 participants, of whom about 35% were women. Essential elements of the programme were presentations by local facilitators, power point presentations by the ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant, and working groups in the evening. A highlight was the presentation by a person living with HIV/AIDS, a first step to reduce stigma and discrimination.
For a first workshop of this kind, the most important objective was to initiate an open discussion and to launch the union’s HIV/AIDS work with the participation of civil society organisations and government agencies.
Unionists who came from workplaces have gone back with a better knowledge of basic facts about HIV and AIDS and they are prepared to talk about it. They recognise the importance of reducing stigma and the value of policies against discrimination. They can use the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, and its ten principles in their work.
Khaled Elzyood, the GUPCW President, was actively involved in the workshop. In his presentation on the ILO Code of Practice (and on numerous other occasions), he emphasised that HIV/AIDS is a union issue and that the union has the responsibility to provide workers with information and to safeguard their rights. Lack of knowledge creates stigma and leads to discrimination. People do not talk about HIV and AIDS but we have to accept the realities even though this may go against cultural traditions and religious beliefs.
International Labour Conference Adopts New HIV/AIDS Instrument
The annual International Labour Conference of the ILO adopted a new Autonomous Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, as well as a resolution. The new standard was adopted by a vote of 439 to 4, with 11 abstentions.
High-level engagement and consensus on the urgency to act prevailed during this second and final round of discussion in the Committee on HIV/AIDS for the formulation of the first international human rights instrument to focus on HIV/AIDS and the world of work.
Over the 19 sittings of the Committee, delegates representing governments as well as employers’ and workers’ organizations discussed and reached consensus on 118 amendments without resorting to a single vote. Throughout the amendment process, committee members worked at formulating a recommendation all-inclusive in scope and as practical as possible. Universality of human rights, feasibility, efficiency, sustainability, and accountability were kept at the forefront of all discussions, spurred by a great sense of urgency to address the HIV pandemic. The adoption of the recommendation is accompanied by a strong resolution for its follow-up, promotion, and implementation, which also invites the ILO Governing Body to request regular reports from member States.
For more information and links to interviews with delegates from the HIV/AIDS Committee, please consult the new ILOAIDS web site at www.ilo.org/aids.
Note by the Editor: The new standard is in the form of a Recommendation, one of two types of labour standards the ILO can adopt. While distinct from a Convention in that it does not require ratification under Article 19 of the ILO Constitution, a recommendation must still be communicated to national parliaments and discussed in terms of how it might be implemented through national policies and legislation.
(Source: ILO website)
UNAIDS Welcomes Creation of New UN Body for Women
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has welcomed the merging of four gender entities of the United Nations into UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The new entity will provide a new powerful voice for women and girls and help move the AIDS response forward.
“I look forward to working with UN Women,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, “Together we can ensure that all women living with HIV access treatment when they need it. And most importantly, we can restore their dignity and rights.”
Nearly half the people living with HIV in the world are women. In sub-Saharan Africa more women are infected than men. HIV is a major cause of maternal mortality. It is behind nearly one-in-five of all maternal deaths.
Gender inequities, violence, lack of access to education, health, and economic opportunities are making women vulnerable to HIV. But by teaming up and working on common goals the AIDS movement and the women’s movement can dramatically reduce the impact of HIV on women and their families.
UNAIDS recently recognized the importance of promoting gender equality and eliminating violence and discrimination against women, by appointing the renowned singer Annie Lennox as International Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS. Her particular mission is to raise awareness and support for women affected by the AIDS epidemic.
(Sources: UNAIDS Press Statement, Geneva, 5 July)
Kenya: Muslim Leaders Champion HIV Testing
Binti Omar waits anxiously for her HIV test in a tent erected as part of a testing drive being conducted by the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) in the coastal city of Mombasa. Omar is accompanied by her fiancé, Abubakar Ismael, and his two wives.
"I'm about to be part of Abu's larger family, so we found it necessary to come here and get ourselves tested so that we can plan our future much better," Omar said. "Life nowadays is so risky. It would be good for us all to get to know each other's HIV status."
Ismael and his family, as well as hundreds of other locals, are getting tested at the CIPK camps in response to calls by imams - Muslim scholars - in mosques in Kenya's largely Muslim Coast Province.
Outgoing Chief Kadhi Sheikh Ahmed Kassim recently led some imams and locals in getting tested for HIV. He noted that the camps were meant to enlighten and encourage Muslim youths, couples, and Kenyans in general on the importance of getting tested. Muslim men are allowed four wives and the initiative is encouraging all spouses to get tested.
For many years, Muslim leaders in Kenya shied away from discussing HIV, especially in the mosques. More recently, however, they have joined the national prevention campaign, although many still reject some aspects of it, particularly the use of condoms.
The HIV prevalence in Coast Province is 7.9%, marginally higher than the national average of 7.4%. The 2007 Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey revealed that an estimated 44% of new HIV infections in Kenya occur among married or cohabiting couples.
(Sources: IRIN PlusNews, Mombasa, 2 July)
Lesotho Suffering
The impact of AIDS has ruined Lesotho. A third of the population is HIV positive. Of the total number of inhabitants of 1.9 million, as many as 400,000 are AIDS orphans. Life expectancy has fallen to 34. Uniquely in the developing world, Lesotho’s deaths are close to outnumbering its births.
The impact of AIDS has also ruined the economy of the Kingdom. In 1980, Lesotho produced 80% of the cereals it consumed; now this is down to 30%. Due to tariff modifications, its textile industry, largely Chinese-owned, which at its height employed 50,000 people, has collapsed.
In an unusual move, 30,000 people have signed a petition which was delivered to the Lesotho parliament and the South African High Commission, requesting that their country be integrated into its giant neighbour, which completely surrounds it. This followed a move by South Africa barring thousands of people from Lesotho from crossing its borders in the wake of higher security measures ahead of the Soccer World Cup.
(Source: The Observer, 6 June)
WHO Issues Technical Brief on Addressing Gender Inequalities in Global Fund Proposals
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a technical guidance brief on "Addressing Gender Inequalities: Strengthening HIV/AIDS Programming for Women and Girls" in Global Fund proposals. The information in the seven-page brief is designed to support the development of proposals to improve access to, and the quality of, HIV prevention, treatment, and care programmes for women and girls through approaches that address gender inequalities.
The brief discusses gender-related elements that should be included in a situation analysis (e.g., harmful gender norms and practices, violence against women, lack of economic security, lack of education for girls). The brief also provides a list of essential elements for gender-responsive programming, as well as examples of strategies and activities for standard HIV/AIDS interventions and broader interventions that promote gender equality.
Examples of strategies and activities for standard HIV/AIDS interventions are: providing skills to women and girls to negotiate safe sex; behaviour change communication strategies that target harmful gender norms and practices; and reducing barriers faced by women in accessing HIV/AIDS services. Examples of strategies and activities for broader interventions that promote gender equality are: working with law enforcement to respond to violence against women; providing economic opportunities to women; and keeping girls in school and making schools safe for them.
"Addressing Gender Inequalities: Strengthening HIV/AIDS Programming for Women and Girls" is available at www.who.int/hiv/pub/toolkits/2-1a_Gender_Oct08EN.pdf.
(Source: Global Fund press release and Global Fund Observer, Issue 126 of 14 June. GFO is a free service of Aidspan (www.aidspan.org); to receive GFO send an email to [email protected])
Global Fund Launches ‘Born HIV Free’ Campaign
The Global Fund is hoping that its “Born HIV Free” campaign will not only mobilise public support for a world where no child is born with HIV, but will also persuade donor countries to give more to the Fund at the Third Replenishment meeting in New York on 4-5 October 2010. The Global Fund and UNAIDS have said that elimination of HIV transmission from mother to child by 2015 is possible if governments continue to invest adequately in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
In a press release, the Global Fund said that the campaign has been designed to work across digital and traditional media, and that it brings together several major companies who have joined up as official partners in support of the Global Fund: Google, JC Decaux, Jean-Paul Gaultier, MSN, Orange, Tiffany & Co., and YouTube which will be a major platform for the campaign. The campaign is operating in several languages.
To check out the Born HIV Free website and to sign up: www.bornhivfree.org.
To see the videos on YouTube: www.youtube.com/bornhivfree.
(Source: Global Fund press release and Global Fund Observer, Issue 126 of 14 June.)
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