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23 April, 2007
For Workers’ Memorial Day 2007, the ICEM has adopted a campaign encouraging affiliates to sign on to the global trade union lobby for a high-level G8 Working Group on HIV/AIDS as a major part of its comprehensive programme to combat the global pandemic.
The ICEM has urged its affiliates to send letters to the German embassy, or a German consulate in their home countries, requesting creation of such a high-level commission. Germany is host to the G8 Summit this year.
The ICEM strongly believes that such a Working Group is needed to guarantee there is progress on prior G8 commitments to achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS drugs, treatments, and care by 2010, and to escalate development of a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. ICEM believes that a more sustained political commitment and commitment of resources by the world's richest nations must occur to reverse this deadly pandemic plaguing workers in the developing world.
The letter for creation of such a high-level Working Group states: "The UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, signed by the G8 and other countries, promised a dedicated focus on HIV/AIDS. In so doing, countries agreed to time-bound commitments for ensuing progress to address the most serious global health threat known to our civilization.
"We therefore call upon the government of Germany, as the host of the next G8, to support our call for the fulfilment of these and other G8 commitments on HIV/AIDS. We are not suggesting that a new bureaucracy by created, but that a Working Group of experts of the G8 be set-up and that it be supported by the technical support of existing bodies such as UNAIDS and its co-sponsors."
The ICEM has launched several HIV/AIDS projects in recent years to address the negative work aspects of the pandemic. ICEM also sponsors projects to provide training for national coordinators in Africa so they can educate workers on HIV/AIDS and the necessity of testing. Such projects will in the future be extended to Latin America and Asia.