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Putting the fight against HIV/AIDS firmly on the trade union agenda
1 June 2005
A global unions programme has been launched to make the fight against HIV and AIDS a central issue for trade unions.
Representatives of the global unions, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the International Labour Organization (ILO) programme on HIV/AIDS and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) discussed the prospects of the programme at a meeting on 18 May in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting was hosted by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU).
Building on the Global Unions Campaign on HIV/AIDS, which was established on World AIDS Day on 1 December 2003, the programme is funded by Swedish donor LO-TCO Biståndsnämnd. The initiative aims to highlight the importance of HIV/AIDS as a significant area of work for trade unions, providing them with guidance on developing effective plans of action. A committee, involving two Global Union Federation (GUF) representatives along with those from the other participating organisations, has been set up to develop an annual work plan. This will be developed in consultation with the global union partner organisations.
A consultative meeting open to all GUFs, the ICFTU, TUAC, programme donors, national trade union organisations active in combating HIV/AIDS, the ILO, UNAIDS, and the World Aids Campaign will discuss the programme once a year.
Kemal Ulker, who coordinates the ITF's education activities on HIV/AIDS, commented: "The international trade union movement hasn’t activated its existing capacity in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Global Unions HIV/AIDS Campaign will provide an umbrella for sectoral campaigning and activities, and the ITF will play a major role in it."
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