Contribution of CSOs in achieving UNGASS and MDGs commitment ICASA The role of the world of work, trade unions and international labour standards in the HIV/AIDS response Zuzanna Muskat-Gorska, International Trade Union Confederation

The HLM was a historic meeting to plan for the future of the Global AIDS Response to 2015 and beyond. Trade unions - national level action: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Maroc, South Africa, Togo, India, New Zealand, Sweden, Belgium, Dominican Republic, Brazil Trade unions: at the HLM: Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Senegal, South Africa, Sweden, Togo

Paragraph 85 of the 2011 Political Declaration: Governments “commit to mitigate the impact of the epidemic on workers, their families, their dependents, workplaces and economies, including by taking into account all relevant ILO conventions, as well as the guidance provided by the relevant ILO recommendations, including ILO Recommendation No 200, and call on employers, trade and labour unions, employees and volunteers to eliminate stigma and discrimination, protect human rights and facilitate access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support” - calls for the leadership of the world of work - refers directly to the powerful system of the international human rights standards – that is, the Conventions and Recommendations of the International Labour Organization, one of the co-sponsors of the UNAIDS. Specifically, we wish to welcome the reference to the ILO Recommendation no 200 on HIV and AIDS and the world of work that has been adopted last year.

To intensify the AIDS response in Africa, to reach the targets of the 2011 Political Declaration, the AIDS movement needs new and non-traditional partners – the link between the AIDS movement and the Labour movement is needed more than ever. -Shared responsibility, New partnerships -AIDS response should be situated within the broader development agenda and integrated with other human rights, development and health efforts, while ensuring that HIV and human rights issues retain priority in the broader health and development context

Issues for labour advocacy: -HIV/AIDS and accountability, geopolitics - unequal distribution of power, money and resources, HIV/AIDS and health inequities. -HIV/AIDS and stigma/discrimination: Stigma index results (employment discrimination) -HIV/AIDS and social protection -HIV/AIDS and employment creation (youth) – economic empowerment and agency -Employment access, employment conditions as a social determinant of health -there is a need to talk about workers as vulnerable – eg. young workers, women and girls, child workers, vulnerable sectors (healthcare, transport, mining, hospitality etc), precarious employment, migrants, informal sector, sex workers etc.

Labour advocacy – recent opportunities October 2011 Report “Social Protection Floor for a Fair and Inclusive Globalization” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet ILO Director General Juan Somavia 75% of the world’s population are not covered by adequate social security (health, unemployement benefits) 1.4 billion people live on less than US$1.25 a day, 150 million people suffer financial catastrophe annually 100 million people have been pushed below the poverty line due to needing to pay for health care Social Protection is a key to accelerate the achievement of the MDGs -social protection is investment not a cost (eg in terms of future paybacks in improved human capital etc -it is about empowerment, not charity -HIV sensitive Social health protection – eg that incorporates PMTCT and universal access to ART is critical if the impoverishing effects of HIV and AIDS are to be reduced.

Labour advocacy – recent opportunities – October 2011 G20 Cannes summit G20 declaration is silent on HIV/AIDS or a wider range of development issues with the exception of food security, given the Euro-debt crisis. But there are a couple of sections in the final declaration that are important victories - including formation of an employment task force and progress toward a financial transactions tax. We firmly believe that employment must be at the heart of the actions and policies to restore growth (…) We therefore decide to set up a G20 Task-Force on Employment, with a focus on youth employment (…) We recognize the importance of investing in nationally determined social protection floors (…) such as access to health care, income security for the elderly and persons with disabilities, child benefits and income security for the unemployed and assistance for the working poor

G20 Consultation on financial markets, world economy, fiscal elements of development among key economies more than 80 percent of the GDP = of the world’s economic growth 80 percent of world trade two-thirds of the world population G8 Gleneagles Summit 2005 – universal access by

But we cannot say that social protection will solve HIV/AIDS. Stigma and discrimination will not go away.

Labour advocacy – leadership in Africa the role of African leaders in the HIV response and the efforts devoted to mobilize resources - find ways to sustain and scale up progress made in the region while trying to be more independent from external resources. If we don’t have political leadership the transformation of the AIDS response in the region will not happen A political platform has been created - Abuja and Maputo declarations - but we must keep AIDS high in the political agenda Now these declarations need to be translated into better life for people

The role of trade unions in achieving UNGASS and MDGs commitment CONCLUSIONS we will not achieve a prevention revolution or universal access without promoting an integrated health and development agenda HIV and human rights issues retain priority in the broader health and development context. the link between the AIDS movement and the Labour movement is needed more than ever Labour should also reflect on new questions: What can trade unions do to politically position AIDS responses, beyond workplace programs? What could be the new fields of such actions – targeting national AIDS policies & budgets with the trade union agenda? Working around the commitment of the private sector to financing AIDS responses? Representation of HIV positive workers?

International Trade Union Confederation -178 mln workers represented -In 151 countries worldwide -3 independent regional organizations -ITUC Africa (Togo) ITUC Americas (Brazil) ITUC AP (Singapore) Zuzanna Muskat-Gorska Global Trade Union HIV/AIDS Coordinator