Caribbean To Launch Regional HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 20 Aug 2008 - 12:00 PST

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Caribbean nations will establish national HIV/AIDS workplace policies as soon as a regional policy modeled after International Labour Organization guidelines is ready, the Jamaica Observer reports. According to Carl Browne, director of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS who spoke at the XVII International AIDS Conference earlier this month, the organization will work with individual countries to implement national workplace policies tailored to specific needs with the goal of benefitting employees and their families. The policies will include support services and education programs, and a toolkit with relevant videos will be available for countries to provide to businesses.

In addition, countries will be required to report by June of each year so that a consolidated report can be prepared for an annual regional meeting in October, Browne said. He added, "At the end, we want each country to send a report of the number of enterprises they have reached in order for us to develop a database."

The article also examined efforts to address HIV/AIDS in the workplace in Jamaica. According to the Gleaner, one the tourism sector's HIV/AIDS policy has "reaped great success" in the country. Last year, 600 people in the sector received HIV tests, and 400 so far this year have been tested.

"In terms of programs, Jamaica has gone very far ahead as they not only have a workplace policy, but have also developed material from which we are borrowing to share with other countries," Browne said. He added that Jamaica's success is because of the involvement of a number of government ministries and the private sector (Brown, Jamaica Observer, 8/17).

Kaisernetwork.org was the official webcaster of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. The session during which Browne spoke is available online.

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