Plenary Session

Speakers:

• Sharan Burrow, Australian Council of Trade Unions, Australia. Mobility, Sex Work and Vulnerability;
• Usa Duongsaa, Chiang Mai University, Thailand. Social and Economic Impacts; Indrani Gupta, Institute of Economic Growth, India. Is Poverty Alleviation a Solution?;
• Hon Manuel Dayrit, Minister for Health, Philippines. Political Determinants of Success;

Sharon Burrow committed the trade unions of the Asia Pacific region to working to ensure that the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS is implemented in all countries in our region. Her strong and passionate speech pointed to the way in which a free trade union movement can intervene in the epidemic. AIDS and efforts to curb it impact are intricacy connected to human rights - building a response to AIDS must involve strengthening the human rights of those affected. HIV/AIDS affected the most productive group of the labour force and its impact is causing declining productivity, increasing labour costs and loss of skilled labour. In addition it has an affect on rights at work with issues of discrimination and stigmatisation. As part of the fight against HIV/AIDS, ACTU President Sharan Burrow supported the rights of sex workers around the world to organise, Burrow said of women and girls involved in sex work:"It is vital that these women are seen as being engaged in work and therefore have the same rights as other workers to organise and expect that their right to health and safety at work are respected.We must also address the factors that force many women and girls into sex work into sex work as their only form of income. We have to deal with the fact that for a range of reasons many workers earn their incomes as sex workers". Burrow also condemned Burma's regime for its enforced labour policies, which she said are not only a breach of human rights, but also place workers at greater risk of contracting HIV. "The actions of the Burmese regime are actually laying the groundwork for a huge AIDS epidemic in that country. They should be roundly condemned, as should countries that trade with Burma".

Dr Usa Duongsaa of Thailand elaborated on the socio-economic impact on individuals, communities, societies, and nations. Dr Duongsaa separated the emotional and psychological impact from social impact saying it was important that they are not clumped together to give each the importance they deserve. Usa Duongsaa spoke about how the impact of HIV/AIDS on the family extends to increase the burden on the community. The social and psychological impacts on the family, loss of income, dislocation and opportunity costs felt by the family extent into the community, increasing the costs on the society. She claims that the responses to HIV/AIDS do not address the individual issues faced by people and families. Many programs are at the community and national level that leave the individual situation not adequately addressed. Recognition of limitations in developing and effective response has brought many sectors or many communities closer together in the fight against the virus and she paid particular tribute to those PLWHAs that are working with in their communities to find different and effective ways to help those affected.

Indrani Gupta discussed the high level of poverty in the Asia pacific region, citing 700 million people living below the internationally established poverty level of on US dollar per day. In some areas this equates to 40 percent of the population, second only to sub Saharan Africa. Gupta argued that poverty in all its forms - low literacy rates, weak health status, gender inequities - create large pool of people vulnerable to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Poverty is the reason why many women turn to prostitution, young people take drugs and others flock to the cities to live in conditions often worse that they left behind. Poverty makes people vulnerable to HIV and vulnerable to discrimination, a situation likely to deepen their poverty. The alleviation of poverty is necessary to reduce vulnerability of individuals and communities and increase the effectiveness and sustainability of prevention interventions, whose ability to combat the virus is questionable in poverty situation. The epidemic is a development problem, which means that poverty alleviation is a strategy to be added to the other interventions. Ownership of problem and solution means the integration of poverty alleviation with aids prevention. Gupta stressed the need for a multi sectoral approach that included national development planners. What emerges is a call to broaden the very paradigm of development from economic growth to include human and social development, enabling societies to address deep-rooted vulnerabilities and risks that assist the spread of HIV and weaken responses to it.

The Philippines Minister for Health, Dr Manuel Dayrit, spoke about what is needed to mobilise an effective political response to HIV. The approach of the Philippine government in passing the Philippines National AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998 also raises important questions about whether, and if so how, legislation can be used as a tool for change. The Act contains strong provisions recognizing the rights of affected people, and safeguards such as protection against discrimination and HIV testing without consent. Interestingly, the Act has been used as a vehicle for changing community attitudes about these issues, through a process of consultation at provincial and community levels within the Philippines to explain the philosophy underpinning the legislation and why its provisions are important for the Philippines' response to the epidemic. Much has been discussed at this conference about the impact that AIDS has in the world and how lives have been changed for millions of people living with the virus. 39