Posted: Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Trade unions throughout Africa and Canada will call on the Canadian government to champion a focus on HIV & AIDS at the next G8 Summit at Camp David on May 18-19, 2012.

Mr. Kwasi Adu-Amankwah of the African regional International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) and Mr. Ken Georgetti of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) today kicked-off a lobbying campaign to deliver their messages directly to Prime Minister Stephen Harper within Canada and through Canadian Embassies or Consulates throughout Africa.

They will ask Canada to lead in calling on the G8 to implement the 2011 UN Political Declaration on HIV & AIDS and to replenish new resources to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. They also want G8 countries to implement the International Labour Organization (ILO) Recommendation 200 concerning HIV & AIDS and the World of Work, and strengthen the G8’s Accountability Framework.

An online petition and a Facebook campaign “I Support An AIDS Free Generation by 2015!  will add to Canadian Embassy actions in over 20 African countries, as a lead up to the G8 this Spring. The unions say that Canada is well placed to champion their cause because it has taken the steps in preparing to implement ILO Recommendation 200 on HIV & AIDS in the World of Work.

Unions contend that the UN Political Declaration’s targets on AIDS are a time-bound road map, which are a logical extension of the G8 commitment to reach universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Progress must be monitored through the G8 accountability mechanism. The same approach should be applied to the G8’s numerous affirmations of support for a fully-funded Global Fund. The unions will emphasize that the Canadian Government’s report on ILO Recommendation 200 provides an example of a good practice that other G8 and African countries should emulate.

Contacts:

In Canada:
Contact: Mr. David Onyalo
Email: donyalo@clc-ctc.ca
Telephone: 613.521.3400
Fax: 613.521.4655

In Africa:
Contact: Mr. Yahya Msangi
Email: yahya.msangi@ituc-africa.org
Telephone: 228 22250710
Fax: 228 2256113