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In manifestations scheduled for today and tomorrow, the Hungarian Union of Mining and Energy Industry Workers (BDSZ) and the Federation of Trade Unions in the Electric Energy Industry (EVDSZ) will turn out hundreds of workers and supporters to preserve the Vértes Power Station in northwestern Hungary. The electric generation plant, and adjoining coal mine, both subsidiaries of Hungarian Power Companies Ltd. (MVM), are in jeopardy. Today, the board of the state-run utility is meeting with bankruptcy and liquidation of Vértes the sole point on the agenda. 
 
Today’s demonstration will take place in Budapest where the board of directors meet, while tomorrow’s will take place at the Orasźlany power plant, part of the Vértes company complex. 
 
In a joint declaration by BDSZ President Ferenc Rabi and EVDSZ President Gál Rezső, the two national Hungarian trade union leaders said the decision to place immediate closure on the agenda comes without providing the necessary information to local trade unions and without full consultations. The threat of liquidation could mean the loss of 2,500 to 3,000 jobs in the region. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/1005.hungary.jpg" width="300" height="169"/>
The Vértes Power Station consists of the Márkushegy mine and the Orasźlany plant, capable of generating 240 megawatts of power. The two unions insist that the power plant be maintained until at least 2014, and that the mine continue producing until the year 2020. Rabi and Rezső said the wishes of the local trade unions at the sites should be respected. Those unions have proposed an energy mix that will safeguard the environment and provide job security. 
 
The two unions, in the declaration call, on Hungary’s National Assembly today to issue a resolution supporting their actions to preserve the power plant and mine. 
 
The ICEM issued a letter of support today to Vértes workers and the two unions. In it, General Secretary Manfred Warda said, “Your manifestations today and tomorrow to preserve jobs, livable standards for families, and to keep local business enterprises around the Márkushegy mine and Orasźlany plant operable is exactly the rallying cry that workers worldwide must make to ensure sustainable futures. With a global trade union sustainability conference coming soon to Canada, your rallying cry to achieve a balance between clean environmental methods and security of employment is a leading example to all of us.”

Hungary’s Electric, Mining Unions Oppose State Liquidation of Power Company

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A general strike in Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula that started on 15 May got the ICEM’s attention and immediate support today. Called by the General Labour Union (GLU) of Yemen, the strike started because Prime Minister Ali Mujawar did not respond to demands for higher wages in the face of rampant inflation and a devalued currency. 
 
The strike started with one-hour work stoppages on 15 May and again yesterday, and will escalate to three-hour stoppages today and Tuesday, 18 April. If the government still does not respond in a week’s time, the strike will occur over the whole day on 24 May. 
 
“Following the sharp rise in prices and cost of living that has been afflicting Yemeni citizens in the last two years, GLU demands a rise in wages and salaries and the establishment of a minimum wage of at least US$300, instead of the current monthly salary of less than US$100,” stated GLU President Mohamed al-Jedri. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Yemen.png" width="250" height="115"/>
The GLU is also demanding a reduction in taxes, improved health conditions for workers, giving fixed and permanent jobs to contract workers, and improvements in living conditions. The government earlier had agreed to set up a joint committee to address GLU concerns, but that has never materialized. 
 
The strike was called for all workers in the public and private sectors, with the exception of emergency health workers, electricity, water, and air traffic control workers. The ICEM-affiliated General Union of Oil, Mining, and Chemicals Workers’ were expected to join the strike. 
 
The GLU consists of 12 general unions, 15 branches in various governorates, and totals 520,000 workers as union members.

General Strike in Yemen Gains ICEM Support

Noting that: 
 
Since Vale, the second largest mining company in the world, acquired nickel miner Inco in 2006, there has been a downward spiral in labor relations globally. 
 
In 2009 labor negotiations with USW, Vale claimed they needed deep concessions despite $13.2 billion (USD) net profit in 2008 and generous compensation for top execs. 
 
3,500 USW members responded by going on strike in mid-July. Since USW struck Vale, the company has hired replacement workers in an attempt to operate the facilities without the striking workers. 
 
Vale has refused to negotiate in good faith since the strike began. When they did meet with the USW, Vale has remained completely inflexible and unwilling to reach a fair and equitable settlement. 
 
The ICEM and its affiliates, working together with the IMF, have played an instrumental role in a global campaign for justice at Vale. This has included campaigning on behalf of Brazilian, Indonesian and Canadian Vale workers in their struggles for new labor agreements. 
 
ICEM affiliates in South Africa, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Indonesia, Liberia, Zambia and throughout the ICEM Sub-Sahara Region have offered particularly critical support in this campaign. 
 
The global campaign has already improved conditions for workers in Brazil and Indonesia. 
 
The final outcome of this struggle will have implications throughout the global mining industry and beyond. 
 
Affiliates resolve: 
 
We condemn the actions of Vale to refuse to negotiate a fair and just settlement to the dispute in Canada. 
 
We will support the ongoing struggle for justice for workers at Vale, including the struggle for fair new labor agreements in Canada, in every way possible.

Resolution in Support for Struggle for Justice at Vale

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Some 60,000 trade union members of five Romanian union confederations manifested in Bucharest’s Victoriei Square on 19 May, demanding that the government not implement its planned cuts on public-sector wages, pensions, and social services. 
 
Trade unions, civil society groups, and doctors, teachers, and ordinary citizens promise a general strike that could begin tomorrow, 31 May, if the center-right government of Prime Minister Emil Boc moves ahead with its plan to cut public-sector pay by 25%, pensions and unemployment benefits by 15%, and public services by 15% on 1 June. 
 
The cuts were made in a letter of intent to the US-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a US$20 billion loan from the IMF and the EU in order to balance the country’s budget. Prior to the 19 May manifestation, the IMF made public its concern against such drastic cuts, expressing a preference for a balance between public curtailments and new revenue sources such as taxes. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/1005.romania.public.jpg" width="250" height="188"/>
19 May Manifestation in Victoriei Square
Trade unions are calling for a system of progressive taxation, with the right to retain a decent job, the right to education opportunities, and the right to retire in dignity without fear of dire poverty. The trade union confederations propose that Romanian government ministries cut their bureaucracies. 
 
The government’s austerity programme includes a 15% cut in child and child-rearing allowances. Currently, women workers receive 85% of their pre-maternity average pay after childbirth. The government’s proposed cuts would slash that to 60%. In an already understaffed national medical system in which doctors earn average monthly pay of only €350, the cuts would mean another 10% of doctors would leave Romania for countries that have higher salaries. Education has already been affected. Some 15,000 teachers will be sacked this year because of the austerity plan. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/1005.romania.public.2.jpg" width="250" height="188"/>
For ICEM affiliated trade unions in the public sector, including FSLI-Petrom at the state oil company, Chimie-Petrochimie Lazar Edeleanu, Chimie-Petrochimie CSI, and Centrala Nationala Minera Federation, the cuts could be devastating since some 80,000 public-sector jobs would be lost, and there is sure to be a spin-off effect into private sector employment. 
 
The five labour confederations resisting the government’s wide-ranging social cuts comprise unions in the mining, metallurgical, chemicals, agriculture, textile, transportation, and education sectors. They include the Fratia National Confederation of Free Trade Unions (CNSLR-Fratia), the Cartel Alfa National Trade Union Confederation (CNS Cartel Alfa), the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS), the Meridian National Trade union Confederation, and the Democratic Trade Union Confederation of Romania (CSDR). 
 
The trade union confederations have already declared 19 May as a historic day of national solidarity against injustice in the central European country, and vow that any attempt by the government to impose its terms will bring the nation to its biggest social crisis of the past 20 years.

Proposed Austerity Cuts Bring Mass Protests Inside Romania

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Aggressive police attacks on workers and their families at Cananea and Pasta de Conchos on 6 June have moved the United Steelworkers (USW) and the National Union of Mine, Metal, Steel and Related Workers of the Mexican Republic (SNTMMRM), or Los Mineros, closer together. The two trade unions have formed a commission, charged with increasing strategic cooperation and exploring a fusion together that would form a potential union of one million workers in Mexico, Canada, the US and the Caribbean. 
 
Although the bi-lateral trade union commission had been operating for some time, Los Mineros General Secretary Napoleon Gomez announced its formation at the global "Triple Crisis of Sustainability” conference in Toronto on 19 June. 
 
The commission is made up of five members from each of the union’s leaderships. The USW represents 850,000 workers in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, while Los Mineros represents about 180,000 in Mexico. 
<img style="WIDTH: 137px; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/1005.napoleon.gomez.jpg" width="142" height="150"/>    <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/People/leo_gerard.jpg" width="150" height="150"/>
Napoleón Gomez, Leo Gerard
In signing a 20 June joint declaration, announcing the establishment of the commission, Napoleon Gomez and USW President Leo Gerard affirmed their unions’ "common commitment to democracy, equality, and solidarity for working men and women throughout North America and throughout the world". 
 
The declaration describes the ongoing systematic campaign of persecution against Los Mineros by the government of Felipe Calderón, which is motivated by the government policy of suppressing Mexican workers’ rights and wages, in order to attract foreign investment. While this policy has made enormous profits possible for corporations in Mexico, the strength and advances of Los Mineros has lead to them being attacked physically, financially, in the media, in the justice system, and with industrial homicide due to poor health and safety standards. The Los Mineros General Secretary Gomez is still forced to lead his union from exile in Canada, and has been supported there by the USW. 
 
The two unions have worked closely together for years, marked by the Global Strategic Alliance, jointly signed on 13 April 2005, which committed to build power by increasing communication and coordination across national borders. While in recent times, they share similar experiences of long mining strikes, as the strike at Cananea nears the three-year mark, and USW’s strike in Canada against Vale Inco is into its 11th month. 
 
See the full declaration on the USW website <a href="http://www.usw.org">here</a>.

USW, Los Mineros Announce Unification Commission

Ref: ICEM10/EN LT70 
 
 
25 June 2010 
 
Mr Manzoor Nadir 
Minister of Labor, Human Services and Social Security 
Co-operative Republic of Guyana 
1 Water and Cornhill Streets 
Georgetown, Guyana 
 
Transmitted to e-mail <a href="mailto:manzoor.nadir@gmail.com">manzoor.nadir@gmail.com</a> and fax number +592 227 1308 
 
Dear Honourable Minister Nadir, 
 
I write to recap our meeting of 15 June 2010 in the offices of the ICEM in Geneva, Switzerland. Firstly, the ICEM Secretariat is grateful to you for initiating the meeting while you were in Geneva for the 99th gathering of the ILO’s International Labour Conference. We agree with the assessment in your subsequent News Release that the meeting was cordial in nature and for the ICEM’s part, we believe it could serve as an initial starting point to resolve the now seven-month dispute between the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’ Union (GB&GWU) and the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI). 
 
The hard work of engagement through tripartite voluntary dialogue must now commence, and we were happy to hear of your willingness to facilitate this dialogue between GB&GWU and BCGI. Therefore, as you agreed to in our 15 June meeting, we call on you to immediately call both parties together to start open and honest talks. 
 
As we mentioned in the meeting, ICEM is troubled by what we believe has been undue pressure by BCGI management to intimidate and coerce workers of the mining company to de-authorize the GB&GWU from their legitimate role as workers’ representative. We sincerely feel it is the role of the Labour Ministry to ensure that this does not happen, and if the matter of union representation does go to a poll of workers, we insist that the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board uphold global labour standards as set forth by the ILO, meaning that management of BCGI must not interfere in workers’ free choice for or against union representation. 
 
Besides attempting to reconcile the past difficulties between the two parties, ICEM stands hopeful that a facilitated meeting by you between GB&GWU and BCGI can establish voluntary and mutually acceptable ground rules to be used in any recognition poll. For this, the ICEM sees unimpeded access to the workplace by GB&GWU representatives to speak one-on-one with workers, as well as assuring that the 57 discharged workers, all union activists, have an opportunity to address fellow workers to tell their side of the firings. Since the government of Guyana retains 10% of this enterprise, we are hopeful that this can be guaranteed. 
 
As we told you in our meeting, the ICEM is ready and willing to participate in dialogue in Guyana to successfully resolve this dispute, or even to play the role of observer in a poll. I look forward to your response on this, and your follow-up to our meeting. 
 
Lastly, and as a separate issue from the GB&GWU/BCGI dispute, we are encouraged by your willingness to introduce ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, in your country, and to begin the internal process toward ratification. As we told you in our 15 June meeting, Guyana has much to gain on the international level by ratifying this important ILO Convention, particularly at a time when mining accidents and resulting deaths are escalating due to demand and rapid extraction of mineral resources. 
 
The ICEM stands ready to assist the government of Guyana in any possible way in this regard to make Guyana the 25th country worldwide to ratify ILO Convention 176. 
 
Again, we are grateful to you for initiating the 15 June meeting, and we are hopeful this will be a harbinger of better tripartite relations between your government, BCGI, and GB&GWU. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
 
 
Manfred Warda 
General Secretary 
 
Cc: Leslie Gonsalves, GB&GWU

ICEM Letter to Guyana Labour Minister Nadir

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ICEM’s Bridgestone Global Union Network continued its regular work with the 10th Meeting of its Steering Committee which met in Madrid, Spain on 25-26 June 2010, upon invitation of ICEM’s Spanish affiliate the Federation of Related Industries FIA-UGT, represented by Jesus Delgado, Secretary of the European Works Council of the company and as member of the Steering Committee on behalf of Europe. Delgado originally comes from the Bridgestone plant in Burgos. 
 
The Meeting, chaired by Toshiaki Hojo, President ICEM’s Japanese affiliate GOMU RENGO, the Confederation of Rubber Workers’ Unions was attended by members from Japan, namely Akihiro Nagasawa, President, Gen Tashiro, Vice President and Kazutaka Nishihira, Central Executive Member of the Bridgestone Union (BSU); Terezinho Da Martins, President, Daniel Demetrio, Regional Vice-President and Joao Batista Goncalves, Assistant to the President of Sao Paulo Rubber Workers’ Federation Brazil; Eduardo Alonso, shop steward at Burgos from FIA-UGT of Spain, Yoshio Sato, General Secretary of ICEM’s Japanese Affiliates Federation (ICEM-JAF) and Kemal Özkan, ICEM’s Chemical and Rubber Industries Officer. The meeting also welcomed, as observer, Tamas Szekely, President of ICEM’s Hungarian affiliate VDSz, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/SpainFIAUGT.jpg" width="110" height="110"/>
“The Bridgestone Global Union Network can be a good model for networking activities in the rubber industry” said Toshiaki Hojo at the opening of the meeting. “In some countries unions are faced with very hostile relations and the denial of human rights. Networks should also confirm their role in extending solidarity” he added. 
 
The meeting received an extensive report from ICEM’s Kemal Özkan on the economic situation, corporate mergers and acquisitions, future trends of the global tire and rubber industry and their effects on employees. According to Özkan, the global tire and rubber industry was in depression and severely suffered from the crisis in 2008. He however noted that the situation was improved in 2009, demand in the industry had not recovered to the peak level in the previous year. For 2010, he reported, the industry seems to continue to recover in a relatively stabilized situation which will give opportunity to the unions in the sector to be in a better position vis-a-vis employers. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/1006.bridgestone.madrid.jpn.JPG" width="240" height="180"/>
Left: Gen Tashiro, Coordinator ICEM Bridgestone Global Union Network and Vice-President of Bridgestone Union Right: Toshiaki Hojo, Chairman of ICEM Bridgestone Global Union Network and President of GOMU RENGO
Following the particular report on Bridgestone given by the BSU, participants reported on economic and employment situations of the tire industry and Bridgestone in their respective regions and countries. The company’s activities on CSR (corporate social responsibility) were discussed by the participants. 
The second part of the meeting dealt with the participants’ reports on occupational health, safety and environment, particularly on the number of accidents in 2009, involving the workers entangled or stuck in machines, by giving examples as well as unions’ activities on preventing accidents. The meeting then moved to the reports on health and safety measures being taken by unions and/or the company with a view to preventing similar industrial accidents; promoting education on industrial safety and capacity building, and on the handling of chemical substances and health. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/1006.bridgestone.madrid.JPG" width="219" height="209"/>
Tamas Szekely of Hungary gave a written report to the meeting on the union situation at the plant located in Tatabanya, Hungary where his organisation has been trying to establish a trade union for three years without success. He asked for the support of the Global Union Network in the process of developing industrial relations with the local management of the company there. Having invited participants to Hungary in the near future, Szekely particularly thanked representatives of GOMU RENGO and BSU of Japan for their interest. 
 
The next meeting of the Steering Committee is scheduled to take place on 24-25 June 2011 in Japan.

ICEM’s Bridgestone Global Union Network Continues to Work

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Following three days of intense negotiations, 2-4 July, South African state-owned electric utility provider Eskom and three trade unions won 2010 wage terms with increases of 9%, plus long-awaited housing allowances. With the threat of a strike looming during the final week of the World Cup – despite a labour court ruling now on appeal that deemed the entirety of Eskom an essential service – the company met the unions wage demands in talks before the nation’s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA). 
 
The ICEM affiliated unions National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), and a third union, representing a combined 28,000 workers, are expected to sign the agreement this week, with the across-the board salary increase backdated to 1 June. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/SouthAfricaFlag.gif" width="160" height="96"/>
A major issue throughout bargaining was the housing allowance. In that, a compromise was reached in which workers will receive a R1,500 (US$194) monthly allowance. Entering early July’s final mediated bargaining session before workers were prepared to strike, Eskom had an 8.5% wage offer and a R1,000 housing stipend on the table. The unions had demanded R2,500 for housing. 
 
The housing allowance issue was a carry over from last year’s bargaining, when Eskom promised to establish a commission by year’s end to award a first-ever stipend for staff who work away from home. That never materialized. 
 
Labour unions and management are expected to decide this week when the R1,500 allowance will take effect, with unions arguing it should be backdated. Also this week, talks will continue towards reaching a minimum service agreement, an accord that will determine which Eskom employees are not essential state workers and thus have the right to strike. The unions also have this matter before a labour appeals court. 
 
The NUM represents 16,000 workers at Eskom, while NUMSA represents about 5,000.

Eskom and South African Unions Agree to 9% Wage Hikes

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A strike by 100 members of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) against an intransigent Brazilian multinational is now in its 18th week with no bargaining occurring since the outset. CAW Local 222 in Bowmanville, Ontario, 65 kilometres east of Toronto, is resisting deep pension and other cuts being forced it by Votorantim Cementos and its St. Marys Cement subsidiary, 
 
“Workers have the right to a decent pension,” said CAW National President Ken Lewenza. “This is outright bullying of this small group of workers. This company is far from destitute and the rollback of any hard won workers' benefits is out of the question.” 
<img src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/1007.st.marys.caw.cement.jpg" width="345" height="226" alt=""/>
The strike began on 12 March. CAW Local 222 members last month began extending their picket lines to other St. Marys Cement plants and terminals in Canada. Local 222 saw their prior collective agreement expire on 31 January 2010, with the company demanding a change from a defined benefit pension plan to a defined contribution plan. 
 
The change could mean as much as a 400% drop in annual pension earnings for workers. St. Marys is also seeking deep work-rule cuts. “This is an important struggle against a company” attempting to attack workers pensions, said Local 222 President Chris Buckley. 
 
Votorantim purchased seven cement plants and terminals, as well as 39 ready-mix operations from Lafarge’s Blue Circle operations in Canada and the US in 2001 for US$700 million. It then revived the name St. Marys to the Toronto-based subsidiary, a name the operations went by for eight decades prior to Blue Circle buying them in 1997. Votorantim is a privately-held São Paulo-based industrial conglomerate that controls one-third of the Brazilian cement market. 
 
The ICEM supports CAW Local 222 in its struggle to retain a fair labour contract in Ontario.

Canadian Cement Strike Now in Its 18th Week

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report, among other news items, on the first ICEM – IndustriEnergi (IE-Norway) workshop on HIV/AIDS in Jordan, on the adoption of an ILO Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, and on the launch of the Global Fund “Born HIV Free” campaign. 
 
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
ICEM, IndustriEnergi of Norway Break Ground on HIV/AIDS Work in Jordan 
 
The ICEM organised a first HIV/AIDS workshop in a Middle Eastern country! Following a request from its affiliate in Jordan, the General Union of Petroleum and Chemical Workers in Jordan (GUPCW), and with solidarity funding from its Norwegian affiliate, IndustriEnergi, the workshop was organised in Amman in June. 
 
The workshop was attended by some 30 participants, of whom about 35% were women. Essential elements of the programme were presentations by local facilitators, power point presentations by the ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant, and working groups in the evening. A highlight was the presentation by a person living with HIV/AIDS, a first step to reduce stigma and discrimination. 
 
For a first workshop of this kind, the most important objective was to initiate an open discussion and to launch the union’s HIV/AIDS work with the participation of civil society organisations and government agencies. 
 
Unionists who came from workplaces have gone back with a better knowledge of basic facts about HIV and AIDS and they are prepared to talk about it. They recognise the importance of reducing stigma and the value of policies against discrimination. They can use the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, and its ten principles in their work. 
 
Khaled Elzyood, the GUPCW President, was actively involved in the workshop. In his presentation on the ILO Code of Practice (and on numerous other occasions), he emphasised that HIV/AIDS is a union issue and that the union has the responsibility to provide workers with information and to safeguard their rights. Lack of knowledge creates stigma and leads to discrimination. People do not talk about HIV and AIDS but we have to accept the realities even though this may go against cultural traditions and religious beliefs. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
International Labour Conference Adopts New HIV/AIDS Instrument 
 
The annual International Labour Conference of the ILO adopted a new Autonomous Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, as well as a resolution. The new standard was adopted by a vote of 439 to 4, with 11 abstentions. 
 
High-level engagement and consensus on the urgency to act prevailed during this second and final round of discussion in the Committee on HIV/AIDS for the formulation of the first international human rights instrument to focus on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
Over the 19 sittings of the Committee, delegates representing governments as well as employers’ and workers’ organizations discussed and reached consensus on 118 amendments without resorting to a single vote. Throughout the amendment process, committee members worked at formulating a recommendation all-inclusive in scope and as practical as possible. Universality of human rights, feasibility, efficiency, sustainability, and accountability were kept at the forefront of all discussions, spurred by a great sense of urgency to address the HIV pandemic. The adoption of the recommendation is accompanied by a strong resolution for its follow-up, promotion, and implementation, which also invites the ILO Governing Body to request regular reports from member States. 
 
For more information and links to interviews with delegates from the HIV/AIDS Committee, please consult the new ILOAIDS web site at <a href="http://www.ilo.org/aids">www.ilo.org/aids</a>. 
 
Note by the Editor: The new standard is in the form of a Recommendation, one of two types of labour standards the ILO can adopt. While distinct from a Convention in that it does not require ratification under Article 19 of the ILO Constitution, a recommendation must still be communicated to national parliaments and discussed in terms of how it might be implemented through national policies and legislation. 
 
(Source: ILO website) 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
UNAIDS Welcomes Creation of New UN Body for Women 
 
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has welcomed the merging of four gender entities of the United Nations into UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The new entity will provide a new powerful voice for women and girls and help move the AIDS response forward. 
 
“I look forward to working with UN Women,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, “Together we can ensure that all women living with HIV access treatment when they need it. And most importantly, we can restore their dignity and rights.” 
 
Nearly half the people living with HIV in the world are women. In sub-Saharan Africa more women are infected than men. HIV is a major cause of maternal mortality. It is behind nearly one-in-five of all maternal deaths. 
 
Gender inequities, violence, lack of access to education, health, and economic opportunities are making women vulnerable to HIV. But by teaming up and working on common goals the AIDS movement and the women’s movement can dramatically reduce the impact of HIV on women and their families. 
 
UNAIDS recently recognized the importance of promoting gender equality and eliminating violence and discrimination against women, by appointing the renowned singer Annie Lennox as International Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS. Her particular mission is to raise awareness and support for women affected by the AIDS epidemic. 
 
(Sources: UNAIDS Press Statement, Geneva, 5 July) 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
Kenya: Muslim Leaders Champion HIV Testing 
 
Binti Omar waits anxiously for her HIV test in a tent erected as part of a testing drive being conducted by the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) in the coastal city of Mombasa. Omar is accompanied by her fiancé, Abubakar Ismael, and his two wives. 
 
"I'm about to be part of Abu's larger family, so we found it necessary to come here and get ourselves tested so that we can plan our future much better," Omar said. "Life nowadays is so risky. It would be good for us all to get to know each other's HIV status." 
 
Ismael and his family, as well as hundreds of other locals, are getting tested at the CIPK camps in response to calls by imams - Muslim scholars - in mosques in Kenya's largely Muslim Coast Province. 
 
Outgoing Chief Kadhi Sheikh Ahmed Kassim recently led some imams and locals in getting tested for HIV. He noted that the camps were meant to enlighten and encourage Muslim youths, couples, and Kenyans in general on the importance of getting tested. Muslim men are allowed four wives and the initiative is encouraging all spouses to get tested. 
 
For many years, Muslim leaders in Kenya shied away from discussing HIV, especially in the mosques. More recently, however, they have joined the national prevention campaign, although many still reject some aspects of it, particularly the use of condoms. 
 
The HIV prevalence in Coast Province is 7.9%, marginally higher than the national average of 7.4%. The 2007 Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey revealed that an estimated 44% of new HIV infections in Kenya occur among married or cohabiting couples. 
 
(Sources: IRIN PlusNews, Mombasa, 2 July) 
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Lesotho Suffering 
 
The impact of AIDS has ruined Lesotho. A third of the population is HIV positive. Of the total number of inhabitants of 1.9 million, as many as 400,000 are AIDS orphans. Life expectancy has fallen to 34. Uniquely in the developing world, Lesotho’s deaths are close to outnumbering its births. 
 
The impact of AIDS has also ruined the economy of the Kingdom. In 1980, Lesotho produced 80% of the cereals it consumed; now this is down to 30%. Due to tariff modifications, its textile industry, largely Chinese-owned, which at its height employed 50,000 people, has collapsed. 
 
In an unusual move, 30,000 people have signed a petition which was delivered to the Lesotho parliament and the South African High Commission, requesting that their country be integrated into its giant neighbour, which completely surrounds it. This followed a move by South Africa barring thousands of people from Lesotho from crossing its borders in the wake of higher security measures ahead of the Soccer World Cup. 
 
(Source: The Observer, 6 June) 
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WHO Issues Technical Brief on Addressing Gender Inequalities in Global Fund Proposals 
 
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a technical guidance brief on "Addressing Gender Inequalities: Strengthening HIV/AIDS Programming for Women and Girls" in Global Fund proposals. The information in the seven-page brief is designed to support the development of proposals to improve access to, and the quality of, HIV prevention, treatment, and care programmes for women and girls through approaches that address gender inequalities. 
 
The brief discusses gender-related elements that should be included in a situation analysis (e.g., harmful gender norms and practices, violence against women, lack of economic security, lack of education for girls). The brief also provides a list of essential elements for gender-responsive programming, as well as examples of strategies and activities for standard HIV/AIDS interventions and broader interventions that promote gender equality. 
 
Examples of strategies and activities for standard HIV/AIDS interventions are: providing skills to women and girls to negotiate safe sex; behaviour change communication strategies that target harmful gender norms and practices; and reducing barriers faced by women in accessing HIV/AIDS services. Examples of strategies and activities for broader interventions that promote gender equality are: working with law enforcement to respond to violence against women; providing economic opportunities to women; and keeping girls in school and making schools safe for them. 
 
"Addressing Gender Inequalities: Strengthening HIV/AIDS Programming for Women and Girls" is available at <a href="http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/toolkits/2-1a_Gender_Oct08EN.pdf">www.who.int/hiv/pub/toolkits/2-1a_Gender_Oct08EN.pdf</a>. 
 
(Source: Global Fund press release and Global Fund Observer, Issue 126 of 14 June. GFO is a free service of Aidspan (<a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>); to receive GFO send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>) 
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Global Fund Launches ‘Born HIV Free’ Campaign 
 
The Global Fund is hoping that its “Born HIV Free” campaign will not only mobilise public support for a world where no child is born with HIV, but will also persuade donor countries to give more to the Fund at the Third Replenishment meeting in New York on 4-5 October 2010. The Global Fund and UNAIDS have said that elimination of HIV transmission from mother to child by 2015 is possible if governments continue to invest adequately in the fight against HIV/AIDS. 
 
In a press release, the Global Fund said that the campaign has been designed to work across digital and traditional media, and that it brings together several major companies who have joined up as official partners in support of the Global Fund: Google, JC Decaux, Jean-Paul Gaultier, MSN, Orange, Tiffany & Co., and YouTube which will be a major platform for the campaign. The campaign is operating in several languages. 
 
To check out the Born HIV Free website and to sign up: <a href="http://www.bornhivfree.org">www.bornhivfree.org</a>. 
To see the videos on YouTube: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/bornhivfree">www.youtube.com/bornhivfree</a>. 
 
(Source: Global Fund press release and Global Fund Observer, Issue 126 of 14 June.) 
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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter – How to Subscribe 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put “subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin” in the subject line.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 58, July 2010

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