HIV/AIDS & occupational health
Occupational health is a worldwide responsibility for Unilever and covers:
access to primary health care
protecting health in the workplace
ensuring medical fitness for the job, and
actively promoting health and well-being.
Unilever HIV/AIDS programmes are an integral component of our Occupational Health strategy.
As there is currently no cure for AIDS, education and prevention are critical to halt the spread of the disease and are the main line of defence: these should be supported by counselling and sustainable programmes to care for those already infected. Therefore, in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Unilever is committed to deploy effective programmes of health education (using our skills in communication), and to secure access to appropriate treatment for our employees at all stages of the disease.
Countries differ greatly in the quality of clinical infrastructure, in national health priorities, and in the cultural sensitivities which surround HIV/AIDS. The role of the private sector varies accordingly: where public health systems prevail, for example, Unilever's contribution will concentrate on schemes of education and prevention. Elsewhere, direct involvement in treatment and care may be necessary. Unilever's policies respond to these differences, and adapt to fit local needs: in each country, health professionals are responsible for determining the mix of provision for employees in line with local cultural, social and operating requirements.
Our policies have been furthest developed in sub-Saharan Africa, where the company's programmes have been developed over many years, and are shared widely both with other companies and in society.
Unilever's approach to HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa
In sub-Saharan Africa, Unilever companies have developed a comprehensive framework to manage the HIV/AIDS programme, which addresses the needs of individuals at key stages of prevention and treatment. These are:
awareness (through educational programmes for all employees)
prevention (including prevention and treatment of occupational exposures; distribution of condoms)
establishing HIV status of individuals (through voluntary testing)
acceptance of status (encouraging HIV+ individuals to seek treatment), and
treatment and care (including access to anti-retroviral therapy).
The framework encourages the building of joint programmes within local communities, and may provide a useful model to assist Unilever companies elsewhere in the world in developing appropriate programmes.
These policies are aligned with the key principles of the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS.
We are sharing our learning with other businesses – our programmes are available as models on both the Global Business Coalition and the Global Health Initiative websites.
Activity in 2007
On December 1st 2007, World Aids Day was marked by Unilever operations around the world with awareness-raising events for employees across America, Asia and Africa. Workers were involved in a range of activities, including a play about HIV/AIDS staged by employees in Mexico, and a Unilever Walk for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana. In Vietnam, more than 400 workers took part in a HIV/AIDS knowledge competition and then joined a photoshoot forming the red-ribbon symbol. In many places red ribbons, posters and free condoms were distributed and HIV/AIDS testing made available for staff.
Engaging with others
Given the scale of the challenge, our approach is to work in partnership with others, and share expertise and learning. We engage with organisations such as the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDs and the Grote Onderneming, a Dutch organisation working to tackle HIV/AIDS. We also take part in international conferences such as the International Aids Conference, which will take place in August 2008.
