A global unions programme has been launched to make the fight against HIV and AIDS a central issue for trade unions.
Representatives of the global unions, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the International Labour Organization (ILO) programme on HIV/AIDS and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) discussed the prospects of the programme at a meeting on 18 May in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting was hosted by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU).

Building on the Global Unions Campaign on HIV/AIDS, which was established on World AIDS Day on 1 December 2003, the programme is funded by Swedish donor LO-TCO Biståndsnämnd. The initiative aims to highlight the importance of HIV/AIDS as a significant area of work for trade unions, providing them with guidance on developing effective plans of action. A committee, involving two Global Union Federation (GUF) representatives along with those from the other participating organisations, has been set up to develop an annual work plan. This will be developed in consultation with the global union partner organisations.

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