HIV/AIDS

Our approach to HIV/AIDS & occupational health

Occupational health is a worldwide responsibility for Unilever and covers:

• access to primary healthcare
• 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 Medical and Occupational Health strategy. During 2009 we introduced a new corporate strategy for HIV/AIDS, together with three regional teams to implement it.

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 against it. These should also be supported by counselling and sustainable programmes to care for those already infected. Therefore, in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Unilever is committed to deploying effective programmes of health education (using our skills in communication) and to securing 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 education and prevention schemes.

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 most 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.

Over a decade ago we developed a road map for implementing our programmes of health education in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In 2010 we revised this to provide a more tailored road map dependent upon the HIV/AIDS risk in different countries.

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 and distribution of condoms)
• acceptance of status (encouraging HIV-positive individuals to seek treatment), and
• treatment and care (including access to anti-retroviral therapy).

In the case of pregnant women, Unilever helps with treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission. These policies are aligned with the key principles of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS.

Today, across our sites in sub-Saharan countries, the company offers free HIV testing, as well as education programmes to raise awareness, teach safe practices and prevent discrimination. We support the destigmatisation of HIV/AIDS through voluntary confidential testing by healthcare providers.

Activities in 2010:

World AIDS Day: 1 December

Unilever marks World AIDS Day each year. Using a combination of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS campaign materials, local NGOs and government messages, our site contributed to global and national awareness campaigns.

Engaging with others:

Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS

Given the scale of the challenge, our approach is to work in partnership with others, and to share expertise and learning. Unilever was one of the founding members of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC), which aims to mobilise the networks and resources of multinationals to combat and raise awareness of these diseases. Our Vice President for Global Medical and Occupational Health is a member of the advisory board of the GBC.

National coalitions on HIV/AIDS

We support 11 business coalitions on AIDS across Africa (Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

One example is the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA), which we have been a member of since its inception in 2007. Its aim is to co-ordinate a private sector response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to help companies, both large and small, in their efforts to combat the epidemic through workplace initiatives. The business environment offers a unique opportunity to target the millions of employees affected by the pandemic. We regularly participate in SABHOCA initiatives and use this forum to share best practice with other companies.

Boosting HIV testing in South Africa

In April 2010, the South African government and the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) announced the launch of a wide-scale HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign. This was a groundbreaking step by the government and will help to achieve the targets of the National Strategic Plan on HIV, AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections.

The campaign aims to encourage 15 million people to take an HIV test. The business sector will contribute to this national target by mobilising 2 million people to check their HIV status. Unilever South Africa has fully aligned its practices with the government’s campaign.

External recognition in India

In India, the ILO recognised Hindustan Unilever with a commendation certificate for the leadership it had provided in the successful implementation of the ILO’s Prevention of HIV/AIDS in the World of Work programme.

Working with suppliers in Nigeria

Over 2007–2009, Unilever, Guinness and Nigerian Breweries have been working with the German organisation for technical co-operation (GTZ) to address the impact of HIV/AIDS on key suppliers in Nigeria. We conducted an assessment of how our suppliers generally perceived HIV/AIDS as well as their knowledge and workplace practices. The findings were used to select three companies who would most benefit from HIV/AIDS workplace programmes. We then helped them to develop and establish a suitable programme for their business.

Public–private partnerships

We continue our work with a variety of international agencies across the whole region, in particular where we are involved in primary health care in plantations and remote locations.

Co-investment

Co-investment is an innovative approach that consists of leveraging private sector infrastructure and assets to benefit the community beyond the company’s labour force. In Tanzania, one example of co-investment is the collaboration of the national government, various international organisations, NGOs and the private sector – Unilever Tea Tanzania Ltd – to scale up HIV/AIDS treatment. Read more in our case study.

Wider engagement

We work with a range of international organisations on AIDS, such as the World Health Organization, the World Economic Forum, the Gates Foundation and the Institute of Health & Productivity Management. We also take part in international conferences such as the International AIDS Conference and share our learnings with other businesses – our programmes are available as models on both the Global Business Coalition and the Global Health Initiative websites.