U.S. Envoy Urges Indian Business and Industry Leaders to Help Battle HIV/AIDS in India

May 26, 2005

New Delhi - In a strong show of support from the United States Government to stem a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in India , U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires Robert Blake inaugurated a National Conference on HIV/AIDS today that aims to engage Indian business and industry in the battle to halt the advance of the disease.

The conference - organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the India Business Trust for HIV/AIDS and the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) - joins public and private leaders to share ideas about how corporations and businesses can help protect their employees and create momentum for a comprehensive and broad national response to the disease threat.

"There is perhaps no greater threat to India 's ambition to become a world power than the country's rapidly growing HIV infection rates," said Blake.

"I am here today to urge the private sector to step up to the battle lines and participate in the struggle - to wage a fight against HIV/AIDS that will help determine India's future as a productive and prosperous nation," he said.

Charge Blake acknowledged the Government of India's recent, more robust commitment to fight the problem, and applauded corporate giants such as Tata Industries that have taken an early stand to protect and care for their workforces.

According to Blake, as a precursor to advocating for more employer involvement in HIV/AIDS mitigation, the U.S. Embassy "first looked inward to get our own house in order."

A U.S. Embassy HIV/AIDS workplace policy launched in December 2004 includes training for employees on how to prevent infection, dispels myths about the disease, and provides care and support for employees - and their spouses - who need it.

He urged conference participants to set up similar policies and training programs in their organizations.

"Remember, always remember, that employees are the heart of each organization," he said. "Healthy employees ensure lower health care costs and higher productivity."

The United States is a leader in the battle against HIV/AIDS. President Bush has made winning the war on the disease a priority of U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. invests more than $30 million each year in HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in India .

Other prominent speakers at the event include former President Bill Clinton, Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal, NACO Director Dr. S. Y. Quraishi and Muthu Raman from Tata Steel.

Reporters and Editors:
See the attached fact sheet on the U.S. Embassy Policy on HIV/AIDS

U.S. EMBASSY POLICY ON HIV/AIDS

Policy objectives are:

• To provide a non-discriminatory working environment for all employees.
• To provide staff with guidelines on how to handle various issues relating to HIV/AIDS in the U.S. Mission.
• To provide information to staff and their families on how they can protect themselves from contracting HIV/AIDS.
• To inform employees/dependents living with HIV/AIDS on how they can be assisted by the U.S. Mission to remain healthful and productive for many years.
• This policy applies to U.S. direct hire personnel, personal services contractors, and locally-hired employees (Indians, U.S. citizens and third country nationals) who work within the U.S. Mission. However, specific sections of the policy, such as care and support, apply only to locally-hired employees .

Key Elements of the Policy are:

• U.S. Mission employees with HIV infection or AIDS shall be given the same rights, benefits, and opportunities as employees with other serious illnesses.
• Employment practices shall be based on the scientific and epidemiological evidence that people with HIV/AIDS infection do not pose a risk of transmission of the virus to co-workers through ordinary workplace contact.
• The highest levels of Management shall unequivocally endorse nondiscriminatory employment practices and the Mission shall provide education and programs to disseminate information about HIV/AIDS.
• The U.S. Mission shall communicate HIV/AIDS workplace policies and practices to employees in simple, clear and unambiguous terms and shall provide employees with sensitive, accurate, and up-to-date information about risk-reduction in their personal lives.
• The U.S. Mission shall protect the confidentiality of employees' medical information.
• To prevent work disruption and rejection by co-workers of an employee with AIDS or HIV infection, the U.S. Mission shall undertake education of all employees.
• U.S. Mission employees are under no obligation to disclose their HIV status to anyone at work unless they are requesting reasonable accommodations for their condition. Medical information submitted to U.S. Agencies or to the U.S. Embassy Medical Unit shall be treated confidentially. The Privacy Act also covers medical information for U.S. citizens.

For more information, please review the complete text of the policy available on the U.S. Embassy website.