Helping the Private Sector in Jordan Respond to HIV

OCTOBER 2007 — This August, 20 representatives of business, labor, government, and civil society participated in a workshop to examine the role of the private sector in the national response to HIV. Family Health International organized the two-day event in cooperation with Jordan's Ministry of Health and with support from USAID. The workshop aimed to foster information sharing across sectors, help business leaders learn more about how they can contribute to national HIV strategy goals, and strengthen links between all players engaged in HIV initiatives.

"The need for this workshop was identified during last year's introductory session on private sector engagement," explains FHI Acting Country Director Lina Al-Hadid. "Participants said they wanted an opportunity to go into greater detail on some key topics, and identified additional stakeholders to involve."

Participants included officials from the Ministry of Health and Labour, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the private sector, religious leaders, and representatives from local NGOs providing HIV-related services.

Unchecked, HIV has the potential to devastate Jordan's economy. The private sector has a strong interest in keeping the 60 percent of Jordanians ages 15 to 64—the peak working years—healthy and productive. Traditionally limited to exports of a few natural resources, Jordan is rapidly integrating into the global economy with growth in information technology, tourism, and other services. One of Jordan's key selling points for encouraging foreign investment is its young, highly educated workforce. Thus, HIV prevention is a key priority for this population.

The workshop began with an overview of the current state of HIV in Jordan, the national strategy, and pending legislative issues related to employment and HIV. Presentations were made on global best practices for HIV workplace programs, the recent launch of the Arab Business Coalition on HIV, and examples of local private sector HIV initiatives.

Day two included an in-depth session on the basics of HIV and AIDS, and an opportunity for participants to discuss challenging questions and situations, hear about on tools and resources for developing workplace programs, and participate in a panel discussion with local service providers. Participants concluded by offering a long list of recommendations and next steps that FHI/Jordan is compiling for distribution to key stakeholders throughout Jordan.

"This workshop provided a perfect opportunity to involve all the constituents in the national response," explains Manal Azzi, ILO's regional HIV specialist based in Lebanon. "The workplace response to HIV needs a multisectoral approach in which the labor sector works with other national sectors to develop an integrated strategy."