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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRIDGETOWN 000161 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR AND DRL/IL 
USDOL FOR ILAB 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: BB ECON ELAB KHIV PGOV PREL SOCI XL
SUBJECT: BARBADOS:  SUSTAINABILITY WORKSHOP ON HIV/AIDS IN 
THE WORKPLACE 
 
REF: 04 BRIDGETOWN 2396 
 
This cable is sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  On January 29-30, the U.S. Department of 
Labor-International Labor Organization's HIV/AIDS Workplace 
Program hosted a sustainability workshop, which focused on 
developing a strategy for carrying forward the Program's 
mission after the Program officially concludes in December 
¶2007.  With over fifty government, private sector, labor, and 
NGO participants, the workshop provided a good opportunity to 
review progress to date, discuss best practices, and reach 
agreement on a sustainability plan for 2007 and beyond. 
Unfortunately, the workshop also demonstrated some weaknesses 
in Barbados' fight against HIV/AIDS.  End Summary. 
 
MAKING PROGRESS SUSTAINABLE 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) The U.S. Department of Labor-International Labor 
Organization's HIV/AIDS Workplace Education Program, which 
was launched in Barbados in 2004 (reftel), organized a 
"sustainability workshop" on January 29-30.  The three-year 
Program is scheduled to end in December 2007, and the 
organizers' objective, as suggested by the workshop's theme 
"Finding the Anchors," was to reach an agreement on and 
mobilize support for carrying forward the Program's efforts. 
Over fifty government, private sector, labor, and NGO 
representatives attended the workshop.  The two-day workshop 
included presentations on progress to date, case studies on 
best practices, and working group sessions on various aspects 
of the HIV/AIDS effort, such as tripartite collaboration, 
enterprise work, informal economy, and the role of mass 
media.  At the conclusion, the workshop brought together a 
high-level panel that included U.S. Ambassador Mary Ourisman, 
AIDS Foundation President Colin Brewer, President of the 
Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations Sir Roy 
Trotman, and the President of the Barbados Employers' 
Confederation Dr. Hensley Sobers. 
 
¶3.  (U) The workshop resulted in a general agreement on a 
"Sustainability Plan" to maximize the impact of the Workplace 
Education Program in its last year and beyond.  The workshop 
participants agreed that the Sustainability Plan must have a 
national scope, incorporate tripartite participation, include 
timelines and benchmarks, and be coordinated with Barbados' 
National HIV/AIDS Commission.  The participants also 
envisioned creating a small coordinating body to carry 
forward the Sustainability Plan after December 2007. 
 
CLOSING THE GAPS 
---------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The strong participation in the sustainability 
workshop suggested that Barbados has a solid foundation for 
future work and progress.  Nevertheless, the workshop 
revealed that Barbados will have to step up its efforts on a 
number of fronts in order to meet the rising HIV/AIDS 
challenge.  While Barbados' HIV infection rate is reported to 
be around 1.2 percent, a number of experts noted during the 
workshop that they estimate for every one reported infection 
another four to five that go unreported because of the stigma 
and discrimination attached to HIV/AIDS.  Several also noted 
that in Barbados, a country of 270,000 people, one person 
gets infected with HIV every single day. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) While the Barbadian government, private sector, 
labor, and NGOs have implemented a number of programs and 
campaigns targeting HIV/AIDS, many workshop participants 
complained about the lack of coordination among the various 
stakeholders and poor information sharing.  The absence at 
the workshop of the National HIV/AIDS Commission, the 
government's lead agency charged with coordination and 
information dissemination, was the most visible example of 
these problems.  Similarly, two years into the Workplace 
Education Program, local companies are only now beginning to 
discuss and share their best practices. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) According to some participants in the workshop, 
another key weakness in Barbados' efforts against HIV is 
funding.  Although many speakers at the workshop called for 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000161  002 OF 002 
 
 
HIV/AIDS workplace programs to be locally owned, few 
companies have come forward with their own funding.  Among 
the noteworthy exceptions are the Fairmont Hotel, Goddard 
Enterprises Inc., and Scotiabank.  The workshop discussions 
revealed that many Barbadian employers automatically default 
to seeking funding from the government and international 
donors, rather than committing their own resources.  Even the 
government is not immune.  According to the Ministry of 
Labour and Civil Service Permanent Secretary Carston Simmons, 
he recently spoke with ILO Director General Juan Somavia to 
press for continued funding for the Workplace Education 
Program. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) In addition to a lack of resources, Workplace 
Education Program's coordinator Arlene Husbands also pointed 
to a lack of commitment on the part of the companies. 
According to Husbands, only six Barbadian companies have 
adopted workplace policies on HIV/AIDS.  Another two 
companies are working on such policies.  Moreover, some of 
the companies that have adopted HIV/AIDS policies have 
couched them in what one participant described as the 
"safer-sounding life threatening diseases" category. 
Representatives of the companies that have adopted active 
workplace HIV/AIDS education programs also complained about 
difficulties in obtaining employee buy-in and keeping the 
workplace peer educators motivated. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Despite these problems, the Sustainability Plan 
developed during the workshop represents a good roadmap for 
future efforts.  The key will be follow-through, and in this 
regard, Barbados is blessed with a number of leaders who have 
made the fight against HIV/AIDS their priority and who may be 
able to breathe the much needed energy into Barbados' 
efforts.  Among them is Dr. Carol Jacobs, Chair of the 
National HIV/AIDS Commission and Chair of the Board of the 
Global Fund to Fights AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; Colin 
Brewer, President of Barbados' AIDS Foundation; and the AIDS 
Foundation's Executive Director, Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The sustainability workshop was a good first step 
toward mobilizing a more sustained effort in Barbados against 
HIV/AIDS.  Both of Barbados' two dailies gave the workshop 
front-page and editorial coverage.  To make the Workplace 
Education Program truly sustainable, the public attention and 
strong participation that the workshop attracted cannot be 
allowed to dissipate with time.  Those already committed to 
the fight against HIV/AIDS will also have to find new, more 
effective ways of reaching the public.  Otherwise, they will 
continue--as one participant put it--"preaching to the 
converted" and never succeed in turning the tide against 
HIV/AIDS. 
OURISMAN