"The government of Sri Lanka takes the issue of HIV/ AIDS seriously, and gives a high priority, while acknowledging there is insufficient resources and capacity to provide all the necessary testing facilities, services delivery and public education required to ensure that the disease never catches on here as it has else where around the world," Director International Labour Organization Sri Lanka Ms. Tine Staermose said.

Sri Lanka has the lowest number of HIV infections in the Asian region with 3,000 infected individuals living with the HIV/AIDS virus, according to National STD/AIDS Control Programme Sri Lanka. HIV prevalence among adults is less than 0.1 percent and 82.5 percent of transmissions are through unprotected sex among women and men.

"While Sri Lanka has the good fortune to be a country with a low rate of HIV infections, this is no cause for complacency regarding the disease. The country remains venerable for the rate of HIV/ AIDS to grow at a much faster rate," the ILO Country Director said.

The ILO code of practice was adopted by the government in 2004 and from 2005 the organization has been assisting the government, employers’ organization, trade unions, and organizations of people living with HIV.

Ms. Staermose said: "This consultation is very timely since after the adoption of the ILO code of practice on HIV/ AIDS, taking in to consideration the needs to strengthen its impact it has been decided to adopt a recommendation on HIV/ AIDS at the international Labour conference in June 2010."

"Sri Lanka is fortunate that the spread of the disease remains low. Nevertheless, we must act fast and mobilize all available recourses to ensure that the rate of infection remains low or declines," she said.