Address by the Director of NAFFOPANO
During the Launch of the Workplace Guide to Fight Stigma Against People Living with HIV

Distinguished guests, representatives from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, leaders from the National Organization of Trade Unions, employers, workers, civil society partners, and most importantly, our brothers and sisters living with HIV — good morning.

It gives me great pride and deep emotion to stand before you today as we launch this Workplace Guide to Fight Stigma and Discrimination Against People Living with HIV. This guide is not just a document; it is a commitment to fairness, inclusion, and human dignity at every level of the workforce.

For more than four decades, Uganda has been at the forefront of the global HIV response, leading with courage, openness, and community engagement. Yet, despite our progress in access to treatment and prevention, stigma remains one of the most persistent barriers to ending the epidemic. Stigma thrives in silence. It hides in whispered judgments, in discriminatory hiring practices, in workplaces that turn away skilled, hardworking individuals simply because of their HIV status.

Through this guide, NAFFOPANO and its partners seek to change that narrative. We envision workplaces where people living with HIV are not merely tolerated but valued, protected, and supported to reach their full potential. The workplace should be a space of productivity, respect, and shared growth, not a place of fear or exclusion.

This launch represents a milestone in Uganda’s journey toward inclusive labor practices. The guide provides practical steps to help employers, trade unions, and workers’ representatives create HIV-sensitive policies, build awareness, and establish mechanisms for confidentiality, counseling, and non-discrimination. It also emphasizes the power of education and empathy because understanding HIV is the first step toward ending fear.

To the employers here today, I urge you: make your workplaces stigma-free zones. Invest in your people, their health, their dignity, and their well-being. When workers feel accepted and supported, productivity and loyalty follow naturally. A healthy workforce is not just an economic asset; it is a moral reflection of who we are as a nation.

To our trade union leaders and worker representatives, you are the voice of the people. Use that voice to ensure policies are implemented, rights are respected, and every worker living with HIV has the confidence to contribute without fear of discrimination.

And to all people living with HIV. I salute your strength, resilience, and courage. You continue to show the world that HIV is not a limitation. With treatment, care, and community support, you can live long, healthy, and productive lives.

Let us remember: fighting stigma is not the responsibility of one organization alone. It is a shared national duty of government, employers, unions, and workers alike. Together, we can create workplaces that empower rather than isolate, that inspire rather than judge.

As we launch this guide today, let it serve as both a tool and a promise, a promise that every person, regardless of HIV status, has the right to work, to dream, and to live with dignity.

Thank you all for your commitment, your partnership, and your shared belief in equality and justice for every Ugandan worker.

Together, we fight stigma. Together, we build inclusion. Together, we win.