WINDHOEK, Oct 13 (AFP) - The International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Wednesday called on African nations to declare the AIDS crisis a continental disaster requiring immediate attention.

The call ws made in an AIDS action programme for Africa announced in a statement at the end of three-day conference here by the UN agency.

The statement said delegates had agreed on "a platform of action on HIV/AIDS in Africa" since "the pandemic is the most serious social, labour and humanitarian challenge of our time".

"AIDS is rapidly becoming the single most serious threat to social and economic progress in Africa today," added the statement adopted after a meeting of some 400 delegates from 20 sub-Saharan countries, ranging from government officials to trade union leaders.

It called on "all African governments to declare HIV/AIDS as a national disaster, requiring urgent attention and mobilisation of relevant ressources".

An estimated 22.5 million Africans carry the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virus out of 33 million people infected worldwide. HIV usually leads to the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Economic consequences of the epidemic are exacerbated by fragile economies, high levels of unemployment, and widespread poverty, the declaration added.

"All these factors contribute to preventing Africa from being competitive in the global market," it said.

"Clearly, AIDS is no longer just a health problem. It is a developmental crisis with potentially ominous consequences for Africa and the world," the delegates warned.

"Yet a culture of silence, fear and denial continues to reign and prevent action," they said.

The spread of AIDS has resulted in discrimination against workers who carry the disease, social exclusion, growing inegalities between sexes, and a rise in child labor, the four-page report said.

This has slowed the development of small businesses and the private sector, caused a drop in productivity, decreased the workforce and threatened social security systems.

The ILO and its partners said the program will fight discrimination against people infected with AIDS/HIV, and increase support for AIDS orphans, children suffering from the disease, and those who are forced to work.

Employment of AIDS-infected workers and increased social programs for them were also listed as goals of the action plan.

The program also hopes to increase women's economic, social and political power, integrate treatement for HIV/AIDS into exisiting social security schemes, and develop health coverage for all.

"We are sure of finding the resources that will allow us to put this plan into effect," said Mary Chinery-Hesse, the ILO's executive director.

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