Update

Ahmed was dismissed from his job as a plumber for a club in Giza, Egypt, in 2015 after his employer discovered he was living with HIV. Rather than remain silent, Ahmed decided to pursue legal action with the help of the Al Shehab Foundation for Comprehensive Development.

The Al Shehab Foundation is an Egyptian nongovernmental organization that defends the legal rights of marginalized people, including the rights of people living with HIV to work and access education and accommodation without discrimination. The legal action was supported by the International Development Law Organization, which works closely with UNAIDS through a memorandum of understanding.

In a historic decision for Egypt and the region, a court in Cairo ruled in Ahmed’s favour, stating that people living with HIV cannot be dismissed because of their HIV status. The court’s directive, issued in February 2016, stated that employment is a basic human right for all Egyptian citizens, regardless of their health condition, as long as they can still work.

This seminal court ruling has been applauded by civil society, activists and international development organizations engaged in the AIDS response in Egypt and across the Middle East and North Africa. The ruling sets an important legal precedent for future discrimination cases and is consistent with UNAIDS guidance and the Arab AIDS Strategy (2014 – 2020).