In observance of World AIDS Day 2007, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his wife Yoo Soon-taek opened a photographic exhibition entitled "UN Plus" at the United Nations headquarters in New York with the members of UNPlus - the UN System HIV Positive Staff Group.

UNPlus also marked the occasion with the launch of their new calendar, which features photos of UN staff ‘living positively’ and which has been distributed around the world.

UNPlus was initiated in March 2005 by a group of UN staff members living with HIV, with the support of the UNAIDS secretariat, to create a more enabling environment of all HIV-positive staff members, irrespective of the level of disclosure of their HIV status. UNPlus aims to create an organized and effective voice for people living with HIV within the United Nations system that challenges stigma and discrimination, and contributes to the development of and improvement of existing policies on HIV among United Nations agencies.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon first met UNPlus in May 2007, as part of the 61st session of the General Assembly, to discuss the opportunities and challenges that UN positive staff face at work.

Describing his first meeting with the group as “one of the most moving experiences” of his life, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon vowed to step up efforts to eliminate the stigma that still surrounds people living with AIDS in so many countries.

Mr. Ban said he was touched by the courage shown by the members of UNPlus, as well as the directness with which they spoke about their lives.

 

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Links:
More on World AIDS Day
UN Plus meets UN Secretary-General (May 2007)
Visit UNplus web site

 

UNAIDS and India’s largest private company, Reliance Industries Limited, are working to strengthen collaboration on AIDS issues with the aim of promoting greater access to HIV information, prevention and treatment services across India.

The idea for greater collaboration between the Indian industry giant and UNAIDS came during a recent meeting between Reliance Industries Limited’s (RIL) Chairman and Executive Director, Mukesh Ambani and UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Michel Sidibe where they discussed the AIDS situation in India. Full scope of greater collaboration and a potential partnership is currently under development.

This is not the first time RIL has acted on AIDS issues  - the company received the UNAIDS Civil Society Awards 2006 in recognition of its outstanding commitment and support of the national AIDS response on the occasion of the World’s AIDS Day – December 1, 2006.  RIL received a high profile corporate award for business response to AIDS 2007 in recognition of its existing AIDS interventions within Indian industry.

UNAIDS has played a leading role in helping put in place the RIL AIDS workplace policy and in shaping their efforts in responding to AIDS in India. 

As part of the 61 st session of the General Assembly, UNPlus– the UN system-wide group of staff living with HIV– met with the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to brief him on the key achievements of the group since its inception in March 2005 and to discuss the opportunities and challenges that UN positive staff face at work.

During the meeting, a delegation of UNPlus members presented the Secretary-General with specialized position papers covering four main issues of concern: stigma and discrimination, confidentiality, medical insurance, and travel restrictions and mobility. The group also made specific requests to the action items outlined in the papers. The meeting also served to evaluate the progress made on the concerned issues and discuss the way forward to improve the workplace environment for all people living with HIV working within the UN system.

“Our requests to the Secretary-General mainly focus on the need to revise the personnel policy and to institute strong administrative procedures to curtail stigma,” said Bhatupe Mhango, UN plus coordinator. “Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ’s support to UNPlus is critical. We hope he will continue to raise the issues of positive people far and wide-both within the UN system and in his external engagements,” she added.

Twenty-five years into the pandemic, HIV is a reality for workplaces across the world. With approximately 193 member states and an almost equal number of country offices worldwide, the United Nations workforce is no exception.

Addressing the issue within the United Nations, UNPlus was initiated in March 2005 by a group of UN staff members living with HIV, with the support of the UNAIDS secretariat, to create a more enabling environment of all HIV-positive staff members, irrespective of the level of disclosure of their HIV status. UNPlus aims to create an organized and effective voice for people living with HIV within the United Nations system that challenges stigma and discrimination, and contributes to the development of and improvement of existing policies on HIV among United Nations agencies.

“UNPlus is remarkable in the sense that in essence it is UN Reform in action. It brings together people from different backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, professions, salary grades, around a common issue. The common issue is ensuring equality, solidarity and acceptance for people living with HIV,” said Mhango.

The first global meeting of UNPlus took place in Amsterdam in March 2006. The meeting was attended by more than 30 people living with HIV working in 11 UN organizations around the world and saw the development of the UN Plus position papers.

Coinciding with the meeting with the UN Secretary-General, UNPlus officially launched its website: http://www.unplus.org/ . The website provides staff members, UN agencies and other external partners with important information concerning HIV in the workplace. It also promotes positive living and highlights the challenges and successes of people living with HIV from around the world. To mark the launch, the web site features an exclusive interview with the UNAIDS Executive Director on the exceptionality of AIDS.

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Links:

View Photo Gallery
Listen to interview with Bhatupe Mhango, UNplus Global Coordinator
Visit UNplus website
Read UNplus Position Papers
View exclusive interview with UNAIDS Executive Director, Dr. Peter Piot
Read UN Secretary-General's impressions after meeting UNplus members

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All photo credit: UNAIDS/Brad Hamilton

Links:

Read full story
Visit UNplus website

In 2008, top athletes from around the world will gather in China to attempt to run, jump, swim and pole-vault themselves into the records book at the XXIX Olympic Games. And as China warms up to host the games, building of stadiums and amenities across the country, a parallel initiative is taking place to raise awareness about HIV among the thousands of construction workers involved in preparing Beijing for the Olympics.

More than 200 workers gathered at one such awareness raising activity held recently at a construction site in Beijing. Through exhibitions and the distribution of AIDS-related pamphlets, posters, playing cards and condoms, workers were able to find out information about HIV and how to protect themselves and others. A special question and answer session, informative entertainment and other awareness raising activities were conducted.

Organized by the China AIDS/STD Prevention and Control Foundation and the Beijing Health Bureau, the event involved special presentations by UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot, the Beijing Construction Commission, a worker on one of the sites and the China AIDS Prevention Foundation.

“Targeting workers involved in the construction of Olympic venues as well as workers at the many other building sites all over China is an extremely important and big task. Migrant workers are often particularly vulnerable and at risk as they are away from their families for very long periods of time and can lack the information and skills necessary to protect themselves from HIV,” said Mr. Joel Rehnstrom, UNAIDS Country Coordinator in China.

The initiative for raising awareness among migrant workers was launched in 2005 by the State Council AIDS Working Committee office together with 12 government ministries. The initiative is being rolled out over 20 Olympic sites over the next six months. With many construction workers coming from different parts of China specifically to build the facilities, the events aim to reach out to as many people as possible from a wide variety of communities and backgrounds and to highlight sport as a key arena for promoting HIV prevention activities, particularly among young people.

In 2004, UNAIDS signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Olympics Committee, combining efforts to enhance the role of sports organisations in the fight against AIDS at community and national levels, and to organize AIDS awareness activities with coaches, athletes and sports personalities.

Photo credit: UNAIDS/Li Mingfang

Related links
UNAIDS Executive Director visits China 7-12 September
UNAIDS China website

The Global Health Initiative (GHI) of the World Economic Forum has released the first global report on Business Coalitions – Business Coalitions Tackling AIDS: A Worldwide Review – and the role they play in supporting the private sector to tackle AIDS around the world.

– In many low and middle-income countries, growing levels of HIV are continuing to cause serious economic and development set backs. Companies are loosing a significant part of their workforce, particularly in high prevalence countries.

GENEVA, 25 April 2012—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to eliminate stigma and discrimination, protect human rights and facilitate access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for workers.

“This MOU will result in further bringing the voice of workers to the AIDS response. An effective engagement of trade unions will enhance the protection of rights at work and contribute to the realization of the goal of getting to Zero,” says Mr Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO.  

One of the commitments adopted by United Nations Member States in the 2011 Political Declaration on AIDS is to mitigate the impact of the epidemic on workers, their families and their dependents, as well as the impact on workplaces and economies. The declaration also calls for the effective implementation of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) standards on AIDS and the world of work.

“The trade union movement is deeply committed to the AIDS response. The involvement of unions enhances and strengthens both the credibility and effectiveness of workplace initiatives. Protection from discrimination at work, and ensuring access to HIV prevention and treatment services are also crucial areas in which unions are fully engaged,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

In 2010 a non-governmental consultation on stigma and discrimination found that more than one third of people living with HIV had experienced loss of employment, denial of health care, social or vocational exclusion and/or involuntary disclosure.

“It is unacceptable that people lose their jobs or source of income because of their HIV status,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Trade Unions are vitally important in the AIDS response to protect workers’ rights and inform workers about access to HIV services.”

UNAIDS and the ITUC, in collaboration with ILO, will unite efforts on a number of specific activities to increase HIV services for workers including advocating to remove travel restrictions for people living with HIV, to enforce laws which protect people living with HIV and access to justice, to mobilize political commitment and to trigger debate on young people, employment and HIV.

Geneva, 17 June 2010 - A landmark labour standard was adopted by governments, employers and workers at the annual conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The standard aims to strengthen the global response to HIV in the workplace.

Building on the ILO 2001 Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS, the new labour standard will reinforce and extend anti-discrimination policies in the world of work. It reaffirms the right to continued employment regardless of HIV status and asserts that workers should not be screened for HIV for employment purposes. The standard also recognizes the need for focused action to protect the rights of populations that may be more vulnerable to HIV infection.

“Workers are the lifeblood of the economy and must be protected,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “The new ILO standard will bring us one step closer to our goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.”

HIV affects the most economically active age range in every population. A majority of the 33.4 million people living with HIV are workers with skills and experience that their families, communities and countries can ill afford to lose.

The new labour standard is the first internationally-sanctioned instrument that focuses specifically on HIV in the workplace. It is expected to significantly enhance the impact of HIV prevention and treatment programmes in the workforce globally.