'HIV and AIDS' in the UN Workplace

Dear Colleagues
Dear Friends:

Today, more than 40 million people across the world live with HIV. In 2005 alone, there were over 5 million new infections, and more than 3 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses. Of these, more than 500,000 were children. These figures are a stark reminder of the challenge that the AIDS epidemic continues to pose to our world.

At the 2005 World Summit in September, world leaders recognized that HIV/AIDS, together with other infectious diseases, poses severe risks for the entire world and serious challenges to the achievement of development goals. Indeed, making progress on United Nations Millennium Development Goal number 6 – to “halt and reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS” – is a prerequisite for reaching most of the other seven Goals.
But, reversing the trends and reaching these overall targets depend on the individual responses of all of us. We all play a part in the global efforts – either through our action or our inaction.

That is why, in April 2003, the Committee of Co-sponsoring Organizations of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) approved a learning strategy to help the wider United Nations system develop the competence of its staff on HIV/AIDS. If we are to be successful in our continuous efforts to support and facilitate the international response to the virus and the disease, we need to make sure that our staff are informed and prepared to deal with HIV/AIDS-related issues on a daily basis.

The goals of the strategy are:

• to develop the knowledge and competence of the UN and its staff so that they are able to best support national responses to HIV/AIDS; and
• to ensure that all UN staff members are able to make informed decisions in terms of protection, and, if they are infected or otherwise affected by HIV, to ensure that they know where to turn for the best possible care and treatment. This includes ensuring that staff members fully understand the United Nations’ HIV/AIDS workplace policies on eliminating stigma and discrimination against those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

A system-wide survey shows that many staff members of the UN are not personally prepared to protect themselves from HIV, may be afraid to be tested, or uncomfortable working with people living with HIV, and believe that people living with the virus would not feel comfortable talking about their HIV-positive status. But, importantly, most staff members indicate that they want to learn more about all of this. It is important for the United Nations system to achieve internally what we are asking the rest of the world to do.

Today’s Information Session – and the one scheduled for tomorrow – are important elements in our efforts to raise awareness among staff concerning HIV/AIDS, how to address concerns related to the virus and the disease – and how we together may create an environment free of stigma.

I am therefore pleased that you have taken the time to come to this Information Session. By being here today, you are not only demonstrating your readiness to further deepen your knowledge of the issues and to contribute to a work environment without discrimination – you are also recognizing the need for local action to address global concerns.
I should like to thank UNOG Social Services, the Medical Services Section and the Staff Development and Learning Section for their collective contributions in organizing these valuable Information Sessions.

It is now my pleasure give the floor to colleagues from the Human Resources Management Service and to our visiting colleagues from UNAIDS, who will facilitate today’s programme.

Thank you very much.