UNAIDS - 16 September 2009

UN Plus was established in March 2005 and has full support from the UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-Moon who has met with the group on several occasions. UN Plus brings together HIV positive staff working in the UN system from across regions and agencies. Its membership in the southern African region has doubled in the last year; this region now accounts for 42% of its 158 members. The road trip, which began on 14 September and culminates in Johannesburg on 25 September, celebrates this achievement. It includes visits to South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique.

Participating in the road trip are UN Plus Coordinator Bhatupe Mhango and UN Plus co-founder Manuel da Quinta. They are accompanied by Dan Maina, the UN Cares Regional Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa; Simphiwe Mabhele of the UN SA Wellness programme and Lawrence Makeleni, a UN Plus member from South Africa.

Although membership has increased, UN Plus has observed that many UN staff are not open about their HIV status due to high stigma levels, among other factors, associated with HIV. The group, therefore, plans to launch a 'Friends of UN Plus' initiative in Swaziland and Mozambique this month as a forum through which the needs of UN staff members living with HIV and those caring for HIV-positive friends and family can be articulated and addressed.

Lawrence Makeleni welcomed the initiative, saying, "There is a strong need to provide hope and mobilise support to UN staff who are living with HIV and not open about their status. Being the only staff living openly with HIV [in South Africa] I believe that advocacy and working together in an efficient and organised way will provide others the ability to be more open about HIV."

The South Africa and Lesotho chapters of UN Plus follow similar launches in Malawi and Kenya. In 2007, its members had agreed to start UN Plus groups at country level if at least two or more members were active and at least one had openly disclosed their HIV status, although UN Plus does not force its members to declare their status outside the group. In accordance with this principle, there are at least three active members of UN Plus in South Africa and Lesotho.

With this launch, UN Plus aims to initiate dialogue on the rights of people living with HIV and highlight the work of the UN in providing such a platform. It also expects to get a more formal recognition of its activities and membership and ensure that UN staff members in the region are more sensitised and committed to providing an enabling environment with zero tolerance for stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. UN Plus currently represents 28 agencies and 41 countries. The group offers an opportunity for members to share their experiences of positive living and survival skills, treatment, care and support, stigma and discrimination and other issues regarding HIV. It also monitors how well their specific work environments respond to the UN Personnel Policy on HIV and AIDS.

There are an estimated 5.7 million people living with HIV in South Africa. In Lesotho that number is close to 270,000, or 23.2% of its population.

Resources:

Partners:

UNplus website - http://www.unplus.org/

Feature stories:

UN Secretary-General meets HIV positive UN staff members (20 May 2009) - http://www.aegis.org/news/unaids/2009/UN090524.html

UN Secretary-General opens UNPlus exhibition (01 December 2007) - http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/FeatureStories /archive/2007/20071201_UNSG_UNplus_exhibition.asp

UN Plus meets UN Secretary-General at UN Headquarters in New York: photo gallery (20 May 2009) - http://www.aegis.org/news/unaids/2009/UN090524.html

External links:

Unplus on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1494797109&ref= profile

Unplus on Twitter - http://twitter.com/UNplus

Publications:

UNplus Position Papers on Stigma and Discrimination; Travel and Mobility; Confidentiality; Health Insurance March 2007 (pdf, 713Kb) - http://data.unaids.org/pub/BrochurePamphlet/2007/jc1524_un_plus_b rochure_en.pdf

UNplus flyer (pdf, 425K) - http://data.unaids.org/pub/BrochurePamphlet/2007/jc1334_un_plus_f lyer_en.pdf
090916
UN090908

Copyright © 2009 - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). All rights reserved. UNAIDS articles, which are not formal publications of UNAIDS, may be freely reviewed, quoted, reproduced or translated, in part or in full, provided the source is acknowledged. The documents may not be sold or used in conjunction with commercial purposes without prior written approval from UNAIDS (contact: UNAIDS Information Centre).

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2009. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2009. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .