Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
UNAIDS - 21 September 2009
Friends of UN Plus is a novel initiative by UN Plus, an advocacy and support group comprising staff members who are living with HIV. UN Plus membership in the southern African region has doubled in the last year but many staff members living with HIV still feel fearful of disclosing their status. Although UN Plus has a non-disclosure policy, the reluctance to disclose HIV status reflects high stigma levels in society. The Friends initiative, therefore, is meant to provide a supportive environment to those who have reservations about being openly associated with UN Plus. It aims to be a forum through which the needs of HIV-positive staff and those caring for HIV-positive friends and family can be articulated and addressed.
"Today was a bold and decisive step we took for us to launch this initiative. I am so glad that staff will now have a platform to share safely and a space for outreach. It does not hurt to help and to reach out. We can all do something to make life better for those in our families, offices and communities living with HIV," said an HIV positive staff member of the UN in Swaziland.
The country launches are designed to highlight workplace rights and continue the ongoing dialogue on human rights, treatment needs and challenges of people living with HIV. Through training, meetings, treatment literacy sessions and related activities the initiative aims to educate staff members about UN Plus' contribution towards reduction of stigma and discrimination, promotion of social acceptance and increase of social, legal and leadership commitment for HIV at the UN system workplace.
The Swaziland launch included a panel discussion where representatives of people living with HIV answered questions from the local press on issues of equality and rights. Two members of the local media joined the panel to share their experiences of how they cover stories of people living with HIV in a meaningful way.
Friends of UN Plus will operate in tandem with UN Cares, the UN HIV in the workplace programme, the UN Wellness Program and other workplace initiatives and agency-specific programmes that exist at country levels.
Resources:
Related information:
Sub-Saharan Africa - http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Regions/SubSaharanAfric a.asp
Greater involvement of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS (GIPA) - http://www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/GIPA/default.asp
HIV in the workplace - http://www.unaids.org/en/AboutUNAIDS/Jobs/HIVinTheWorkplace.asp
Partners:
UN Plus website - http://www.unplus.org/
Feature stories:
New UN Plus groups in South Africa and Lesotho (16 September 2009) - http://www.aegis.org/news/unaids/2009/UN090908.html
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
Multimedia:
UN Plus meets UN Secretary-General at UN Headquarters in New York: photo gallery (20 May 2009) - http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/PhotoGal/18052 009_WHAday3.asp
External links:
Unplus on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/people/Un-Plus/1494797109
Unplus on Twitter - http://twitter.com/UNplus
UN Cares - http://www.uncares.org/UNAIDS2/
Publications:
UN System HIV Workplace Programmes HIV Prevention, Treatment and Care for UN System Employees and Their Families - http://data.unaids.org/Publications/IRC-pub07/jc1066-unsystworkpl ace_en.pdf
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