UN launches HIV workplace programme

By Thami Dickson
The United Nations (UN) has launched a milestone HIV workplace programme for its global employees to provide them with services such as training, counselling and testing.

It is hoped the initiative will be a model of how workplaces should respond to HIV and Aids. Around 1, 5% of UN personnel worldwide are estimated to be living with HIV. An impact study of HIV/Aids on the UN released last year, found that the epidemic would cost the UN $10 million a year in replacement costs.

These include funeral costs, death benefits and recruitment of new employees. The new programme called UN Cares, seeks to minimize the impact by assisting infected employees and encouraging others to know their status. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon launched the programme.

The programme aims to meet 10 minimum standards of HIV prevention by the end of 2011. These include offering the UN personnel and their families’ access to quality information and services, such as training, fighting workplace stigma and discrimination, voluntary counselling and testing, insurance coverage and access to female and male condoms.

UN agencies have different and fragmented HIV programmes which are said to be confusing employees and producing few results. The UN Cares programme seeks to provide a unified strategy to HIV prevention.