January 2008 - In May this 2008, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon joined with staff at UN Headquarters in New York to officially launch UN Cares, the UN system-wide workplace programme on HIV/AIDS. This is now being translated into action in Mozambique by last years establishment of a UN Cares Working Group.

UN Cares is being introduced in Mozambique at a time when there is great need for increasing initiatives in the area of HIV/AIDS at UN work place. A workplace survey on “HIV and AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP)” finalized this year has clearly shown the ever growing need. Facts talk for themselves: Only 51, 5 % of UN staff used condoms in their last sexual encounter, 24 % of UN staff wrongly perceives risks such as kissing HIV positive people, and low risk perception exists related to multiple, concurrent partners.

UN HIV workplace programs have already existed in Mozambique but they have been individual to each UN agency and without coherence and unity. Building on the work of the UN Team on AIDS in Mozambique (UNTAM), the UN Cares Working Group intends to bring together nominated human resource and program staff from all UN agencies residing in Mozambique, ensuring that all UN staff will have a common experience related to their HIV workplace programs.

A shared base of 10 minimum standards will in the near future be reality for all Mozambican UN agencies: access to information about UN policies and benefits, access to information about prevention, treatment and care services, learning and training about the combat against stigma and discrimination, access to condoms, access to voluntary counselling and testing, access to insurance coverage for HIV/AIDS related expenses, confidential handling of personal information, access to first aid assistance using universal precautions, access within 72 hours to HIV emergency Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) starter kits and related medical care, counselling, and follow-up treatment in case of potential exposure to HIV because of sexual assault, or occupational accident and finally managerial commitment to the implementation of the program.

Realizing the 10 minimum standards is another important way the UN will demonstrate the best practices it advocates in its accelerated reform, the Delivering as One initiative, by creating a truly caring work environment in relation to HIV/AIDS for the staff, their families and communities. UN Cares programs are managed differently in different countries; in Mozambique the Working Group will be led by a Coordinator soon to be employed, who will report to the UN Resident Coordinator, in his capacity of UNTAM Chairperson, and support the inter-agency working group deliver a work plan that will incorporate activities to reach the UN Cares 10 minimum standards and beyond.

For more information please visit UN Cares website at www.uncares.org