David Patterson and Leslie Ewart were FICSA representatives to the Seventeenth Meeting of the Inter-Agency Advisory Group on AIDS (IAAG), held in Geneva on 12 and 13 March 2001 at the World Council of Churches.

FICSA has been active at IAAG in the area of HIV/AIDS in the UN Workplace, advocating for improvements in prevention, support, care, treatment, access to drugs, and improved medical insurance and disability schemes for all common system staff, especially local staff and their dependants.

In 2000, Mr. Patterson visited Namibia and Senegal and provided information and recommendations to FICSA that were shared with the relevant United Nations policy makers. FICSA wrote to all executive heads urging them to issue a policy statement based on good practice.

Mr. Patterson's presentation on behalf of FICSA responded to a note prepared by IAAG which aimed to provide an update on the status of activities in the area of HIV/AIDS in the UN Workplace (IAAG 17/01.2).

Over 2500 staff and dependants live with HIV infection. Nearly all national staff in country offices lack access to, or do not access, appropriate care, treatment and support, with grave implications for these staff members and the UN system.

FICSA welcomed the following actions:

• Training for UN medical services in East and West Africa
• Identification by UNICEF of a core set of services for its staff and dependants
• World Bank decision to increase medical claims reimbursement from 80% to 95% and to provide free HIV testing and counselling
• Appointment of Ms. Caroline Vu to the High-Level Committee on Management (HLCM) for several months to provide focus and action on this issue.

FICSA expressed the following concerns:

• Lack of prioritization
• Lack of allocated staff and over-reliance on individual initiative
• Lack of continuity in that previous IAAG recommendations had not been followed up, and the Task Force had not been re-convened.

In general, the response to date could be characterized by a lack of ownership and accountability; lack of evaluation, feedback and consistency; and limited action.

FICSA asked that the basic principles be re-affirmed i.e., the UN system needs a healthy workforce; the UN system must be seen to practice the advice it provides to national partners; HIV prevention and treatment must be a priority for all UN system staff; and the issue of national drug supply should be de-linked from the issue of health care for staff.

Participants acknowledged that implementation had been uneven. One of the goals was to achieve a working environment free from the fear of discrimination and to increase awareness and understanding through training at all levels. This required a central administrative response and action at the local level. A second goal was to ensure that all staff had access to care and treatment. This required, among other elements, an alignment of insurance schemes to ensure that the best possible coverage was available within the nineteen insurance plans offered throughout the UN system.

The UNAIDS booklet was now available in all official languages. 100,000 copies had already been distributed. Training and facilitation was required to accompany the booklet; it should not be issued without proper support and orientation.

442 PEP (post-exposure) kits had been replaced, a further 500 had been ordered for isolated locations.

After a review of the various initiatives taken by individual organizations and the Medical Service, the following recommendations were made:

• HLCM - High Level Committee on Management

  HIV/AIDS in the UN Workplace should be considered high priority. HLCM should monitor and coordinate the UN system response, and identify best practice. HLCM should revise the questionnaire from 1991 and re-issue. HLCM should refine and circulate for comments the UN system policy on confidentiality. HLCM should be responsible for providing all information for UN system staff on a website in coordination with the Medical Service. HLCM should reconvene the Task Force within the next two months. A consultant should review insurance schemes to identify best practice so that coverage can be re-aligned.

• Medical Service

  A full-time post should be created within the Medical Service to coordinate all issues and responses. Technical training should continue for UN dispensaries.

• Task Force

  The Task Force should review all past recommendations and move on them (health insurance, disability, access to drugs and treatment, etc.)

• Inter-agency

  ILO Turin and the UN Staff College should have an expanded role in training on HIV/AIDS workplace issues. UNICEF should make some resources available and share its training packages with ILO Turin.

• United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions (UNGASS)

  A roundtable on UN staff and HIV/AIDS in the UN workplace should be held during the June UNGA Special Session. Participants should include the Medical Service, FICSA, ILO, ACC and field staff living with HIV/AIDS.

• ILO

  The ILO Draft Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work should be adapted for the UN workplace. FICSA has offered to work on this with HLCM and the Medical Service.