8 June 2001

(FICSA reported in Update No. 18 / 2001 about the Task Force meeting held on 23 April 2001.)

The Task Force followed up on actions recommended at its previous session and developed consensus on issues that would be pursued in the near future. The meeting was characterized by the participants’ purposefulness, and their determination to move actions forward, even in the face of scarce resources. The meeting adopted a number of practical recommendations and participants accepted responsibility for their implementation.

In view of the importance of improving the care, support, treatment and access to drugs for staff and their dependants living with HIV/AIDS, FICSA would like to suggest to the relevant member associations and unions that they monitor progress on the recommendations to be followed up within their organizations, and to assist the administration wherever possible.

The Task Force acknowledged the need to train administrative staff such as Workplace Focal Points and for coordination among organizations.

• UNDP will continue to explore the possibility of enrolling staff in the one-year Medunsa training course in South Africa, and will obtain further information on course content, costs, etc. (Medunsa is the Medical University of Southern Africa. The postgraduate course in the Management of HIV/AIDS in the World of Work is a one year online course with two weeks on campus. It is presented in partnership between the National School of Public Health at MEDUNSA and the University of Stellenbosch.)

• The issue of training will be discussed further at the ACC HR Network on 5-7 June 2001.

• All organizations will be requested to inform UNAIDS by the end of June 2001 of the number of copies of the UNAIDS booklet required in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, according to the needs of the HIV/AIDS focal points and staff.

• UNAIDS will print orders on a cost-recovery basis.

PEP kits are post exposure prevention kits that contain treatment for either three or five days. They are given to staff members who have been exposed to the AIDS virus.

• UNDP will work closely with WHO/Joint Medical Service (JMS) to determine an official list of remote places where PEP kits are needed so that UNICEF can finalize the distribution list.

• The remaining 50 three-day PEP kits will be left as back-up kits for capital cities while the new five-day kits will be sent to isolated locations.

• Further comments on the HIV/AIDS information note that accompanies travel kits will be sent to the ACC Secretariat and WHO/JMS by 1 June 2001.

• UNICEF will send a follow-up message to all organizations participating in the PEP initiative to ask whether there are any objections to the International Rescue Committee becoming a member of the initiative.

• The Director of the UN Medical Service will send a copy of the UN Dispensary "Standard Waiver of Liability" to the ACC Secretariat to serve as a model for a "PEP Kit Liability Waiver".

The Task Force agreed that Resident Coordinators would receive three documents: the Guidance Note, Key Steps in Establishing Local HIV/AIDS Care and Support for UN Staff and Their Dependants, and the Facilitation Guide on HIV/AIDS Infection: Information for United Nations Employees and Their Families.

• UNDP will ensure the distribution to Resident Coordinators.

• The ACC Secretariat will distribute the documents to all organizations with a request that they be shared with country-level representatives.

The UN system needs to ensure that all staff members and their families have access to the purchase of drugs.

• UNAIDS will provide a list of countries where anti-retroviral drugs are available locally, and a list of countries where drugs have been made more affordable.

• UNDP will contact all Resident Coordinators to confirm the information provided by UNAIDS and which they are requested to collect by the Guidance Note.

• Based on the information received from the Resident Coordinators, the Task Force will establish a plan of action for at least 10 countries where access to affordable drugs and/or adequate care is not available.

• The ACC Secretariat will circulate a questionnaire every two years to assess the extent to which the policy is being implemented and to identify areas that need further improvement.

• The ACC Secretariat will distribute the Health Insurance Information Note to all organizations for revision based on their own medical insurance schemes.

• The ACC Secretariat will request all organizations to submit details of their medical insurance schemes and will continue to raise funds in order to hire a consultant for this project.

• The ACC Secretariat will request all organizations to submit the details of the medical insurance schemes and will continue fund-raising to hire a consultant for this project.

It is important to maintain employee confidentiality, particularly with respect to medical insurance records.

• The confidentiality draft will be adopted as an official guideline and re-circulated to organizations.

The Task Force extended its appreciation to Caroline Vu of the ACC Secretariat for her work on HIV/AIDS in the UN Workplace.

• The ACC Secretariat will search for another candidate to replace Ms. Vu (who is leaving to pursue legal studies), and will seek funding for this position to enable ACC to sustain the level of productivity and coordination achieved during the past few months.