22 November 2002

This Guide includes general information as well as steps you will need to take to implement the Learning Needs Assessment surveys. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Alan Silverman, HIV/AIDS Learning Strategy Advisor for UNAIDS or Ms. Devendri Sandrasagen, Human Resources Officer in UNAIDS.

General Information

Who is expected to complete the surveys and where can the prototype surveys be viewed?

Those expected to complete the surveys are described below:

Part 1: Questionnaire for Individual Staff Members.

This survey should be completed by as many individual UN staff members as possible at country level, from all UN agencies. We would like to see international as well as national staff, professional as well as general service, senior and junior staff alike participate. You may also include consultants and those on short term contracts if they have been/will be associated with the UN for 6 months or more. You may view the prototype questionnaire at the following websites:

English version:http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?JRL3F5FPQT31H8RNB2GH7J6Q

French version:http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?C0GEWSD2JBNRCCYBAEQCYC7H

Spanish version: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?V22LG4WG1N6K3KFH11TTW7H3

Part 2: Questionnaire for UN System Officers Responsible for Human Resources.

This survey should be completed by officers who are responsible for the administration of human resources or personnel in each of the agencies. It is preferable that only one person for each agency who is responsible for human resources respond on behalf of the agency. Also, if an agency's staff is administered by another agency (for example, if UNFPA staff come under UNDP for human resources administration in your country), then it is not necessary for such an agency to answer independently. You may view the prototype questionnaire at the following websites:

English version: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?V1N341KKCMD0SJ6L3QDD3M7F

French version: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?YRH7GAE7FLTQM9GKS6VDLYMA

Spanish version: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?8XG5NBSQL2E319T7L82PXSHF

Part 3: Questionnaire for Facilitators and Trainers.

This survey should be completed by those who have served as facilitators or trainers for UN staff to help them learn more about HIV/AIDS and the UN's policies and entitlements on HIV/AIDS. This could include people from inside the UN or consultants who have served as facilitators or trainers at workshops, orientation sessions, briefings, seminars, discussions, fairs and/or peer education training sessions. The trainers/facilitators may have assisted one agency only, several agencies and/or undertaken interagency work. If your country has not organised such HIV/AIDS learning, then this survey will not apply. You may view the prototype questionnaire at the following websites:

English version: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?BWQPAJTXN2MRY35GAMN127AR

French version: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?M5V5W79654AP7VK5Q59E7T8W

Spanish version: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?9C7Q855MB553GG11DW8PESSV

How long does it take to complete the surveys?

The individual staff member survey includes 15 questions, only 2 of which are open ended. Most staff should be able to complete the survey in 10-15 minutes.

The questionnaire for officers covering human resources covers 20 questions, 7 of which are open ended and require more thought. We estimate that this questionnaire should take about 30 minutes to complete.

Finally, the questionnaire for facilitators and trainers includes 15 questions, 5 of which are open ended. Again, we estimate that this questionnaire should take about 30 minutes to complete.

When will the surveys be undertaken?

There will be four 2-week periods that the surveys may be undertaken, at your country team's choice:

• 11-22 November
• 18-29 November
• 25 November - 6 December
• 2-13 December

The country team must select only one of these 2-week periods during which time all respondents must complete the appropriate surveys. This is for several reasons:

to ease administration of a large number of surveys around the world;

to ensure that there is enough time for all to respond, yet not leaving the time frame too open;

to work within the technical limitations of the survey administration, which is a commercial site that does not allow for an open-ended time frame.

Will the surveys be administered globally or country-by-country?

The survey for individual staff members will be administered country-by-country in order to get a profile for each country. Once your dates are communicated, you will be informed of the web address for your country's survey for individual staff members. (Please see "Step Four" below.)

Given the small numbers of human resource staff and facilitators/trainers in any one country, these surveys will be administered globally in order to maintain confidentiality. Thus country level results will not be available, although we will be able to do a regional analysis.

In what languages are the surveys available?

English, French and Spanish versions are available. However, each country must choose only ONE language for the surveys to be completed by individual staff members. (All three language versions will be available for the human resource officers and trainers/facilitators since these are globally administered.) We regret that we cannot release multiple language surveys for any one country given both technical and administrative limitations.

What steps are needed to implement the survey?

Step One:Deciding to participate

The UN country team and/or HIV/AIDS Theme Group need to meet to review these guidelines and the questionnaires. It is highly recommended that local staff associations also be consulted and that they participate in deciding how to promote the questionnaire for all staff to ensure maximum participation.

We would also like to stress that the surveys are designed to examine the UN system as a whole. In this respect, we are asking all agencies at country level -- or minimally the UNAIDS Cosponsors -- to participate in the surveys.

Step Two: Deciding how to administer the questionnaires

The best way for the questionnaires to be administered is for those who respond to do so directly in the website set up for this purpose, either at their own computers or through computers set up for respondents. While all responses are anonymous and strictly confidential, entered directly into a database with no individual ever identified, some people may nevertheless be concerned that their surveys will not be anonymous and confidential. These concerns may be alleviated if staff are given the opportunity to respond from a "neutral" location in which computers are set up so that they are confident that their responses are not being monitored. This is an issue to raise with the staff associations to determine what will work best locally.

For those countries with limited or no web access, there are several options.

• Option 1: If you have several computers with good web access, you can set up the computers and invite those who respond to come to complete the surveys at these computers.

• Option 2: If there are Internet cafes available locally, an arrangement can be made with the cafes for respondents to have access so that they may complete the surveys.

• Option 3:You can print out the surveys and have respondents complete them on paper and submit them anonymously in an agreed manner. Then someone with web access can transfer the data onto the website.

• Option 4: You can print out the surveys and have respondents complete them on paper and submit them anonymously in an agreed manner. You can then compile the results manually.

Given the large number of countries that will participate, we regret that we are unable to compile data from the individual questionnaires from any country. Accordingly, should your country not be able to enter the data into the web, you would need to send a compiled report with responses, not the individual questionnaires. We will prepare a spreadsheet for you to complete for this purpose.

Step Three: Informing those who will complete the surveys

The appropriate participants should be informed that the surveys will be forthcoming and about the system that will be used, including emphasising how confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained. It is important that people agree to complete the questionnaires within the defined timeframe. This is important since, as noted earlier, once released, the surveys stay active on the Web for two weeks only! The periods available are noted above.

Of course, it is important to send out a reminder (or several reminders!) just before starting the surveys and during the survey period. Sample e-mails/notes will be sent to you to announce the surveys when we hear from you about your agreed dates to participate.

Step Four: Getting the surveys released for your country

All country teams ready to participate should please contact Mr. Alan Silverman by 28 October, with copy to Ms. Devendri Sandrasagen. They will arrange to release the surveys for you to implement on the agreed dates. We want to emphasise that neither Alan nor Devendri will have any access to individual records, but they need to be contacted to activate the website for your country. When writing to them, please inform them of the following:

1. Dates that your country will undertake the surveys
2. Language that your country office will use for the survey (English, French or Spanish)
3. Whether you will administer the survey by having staff complete it at their desks, by using one of the suggested options listed above, or whether you have chosen another option -- and if so to please describe it
4. Whom to contact in your country should there be any questions (name, e-mail, phone)
5. Whom to send the results to for your country (name, e-mail, phone).

How will we get the results? And then what?

You will receive the country level and global results by end-2002. We encourage you to share the results with all who have participated and to discuss them as a country team to see what you have learned for how to move forward.

At the global level, results will be used as the HIV/AIDS learning strategy is developed to improve resources, materials and guidance on approaches and activities.