UN Cares is the UN system-wide worldwide programme on HIV, launched by the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in 2007. It is designed to reduce the impact of HIV in the workplace by supporting “universal access” to a comprehensive range of benefits for all UN personnel and their families – including prevention, treatment, care and support.
These benefits, known as the Un Cares 10 Minimum standards, include information and education, voluntary counselling and testing, access to male and female condoms, and emergency prevention measures in case of accidental exposure, among others. The Standards also call for increased measures to stop stigma and discrimination.
The UN Cares Inter-Agency Team in Nepal was established in 2008 and is currently formed of 26 members from 18 UN agencies and entities (ILO, OHCHR, RCHCO, UN Dispensary, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNDSS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNICEF-ROSA, UNIFEM, UNMIN, UNODC, WFP, WHO). The Team is established under the direct supervision of the UN Theme Group on HIV and AIDS. It’s elected Chair represents the Team as required at the UN Theme Group meetings to ensure updates and information sharing with Heads of Agencies. The Team seeks technical support from the UN Joint Team on AIDS through the UNAIDS Secretariat.
The overall goal of the Un Cares Team is to ensure that all UN staff members are able to make informed decisions to protect themselves from HIV and, in the event that they are infected or affected by HIV, to ensure that they have access to the best possible treatment and support. This includes a supportive and compassionate work environment, free of stigma and discrimination.
The Team organizes and facilitates HIV-related workplace learning and orientation activities, develops and disseminates learning materials and tools, manages condom dispensers as well as the Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) kits in six different outlets around the country and trains the PEP-kit holders. The funding of the activities is based on voluntary contributions by the participating agencies.
