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“It is ironic that for many years the headquarters of the United Nations has been located in a country that does not allow people with HIV to enter. We need to hold the UN and its member states to higher standards than this - we are trying to serve these countries, not to burden them.” – UN+ member
All people living with HIV face potential obstacles when seeking to travel. Many UN employees are required to travel in the course of their work; many may seek work and residence in countries other than their homeland, for short or long periods of time. In this way HIV-positive staff members regularly come face to face with one of the most high-profile obstacles to freedom of movement: official and de facto policies that bar people known to be living with HIV from entering countries.
Travel and mobility restrictions have a negative impact on a positive HIV staff members’ ability to do his or her job and advance a career through the system to the same extent as HIV-negative counterparts. While UN+ recognizes that some of the variables involved are outside the direct influence of the UN system and that each individual will have unique circumstances, UN+ urges the UN to focus on promoting and upholding the right of HIV-positive staff members to make the same choices as others with regards to travel and mobility.
UN+ notes with disappointment that despite the issue of travel restrictions presenting a great opportunity for advocacy or campaigning to challenge a tangible example of discrimination the UN and key partners have failed to prioritize it. UN system organizations can play a more active role in urging member states to eliminate such restrictions and to adopt more appropriate policies that take into account public health realities and uphold internationally accepted human rights standards.
Key travel and mobility problem: national HIV-related entry restrictions
Some countries have no policies regarding the entry of HIV-positive people, as long as they meet eligibility requirements applicable to all individuals. On the other hand, a 1987 United States immigration law defined HIV as a “dangerous contagious disease” and states that all foreign nationals with HIV are “inadmissible” to the
United States . At least 75 other countries have similar barriers. A handful of nations—now about 20—have particularly rigid policies requiring proof of HIV-negative status before allowing anyone to enter for any reason. There are indications that such policies are becoming more common and are being enforced more aggressively.
Restrictions can make it difficult for HIV-positive UN employees to attend conferences and meetings; visit friends and family abroad; rotate to other duty stations; and otherwise have the same travel opportunities, rights and responsibilities as their HIV-negative colleagues. HIV-positive spouses, partners and children face the same barriers. It is important to note that in some countries with official bans on HIV-positive individuals’ entry and work, including the
U.S. , the restrictions have tended to be waived or not applied in the case of UN employees. However, in other countries including China, the ability of HIV-positive United Nations employees to live and work in the country is limited because of mandatory testing with no waivers for United Nations employees.
To learn more about specific travel restrictions by country go to www.aidsnet.ch for their travel specific page click here.
Action to address travel and mobility problems and limitations
Two kinds of responses to mobility-related problems have been suggested by UN+ members: internal changes involving United Nations policies and procedures and external changes outside the UN system that may occur as a result of UN advocacy.
UN+ proposed UN internal changes:
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Ensure that travel and mobility issues for HIV-positive staff are addressed in management training sessions and in the UN Learning Strategy on HIV/AIDS. According to several UN+ members, many managers and supervisors continue to believe longstanding myths and misconceptions that a person is functionally disabled when he or she has HIV.
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Refuse to hold conferences, meetings, and other gatherings of UN staff in countries where HIV-positive individuals’ entry is prohibited or restricted to a greater extent than that of uninfected people. UN agencies could also boycott AIDS conferences hosted by other organizations in such countries.
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Provide more extensive, easily accessible information about HIV treatment in every country where UN staff are based. The UN system anticipated the concerns of UN+ in this area, and the Medical Services Database is being created. The database will consist of two main parts. The first section will focus on HIV services in target countries including: focal point contact details; voluntary counselling and testing centres; organizations of people living with HIV; HIV treatment and care availability; and where to access PEP kits. The second section will concentrate on technical information on HIV services including: doctors; where and which antiretroviral treatment is available; other services offered; information on testing options; which drugs are available to treat opportunistic infections and where; support for people living with HIV, and HIV projects. Once launched, the database will be accessible on the UNAIDS workplace website at: http://unworkplace.unaids.org/.
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Establish a dedicated “medical pouch” system through which HIV-positive employees from across the UN system can order necessary supplies, including antiretroviral drugs. This system would be of most benefit to individuals who are transferred regularly, so that they can avoid the inconvenience and potential health risks of ¨treatment interruptions.
UN+ proposed external action steps:
Click here to download the UN+ Position Papers for expanded information on the UN+ Confidentiality Position
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