UN Secretary-General opens UN Plus exhibition

In observance of World AIDS Day 2007, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his wife Yoo Soon-taek opened a photographic exhibition entitled "UN Plus" at the United Nations headquarters in New York with the members of UNPlus - the UN System HIV Positive Staff Group.

UNPlus also marked the occasion with the launch of their new calendar, which features photos of UN staff ‘living positively’ and which has been distributed around the world.

UNPlus was initiated in March 2005 by a group of UN staff members living with HIV, with the support of the UNAIDS secretariat, to create a more enabling environment of all HIV-positive staff members, irrespective of the level of disclosure of their HIV status. UNPlus aims to create an organized and effective voice for people living with HIV within the United Nations system that challenges stigma and discrimination, and contributes to the development of and improvement of existing policies on HIV among United Nations agencies.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon first met UNPlus in May 2007, as part of the 61st session of the General Assembly, to discuss the opportunities and challenges that UN positive staff face at work.

Describing his first meeting with the group as “one of the most moving experiences” of his life, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon vowed to step up efforts to eliminate the stigma that still surrounds people living with AIDS in so many countries.

Mr. Ban said he was touched by the courage shown by the members of UNPlus, as well as the directness with which they spoke about their lives.

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