Intervention by Jeffry Acaba for agenda 6

I would like to begin by reminding everyone that June is Pride month, and on behalf of the NGO Delegation, welcome the update on the strategic human resources management, specifically in rolling out the UN for All training on diversity and inclusion among its staff. We thank the Secretariat in its efforts to make the workplace safe and enabling for its staff to work in dignity by respecting each other regardless whether they belong to one color or to different colors of the rainbow.

We note the developments in the staff realignment with regards to the Gender Action Plan, and communities in my region are beginning to feel its impact, with women moving and representing UNAIDS Secretariat at the country level and in some of the key UNAIDS posts, which must continue to set an example for the UN system towards gender equality.

With regards to the realignment process, community networks in my region are worried that some of the UNAIDS Secretariat positions that are considered critical to the HIV response may not be present anymore, and we request UNAIDS Secretariat to take into consideration the concerns and priorities of communities to understand the need and urgency of keeping critical posts such as those that deal with human rights and law reform.

The other point that I would like to raise is that with the changes in its ways of working, the challenge of UNAIDS right now is to ensure that there is continuous and quick support to non-Fast Track countries, especially those in transition to middle-income status. The UNAIDS office in my country, the Philippines, where people who use drugs are being gunned down on a daily basis; the only country in the region that has an exponential increase of new HIV infections of up to 400% since 2010; and is not a Fast-track country, has had no UNAIDS Country Director for the last six months, at a time when we need UNAIDS to undertake its political and convening role with the government.

The UNAIDS we need is a UNAIDS that puts and maintains the right people with the right capacities in the right places right now.

Thank you.

40th PCB Meeting