GENEVA, 20 July 2018—Following the call by the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, for an external high-level independent panel to provide recommendations to UNAIDS to further strengthen implementation of its zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment, the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board agreed to create an Independent Expert Panel. The panel will:
- Review the current situation in the UNAIDS Secretariat with regard to harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and abuse of power and retaliation, including by looking back over the past seven years, to assess the organizational culture at headquarters and the regional and country offices.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of existing policies and procedures to prevent and address harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying, retaliation and abuse of power, in the UNAIDS Secretariat workplace.
- Recommend a comprehensive set of prioritized measures on organizational culture, policies and fair and due process procedures with respect to harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying, retaliation and abuse of power in the workplace.
The UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board Bureau has now announced that the panel will be comprised of:
- Professor Gillian Triggs (Australia)—Chair
- Sir Robert Francis (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
- Ms Vrinda Grover (India)
- Dr Fulata Moyo (Malawi)
- Ms Charlotte Petri Gornitzka (Sweden)
The Chair of the panel, Professor Gillian Triggs, has issued a statement inviting confidential written submissions on matters related to the work of the panel to be sent to IEPChair@qedconsulting.com.
The UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board Bureau has also selected QED Consulting to perform the function of secretariat to the Independent Expert Panel. The selection was made through a competitive tendering process. The appointment of QED Consulting as the secretariat will support the independent functioning of the Independent Expert Panel.
More details about the Independent Expert Panel and its functioning can be found at http://www.unaids.org/en/whoweare/pcb/iep.
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
