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In an initial roll out, the campaign is being launched in some 16,000 post offices in seven pioneering countries: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Estonia, Mali and Nigeria. The campaign materials provide both visitors and employees with important information about how to prevent HIV through a series of eye-catching posters and hand-outs. The materials also give the address of a multi-language website on HIV prevention, hosted by UNAIDS, which provides detailed information about how to prevent infection.

Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, mentioned that with “more than 7,400 new infections occurring every day it is clear that HIV prevention efforts need to be stepped up urgently”.

To which, Edouard Dayan, UPU Director General added that with 5 to 6 million employees, plus 4 to 5 million indirect workers and all their families, the postal sector is an important outreach tool.

Philip Jennings, emphasized this by saying that Post Offices and postal workers are the soul of the community. He added that this campaign is a good example of concrete partnership between international institutions as well as an important means to mainstream dialogue. He concluded by saying that in our era of social networks, the physical network of post offices is one that can make sure that people are not isolated and in such a campaign post offices can help people.

Assane Diop, Executive Director of the International Labor Organization’s Social Protection Sector mentioned the importance of having a concrete approach to HIV and AIDS through workplaces.

The press release is here attached.

For more information on the campaign, please contact us at: postal@uniglobalunion.org

or visit UNI AIDS at:

http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/PressCentre/PressReleases/2009/20090707_PR_UPUcompaign.asp



For more information on HIV prevention, please visit: www.unaids.org/preventHIV