STANDARD Chartered Bank (SCB) Brunei was awarded the first Asean Red Ribbon for Outstanding Workplace Award in recognition of the bank’s HIV and AIDS programme in the workplace. The award presentation ceremony was held yesterday in Bogor, Indonesia.
The award is conducted for the first time by the Asean Business Coalition on HIV and AIDS (Asean-BCA) and as adopted by the Asean Senior Labour Officials. Standard Chartered Bank was nominated based on the following criteria; Adherence to principles and non-discrimination and confidentiality to workers related to HIV and AIDS; Availability of policies, including its arrangement and organisation, and programmes on HIV and AIDS in the workplace; Providing workers with access to trainings on HIV and AIDS in the workplace; Implementation of HIV and AIDS education in the workplace through; Awareness programme for workers on HIV and AIDS in the workplace; Providing workers with access to service for counselling and testing; Raising community awareness on HIV and AIDS as the company’s Corporate Social Responsbility programme and; Availability and implementation of administration and reporting systems of HIV and AIDS in the workplace.
Marilyn Graeme, Head Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing at Standard Chartered Brunei who accepted the award on behalf the bank said, “We are extremely delighted to receive the ARROW Award in recognition of the efforts our HIV Champions at Standard Chartered Bank Brunei have made around HIV and AIDS in the country. It is a great motivator for us to continue with the education efforts as well as seek greater collaborative efficiencies to spread the facts around HIV and AIDS in order to dispel the myths and reduce stigma. With five million people in Asia Pacific region alone who are living with HIV, there is still much work to be done. HIV doesn’t discriminate. People do and we should change the way we see it.”
In 2003, Standard Chartered Bank Brunei was the first organisation to implement HIV education and training for its employees in Brunei.
Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, Deputy Secretary-General for ASSC, Asean Secretariat, Marilyn Graeme, Head of Brand and Marketing, and Corporate Affairs (Standard Chartered Bank Brunei), in a group photo with other award recipients from the private sector and Maruli A Hasoloan, Acting General Labour Inspection and OSH Department, Ministry of Manpower, Indonesia.
The bank was also the first organisation to extend the HIV education programme to local and private higher learning institutions in Brunei through collaboration with the Ministry of Education Ministry of Health and Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council to educate more than 1,000 students, 350 community nurses as well as 100% of its staff members between 2004 and 2005.
Standard Chartered Bank Brunei has supported the Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council in the setting up of its first office and headquarters and continues to collaborate with the NGO on initiatives highlighting education and awareness on HIV and AIDS.
Standard Chartered Bank continues to offer its Positive Living education programme with external associates and organisations completely free of charge. Organisations interested in the programme can contact the bank via email to corporate-affairs.brunei@sc.com.
For more information on Standard Chartered’s sustainability initiatives, visit its website at www.sc.com/bn/sustainability/en.
The post SCB Brunei receives Asean Red Ribbon appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.