More feature stories on Western and Central Africa

UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé
The challenges of pandemics for Africa’s development
27 May 2009|
Africa Day, the official day of the African Union, is observed every 25 May. It is an opportunity to celebrate African diversity and success, but also a time to reflect on the challenges remaining in Africa’s road to development.
UNAIDS and UNDP in West and Central Africa
African Parliamentarians commit to universal access to HIV services
18 May 2009|
UNAIDS and UNDP in West and Central Africa have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Forum of Arab and African Parliamentarians for Population and Development (FAAPPD) formalizing the commitment of the Parliamentarians to work towards the goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services in the region.
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UNICEF working to teach AIDS prevention to young people in Guinea
16 April 2009|
Nene Gallé Barry sells charcoal in a very poor area of the Koloma quarter in Conakry, Guinea’s capital. She is 18 now, but left her home village four years ago to earn a living in the city. She has a boyfriend and is sexually active and, until recently, she had never heard of AIDS and had never seen or used a condom.
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Leadership in Senegal’s AIDS response
09 April 2009|
UNAIDS estimates that one per cent of adults in Senegal are living with HIV. In 1992, at a time when the full impact of AIDS on society was only beginning to be recognised in the country, the Catholic church in Senegal founded “SIDA Service,” an organization to support and care for people living with or affected by HIV.
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Supporting young learners living with HIV in Namibia and Tanzania
23 December 2008|
According to a new UNESCO report the learning needs of HIV-positive children in Namibia and Tanzania are currently not being met by their education sectors whose AIDS responses are described as wanting in many respects.
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Public and private sector partnerships in the AIDS response: An opportunity for innovation and leadership
07 December 2008|
Assessing what really works in the AIDS response, and understanding how it works, is all the more pressing in the current context of global financial slowdown said experts at an ICASA session on Friday. The event, “Public private partnerships against HIV: how can we together turn the tide?” was organized by UNAIDS as part of the conference’s Leadership Programme.
ICASA 2008: Men who have sex with men and HIV in Africa
07 December 2008|
From Cape Town to Lagos, several new studies are starting to provide a better understanding of men who have sex with men (MSM) within the context of HIV in Africa. “Homosexuality is very much understudied in West Africa, and in Nigeria it is criminalized, making it difficult to reach MSM,” said Sylvia Adebajo, a researcher at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. “As a result, the lives of MSM are characterized by denial, violence, and stigmatization”. Ms Adebajo was speaking at an ICASA session
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ICASA 2008 ends with call for stronger youth focus
07 December 2008|
ICASA 2008 closed on 7 December with a strong message: youth are essential in the response to AIDS in Africa, especially those living with HIV. The closing ceremony began with a statement delivered by Ms Souadou N'Doye, a young Senegalese. She spoke on behalf of all young Africans and urged those in attendance to ensure that young people are involved in the design of HIV programmes.
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Religious and traditional leaders discuss HIV at ICASA 2008
05 December 2008|
Opinions on sexuality and condom use vary depending on the different beliefs of religious and traditional leaders in Africa. Nonetheless, today at ICASA there was general agreement that regardless of an individual’s choices, human beings should be treated equally and with respect.
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ICASA 2008: Princess Mathilde of Belgium highlights the role of young people in Africa’s AIDS response
05 December 2008|
Participants in a series of ICASA sessions on youth leadership and Africa’s AIDS response were in clear and unanimous agreement: young people are vital to preventing new HIV infections and moving towards the goal of an AIDS-free generation. UNAIDS and UNICEF Special Representative HRH Princess Mathilde of Belgium today reconfirmed her commitment to youth and HIV issues.
ICASA 2008: Long term financing for a sustainable response in Africa
05 December 2008|
The priority of investment in health is crucial for African countries’ successful development stressed Dr Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Dr Kazatchkine was speaking at the 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) where he highlighted the need for a long-term approach to the reinforcement of health systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Only this will mean a sustainable response to the AIDS epidemic.
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ILO and workplace leaders pledge action at ICASA 2008
04 December 2008|
On the occasion of the 15th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA), about fifty workplace leaders gathered together on 4 December at the invitation of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
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ICASA 2008: Improving national private sector HIV responses
04 December 2008|
A consensus is emerging at ICASA that in countries across Africa the private sector needs to work more closely together in order to be successful in responding to AIDS.
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ICASA 2008: Free condoms in hotels as part of HIV prevention initiative
04 December 2008|
As 5000 delegates from across Africa and the world gather in Dakar this week, condoms are being made freely available for delegates in hotels in the city as part of a HIV prevention drive.
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ICASA 2008: Dr Piot reflects on 25 years of AIDS in Africa
04 December 2008|
“We can not predict the future but we can certainly influence it,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot looking ahead after his review of the past 25 years of AIDS in Africa. Dr Piot traced the history of the AIDS epidemic in Africa over the past quarter century and highlighted some key milestones in the response during a plenary session at ICASA.
Understanding HIV transmission for an improved AIDS response in West Africa
03 December 2008|
On the opening day of International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), taking place in Mali under the theme “Africa’s Response: Face the facts,” the World Bank launched a new report exploring the character of the HIV epidemics and responses in countries in West Africa.
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ICASA 2008: Africa AIDS conference to look at progress made and challenges ahead
03 December 2008|
Sustaining the progress that has been made in preventing new HIV infections and getting more people on antiretroviral treatment are priorities for African countries if they are to get ahead of the AIDS epidemic in the coming years – this is the overarching theme to be discussed at the 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) taking place in Dakar, Senegal from 3 to 7 December 2008.
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ICASA 2008: Collaborative TB and HIV activities essential
03 December 2008|
TB is among the leading causes of death in people living with HIV and accounts for an estimated 13% of AIDS deaths worldwide. HIV and TB are so closely connected that they are often referred to as co-epidemics or dual epidemics. Each worsens the impact of the other, yet despite evidence of positive impact of joint interventions, TB and HIV programmes have largely been implemented independently.
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The AIDS response: Relationship to development in Africa
22 September 2008|
As high-level participants and international experts gather to discuss Africa’s development needs and challenges at UN headquarters in New York, we take a look at how HIV and the AIDS response is impacting development on the continent.
UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa Elizabeth Mataka
15 September 2008|
The United Nations Special Envoys for HIV/AIDS are individuals specially selected by the UN Secretary-General to help advance the AIDS agenda in the regions they cover. In a series of interviews, we explore their motivation and commitment to ensuring that AIDS is kept high as a political priority within their respective regions of responsibility and operation.

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01 July 2013

Kenya and the Global Fund and UNAIDS signal partnership. More

01 July 2013

UNAIDS and Lancet Commission address strategic challenges for the future of AIDS and global health. More

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