Feature stories
December
- UNAIDS in action 2006
- 2006 was pivotal in the AIDS response. The number of people living with HIV rose to new highs, but infection rates declined in some countries. Young people's sexual behaviours showed positive trends proving that prevention works, highlighting the need to scale up programmes to address the epidemics.
- 2006 World AIDS Day events
- With nearly 40 million people living with HIV in 2006, this year's World AIDS Day theme of 'accountability' was a poignant reminder that we all have a role to play in the AIDS response and we are all accountable for the promises we have made. On 1 December events took place around the globe to commemorate this special day of rememberance and hope.
- A faith-based response to HIV in southern Africa
- A recent study on the faith-based response to HIV in southern Africa has been published as part of the UNAIDS Best Practice Collection as an example of how a coordinated response to the epidemic has increased HIV prevention education, care and support to communities affected by AIDS as well as complementing governments’ efforts to curb the epidemic.
- Joint UNAIDS / DFID delegation visit to India
- AIDS leaders from the United Kingdom and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) came together in India for a joint mission to gain greater insight into the country’s AIDS response. During the four-day visit, Sir Suma Chakrabarti, Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Development (DFID) and Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS met with political leaders, senior government officials and parliamentarians, students, representatives from non governmental orga
- Local initiatives push for change in India
- A joint UNAIDS / DFID delegation has urged political leaders in the north Indian State of Bihar to rapidly scale up HIV awareness, prevention, care and support. At the same time, the delegation commended the commitment in the State to achieving these aims.
- Ambitious targets set in Malawi
- The involvement of civil society in the process of setting targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support has resulted in ambitious targets addressing the needs and expectations of those living with or affected by HIV.
- UNAIDS helps secure grants in the Middle East and North Africa
- The number of people living with HIV in the Middle East and North Africa has risen to 460,000 and some 68,000 people were newly infected in 2006 alone. In a bid to curb the region’s growing epidemic, five countries have been working with UNAIDS to prepare HIV grant proposals to the 6th Round of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, four of which were successful in obtaining additional funding for the national AIDS response.
- Gender equality key to development, says UNICEF report
- Gender inequality and the low status of women in society are two of the principal drivers of HIV. ‘The State of the World’s Children 2007’ report published today by UNICEF underlines that empowering women is pivotal to the health and development of families, communities and nations.
- 19th Programme Coordinating Board meeting, Lusaka, Zambia, 6-8 December 2006
- Some 260 participants gathered in Lusaka for the 19th Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS governing board meeting. The meeting brought together representatives from government, civil society, donors and the United Nations to push for greater UN action to strengthen country efforts against AIDS.
- UNAIDS Special Representative HSH Princess Stephanie of Monaco leads creative AIDS fundraising activities
- Bringing together musicians, artists and other famous faces, UNAIDS Special Representative HSH Princess Stephanie of Monaco continues her creative efforts to raise awareness and resources for the AIDS response..
- Calls for accountability and gender equality at World AIDS Day 2006 event in New York City
- UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot, AIDS activist Lynn Murchison and Hunger Project President Joan Holmes took part in an event in New York to commemorate World AIDS Day.
- World AIDS Day 2006 in New York
- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was joined by UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot and leaders of different faiths to commemorate World AIDS Day at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in New York. The gathering in New York was one of a host of events taking place around the world to mark World AIDS Day 2006.
November
- Wear your red ribbon this World AIDS Day
- The red ribbon has become an internationally recognized symbol for AIDS awareness, worn by people throughout the year in support of people living with HIV and in remembrance of those who have died. On 1 December this year, people around the world will be pinning on their red ribbons as they commemorate World AIDS Day. But where did the ribbon come from?
- World AIDS day 2006
- Statements for World AIDS Day 2006: UNAIDS Cosponsors, UNAIDS Special Representatives, UNAIDS Partners
- AIDS and Human Rights activist awarded
- AIDS and human rights are inextricably linked as demonstrated by Beatrice Were, a leading advocate for the rights of people living with HIV in Uganda who recently received the Human Rights Watch Defender Award in recognition of her work.
- Stop violence against women; stop HIV
- For many women, violence or the threat of violence dramatically increases their vulnerability to HIV infection. The ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence’ campaign which runs every year from 25 November – 10 December aims to stem violence against women and highlights the intersections between domestic violence and HIV.
- Joining forces to tackle TB and HIV
- TB is one of the biggest killers of people living with HIV and now a new strain of TB is emerging that has become resistant to most of the available anti-tuberculosis drugs. WHO and UNAIDS, together with other actors working on TB and HIV issues are stepping up action to stop the spread of TB and the deadly new strain.
- 2006 AIDS epidemic update launch
- Photo gallery: 2006 AIDS epidemic update launch in Germany
- Inauguration of the new UNAIDS/WHO building
- The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the international community to continue to “fight to bring the global AIDS epidemic under control” as he visited UNAIDS in Geneva for the inauguration of the new UNAIDS/WHO building.
- UNAIDS/WHO launch 2006 AIDS epidemic update
- UNAIDS launched the new joint UNAIDS/WHO report, AIDS Epidemic Update 2006, featuring updated global and regional AIDS estimates and new trends in the epidemic’s evolution on 21 November 2006.
- Secretary General visits UNAIDS, Geneva
- The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the international community to continue to “fight to bring the global AIDS epidemic under control” as he visited UNAIDS in Geneva for the inauguration of the new UNAIDS/WHO building.
- Buddhist Monks raise AIDS awareness in Laos
- Every morning Buddhist Monk Maytryjit gets up at 3:45 am to meditate for one hour. Afterwards, he walks through the streets of Vientiane in the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic to collect his food alms.
- Increased HIV services for drug users needed
- Increasing access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services for drug users and their partners is crucial to addressing the issue of growing HIV infections related to injecting drug use in the Middle East and North Africa region.
- Towards universal access: West and Central Africa
- The renewed commitment to universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support undertaken by countries across the world, has paved the way in West and Central Africa to more inclusive dialogue among partners, galvanizing consensus around the core challenges currently obstructing the national response, and strengthening joint determination to scale up national programmes.
- Addressing HIV and drug use in the Middle East and North Africa
- Injecting drug use is an increasingly important factor in the HIV epidemics of the Middle East and North Africa. To better address the issue, wide-ranging partnerships are needed to help increase HIV treatment, prevention and care programmes for drug users and their partners.
- How business could succeed in scaling up the business response to AIDS in Africa
- In the first ever study of its kind, “The State of Business Coalitions in Sub-Saharan Africa” shows how 27 countries are supporting businesses in addressing HIV/AIDS.
- Asia Pacific: Call for action on AIDS
- Asia and Pacific countries with low HIV prevalence rates called for action to increase targeted HIV prevention efforts and funding for AIDS, at the ‘Low to Zero’ Asia Pacific regional conference on universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in low prevalence countries, that took place in Mongolia from 24 – 27 October.
October
- Universal access: target setting in Asia and the Pacific
- Less than six months after the United Nations Member States endorsed the 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS; countries across the world have started setting ambitious targets to significantly scale up their response to AIDS. We asked Mr Prasada Rao, UNAIDS Regional Support Team Director for Asia and the Pacific to update us on progress in his region.
- AIDS theme at Ukraine fashion week
- On the first day of Ukrainian fashion week, the art and fashion world came together to promote AIDS awareness at a gala event in Kiev. Top Ukrainian designer Alexey Zalevsiky unveiled his 2007 spring-summer collection which featured men’s and women’s formal and casual wear with a difference.
- Addressing AIDS challenges in Belarus
- In less than a decade, numbers of new infections have increased twenty-fold in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Belarus is no exception. Professor Lars Kallings, the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Europe, recently visited the country and urged political leaders to step forward and talk openly about the epidemic.
- Community education raises AIDS awareness in Papua
- AIDS has hit Papua especially hard. To stem the tide of transmission, a programme supported by UNICEF is educating young people in Papua about HIV. The goal is to promote awareness in the classroom and train young people to serve as peer educators.
- Accountability; main message on World AIDS Day
- Executive Director of the World AIDS Campaign, Marcel van Soest speaks to UNAIDS about the history of the World AIDS Campaign, how people can become involved in this year’s events and why ‘accountability’ is such a crucial theme for World AIDS Day 2006
- UNAIDS Special Representative Mary Fisher honored
- On 16 October, the Worldwide Orphans Foundation honored UNAIDS Special Representative Mary Fisher in recognition of her longstanding AIDS efforts, particularly as a determined advocate for women and children living with and affected by HIV worldwide.
- UNAIDS Executive Director visits Japan
- The Department of Global Health and Socio-epidemiology at Kyoto University has become a ‘UNAIDS Collaborating Centre’, following a signing ceremony between the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Kyoto University that took place in Japan on October 12th 2006.
- UN General Assembly discusses Violence against Women
- From 9 to 11 October, the advancement of women was debated at the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly. One of the most critical items on the agenda was the Secretary-General's in-depth study on all forms of violence against women.
- Amazonians unite to fight stigma in Brazil
- Stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV is commonplace in the Amazon region of Brazil. In an effort to change attitudes and increase awareness about AIDS, people living with HIV in the heart of the Amazonian territory have come together to try to encourage people to learn about the epidemic and break down AIDS-related stigma.
September
- Cambodia’s HIV Hotline – advice and counselling just a phone call away
- The ‘Inthanou’ telephone hotline is a free, anonymous and confidential telephone counselling service in Cambodia that provides HIV information, support, counselling and referral.
- HIV: ‘Risks and Responsibilities’
- Despite evidence establishing male-to-male sex as one of the driving forces of HIV transmission in Asia and the Pacific, only a few HIV interventions are strategically focusing on prevention, treatment, care and support for men who have sex with men in the region. The need to build and strengthen programmes for men who have sex with men is being addressed at the Male Sexual Health and HIV in Asia and the Pacific International Consultation, being held in New Delhi from September 23 to 26, 2006.
- UNITAID launched
- UNITAID - an international drug purchasing facility – financed by air ticket tax levies and other sources – was officially launched on Tuesday 19 September on the opening day of the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
- Fighting stigma against sexual minorities in Latin America
- Stigma, discrimination and sexual violence is a reality for many sexual minorities around the world. Marcela shares her experience as a transsexual living with HIV in Latin America.
- Church strengthens role in AIDS response
- The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches released a strong statement on AIDS when they met earlier this month in Geneva to decide on programme plans and a renewed organizational structure
- Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan: a window of opportunity
- Amidst growing epidemics in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have managed maintain relatively low levels of HIV prevalence. During a recent visit to the region the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific Dr. Nafis Sadik congratulated the two countries on their work to reduce the spread of the disease and encouraged them to step-up their efforts on prevention.
- China’s Olympic effort to raise AIDS awareness
- As China builds stadiums and amenities across the country to host the 2008 Olympic games, a parallel initiative is taking place to raise awareness about HIV among the thousands of construction workers involved in preparing Beijing for the Olympics.
- China province project reaches out to young people
- A joint HIV prevention and care project in the remote Chinese province of Guizhou is focusing on young people and addressing issues such as the link between injecting drug use and HIV.
- Summer caravan drives forward HIV prevention efforts in Morocco
- Caravanning in Morocco has taken a whole new meaning with a special summer caravan travelling around the country in a quest to raise awareness about HIV prevention among young people.
- Universal access: New push from African civil society
- Thirty representatives from the African Civil Society Coalition on HIV and AIDS attended the International AIDS Conference in Toronto to push forward the agenda on universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support for all Africans.
August
- Emerging epidemics in Eastern Europe on the agenda
- UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot recently visited Berlin to discuss ways of strengthening collaboration between UNAIDS and Germany and to promote continued commitment to the AIDS response. Dr Piot met with Government Ministers, parliamentary representatives, the National AIDS Council and NGO representatives. During the trip Dr Piot also made a special visit to a café run by people living with HIV.
- Revival of old traditions brings hope to orphans in Swaziland
- In Swaziland there are few families who remain unaffected by AIDS. One of the biggest challenges facing the country today is how to care for the estimated 63,000 children orphaned by the epidemic. ‘KaGogo’ centres are one way in which the people of Swaziland have been tackling this issue.
- ‘Butterfly Brigade’ takes flight to promote HIV prevention in the Philippines
- In an unusual partnership with provincial authorities, the ‘Butterfly Brigade’ - a group of gay activist peer educators – is leading an innovative community awareness campaign on sexual health and HIV prevention in the Philippines.
- India launches ‘grassroots’ outreach for HIV
- The government of India has launched its largest ever outreach on AIDS to the country’s elected representatives with the hosting of first national convention of District Council Chairpersons (Zilla Parishad Adhyakshas) and Mayors.
- UNAIDS Executive Director meets with Prime Minister of India
- Dr Peter Piot met with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. The Prime Minister's leadership has put the AIDS response on the national political agenda. As the Chairperson of the National Council on AIDS, Dr. Singh has developed a multi-ministerial task force comprising of 31 ministries and seven state governments for a coordinated multi-sectoral response to the HIV epidemic in India.
July
- Putting HIV on the front page
- This summer, a group of Sri Lankan journalists joined a special UNAIDS workshop in Bangkok to better examine the powerful role the media can play within the AIDS response.
- Access to treatment: Secretary General and pharmaceutical companies meet
- The UN Secretary General, CEOs from the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies and UN officials met in New York to explore ways in which the companies and United Nations can work collaboratively in expanding access to HIV treatment and care in developing countries.
- Investigating the impact of AIDS in Asia/Pacific – independent commission on AIDS launched
- A new body to study the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS in the Asia Pacific region was launched on Saturday (15 July) in New Delhi. The independent Commission on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific consists of 10 leading economists, scientists, civil society representatives and policy-makers from across the region.
- RAISING AIDS AWARENESS AMONG POLICY MAKERS IN INDIA
- First legislative forum on HIV and AIDS in Bihar state. The Indian North Indian state of Bihar is the first in India to have established a forum with a formal constitution and institutional mechanisms for elected representatives to address AIDS issues in the state.
June
- Sharing skills, support and hope
- When rural girls and young women move to Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, in search of a better life, not all of them find it. Faced with limited educational training and the difficulties of earning a living—some end up as sex workers and at risk for HIV. Kenya Voluntary Women Rehabilitation Centre reaches out to sex workers in the slums of Nairobi and helps young women re-build their self-esteem and make positive changes in their lives.
May
- Eastern Europe and Central Asia are facing the challenge
- Under the theme “facing the challenge”, the first Eastern European and Central Asian AIDS conference (EECCAAC) welcomed around 1500 participants in Moscow from 15 to 17 May. This first regional conference provided an important forum for political leaders, scientists and researchers, people living with HIV and representatives from civil society to take stock of the AIDS response in the region. The EECAAC will be held every two years, and will replace the annual Russian National AIDS Conference in
- Sweden: standing up for HIV prevention
- Government of Sweden and UNAIDS met with policy makers, civil society representatives and the media in Stockholm this week to work together towards building a vocal constituency around HIV prevention. HIV prevention efforts have for some time been overshadowed by the increased attention on treatment. An effective response to AIDS requires access to both HIV treatment and prevention.
- New African resolve to combat AIDS, TB and Malaria
- African leaders and Heads of State recently met in Abuja, Nigeria at a Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to address the challenges posed by the three diseases that kill an estimated four million Africans every year.
April
- President Putin calls for urgent measures to stem the HIV epidemic in Russia
- President Vladimir Putin gathered the Presidium of the State Council to discuss the HIV epidemic in Russia. In a groundbreaking move, the State Council examined all aspects of the growing epidemic in the country and agreed on a set of measures that will strengthen Russia’s response to the epidemic in an unprecedented manner.
- Crown Princess Mette–Marit meets UNAIDS staff and UN positive group
- In her new role as UNAIDS Special Representative, the Crown Princess Mette-Marit made a special visit to UNAIDS secretariat in Geneva to find out more about the epidemic and to meet some of the people involved in the AIDS response. Her Royal Highness will focus particularly on issues of stigma and discrimination as well as reaching out to young people and people living with HIV.
- India: changing lives through TV programming
- Nothing can be more devastating for a father than not being able to touch his own children. And that is exactly what happened to Panchu Bhol, a villager in the south-eastern state of Orissa, India. Many men from this poverty-stricken hinterland of Puri district migrate seasonally to Gujarat in search of livelihood. Panchu had also embarked on this migration route, regularly sending money to his family, until he contracted HIV in Surat, the port city of Gujarat.
- African Union and UN launch bold initiative to scale up HIV prevention in Africa
- In an attempt to step up the pace of HIV prevention in Africa, the African Union and United Nations launched a new initiative last week to scale up HIV prevention programmes in Africa.
- Miss Universe calls on young Russians to get tested for HIV
- Committed to the fight against AIDS, reigning Miss Universe, Natalie Glebova travelled to Moscow to promote HIV testing, raise awareness and combat stigma and discrimination. This was Natalie’s first trip back to her birthplace since she moved to Canada at the age of 12. She felt AIDS was too important an issue to miss an opportunity to talk with Russia’s young people about HIV.
March
- ‘Positive partnerships’ break down AIDS-discrimination in Thailand
- Heralded by UNAIDS as an example of ‘best practice’, a project that offers small loans to enable people living with HIV set up businesses is helping break down stigma and discrimination in Thailand.
- Brazilian designer: condoms, basic as jeans, necessary as love
- Adriana Bertini, a Brazilian artist living in São Paulo, uses expired or defective condoms as raw material to make pieces of art. Her creations include ornate evening dresses, vivid bikinis, elegant shawls, flowery carnival costumes, and other plastic arts.
- Papua New Guinea strengthens its national AIDS response
- During the First National HIV Summit recently held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister reaffirmed a three-fold budget increase for the National AIDS Council to address the country’s growing AIDS crisis.
- Economic security for women key to HIV prevention
- A new paper published today by the UNAIDS-led Global Coalition on Women and AIDS (GCWA) shows that when women have an income and a safe place to live, they are much better able to negotiate abstinence, fidelity, and safer sex. Economic security, the paper stresses, is a major factor in enabling women to protect themselves from HIV.
- Salif Keita performs at UNAIDS fundraising concert in Athens
- On 1 March Salif Keita, one of the world’s greatest musicians, was in Athens performing in front of a packed audience at the Greek Opera House. This was a unique event as it was the first time a concert, other than classical music, was held at the Opera House. The concert was a fundraising event for UNAIDS, organized by Ms Mero Kececioglu-Kylicas, UNAIDS Special Representative and President of the Foundation for Greek Action in Africa.
February
- Innovative AIDS funding takes off
- For several years now, the international community has been looking for new tools to ensure sustained financing for development and the fight against poverty. A recent international conference on “Solidarity and Globalization: innovative financing for development and against pandemics”, held in Paris, brought together more than one hundred countries from the around the world as well as,18 international organizations and 60 NGOs to discuss the implementation of innovative financing for developmen
- UNAIDS and partners reach out to young military recruits in Brazil
- Packed with 750 young navy cadets, the Rio de Janeiro’s Naval School hosted representatives from the Brazilian Ministries of Defense and Health, UNAIDS and UNFPA to launch the STD, HIV and AIDS Prevention Programme in the Armed Forces and Military Academies.
- On the frontline: Chinese star speaks out on AIDS
- The first time Chinese TV star Wenli Jiang took part in a public HIV prevention and awareness raising event, in 2003, she was decidedly nervous. Standing on a temporary stage set up in the most popular shopping section in Beijing, she looked out at the shoppers, holding a sheaf of condoms in her hand.
- UNAIDS and partners launch ‘living positively’ book in Tanzania
- When young Tanzanian Vumilia Omar told her husband she had tested HIV positive, his reaction was one of anger and fury. “He didn’t want to look at me or our children,” she said, telling how her husband then left the family home taking all their possessions with him and leaving Vumilia and her children with nothing and nowhere to go.
- AIDS mission to Rwanda to discuss coordination, next steps in AIDS response
- This week, leaders from Luxemburg, United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), UNICEF and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) are visiting Rwanda for a two-day, high-level mission to gain a joint perspective on the progress of the national AIDS response and the ongoing challenges it faces.
- World Not Doing Nearly Enough to Protect Children Affected by AIDS
- By 2010 an estimated 18 million children in sub-Saharan Africa alone will be orphaned by the disease. The Global Partners Forum, hosted by UNICEF and the UK Department for International Development (DFID), has brought together 90 international organizations, NGOs and governments in an effort to ramp up practical responses to the suffering children caught in the AIDS pandemic.
January
- AIDS: everybody’s business
- AIDS affects business, employees, markets and productivity across the world. As business leaders meet in Davos this week for the World Economic Forum, many are turning their attention to the issue of the increasing impact of AIDS in the workplace.
- Towards universal access: meeting the challenge in Latin America
- Lowering the prices of AIDS medicines and other essential commodities, securing additional donor support, increasing international awareness of the epidemic in the region, and reducing homophobia and gender discrimination were among the priority actions identified at the Latin America regional consultation on scaling up towards universal access.
2005 November
- World AIDS Day kicks off with theme "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."
- The theme for World AIDS Day 2005 was 'Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise', referring to the promises made by the global community to reverse the spread of AIDS.
- Latin America and the Caribbean AIDS conference ends in El Salvador
- The III Latin America and the Caribbean Forum on HIV/AIDS/STDs and the IV Central American Congress on STD/HIV/AIDS took place in November with a gathering of Presidents and other leaders from the Central America region. Dr Piot represented UNAIDS at the Presidential Summit and addressed the conference closing plenary.
