UNAIDS announces the launch of a central repository of information on indicators used to track the response to the HIV epidemic. Through the Indicator Registry, professionals in monitoring and evaluation, for the first time ever have access to the complete definitions of all key indicators in one central database.
Coordinated monitoring and evaluation approaches are crucial to generating reliable and timely information on the AIDS epidemic and the response across countries and regions. The use of standardized definitions and indicators supports countries in measuring their way towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support as well as in taking evidence-informed action and ensuring accountability.
The registry allows its users to select appropriate indicators to monitor a country’s epidemic and response and specifically highlights the harmonized indicators that have been endorsed by a wide range of multilateral agencies and international organizations.
A valuable resource for country monitoring
The Indicator Registry is a unique and highly versatile database. Key target audience of the Indicator Registry are national AIDS authorities in the process of defining or reviewing the monitoring and evaluation plan for their national response to HIV, as well as implementers monitoring their HIV programmes. By using the registry, countries are able to:
- access information on the full range of indicators available,
- select appropriate indicators for the country’s epidemic and the response,
- manage and share their country specific set of indicators,
- use standards tools for development of new indicators when needed,
- export indicator definitions to PDF, Word, Excel or SDMX for data collection by applications such as the Country Response Information System (CRIS).
The tool not only allows benchmarking of existing indicators, but can be applied to newly created indicators to ensure that the highest quality information is being collected. Integration of standards tool with the Indicator Registry is an unprecedented step to improve the quality and consistency of indicators used in HIV.
Additional features will be added in the coming year including independent rankings of the indicators, using a new Indicator Standards Tool developed by a technical working group of the UNAIDS Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group (MERG), which includes representatives from various UN agencies, bilateral donors, country representatives and civil society.
The development of the indicator registry was a multi-agency effort with support from the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and the UNAIDS Secretariat and guided by the MERG that sets standards for indicators and their use.
For access to the Indicator Registry, go to: www.indicatorregistry.org
For more information, you may contact Mr. Taavi Erkkola (erkkolat@unaids.org).
