Reportage

UNAIDS Executive Director visits Japan

12 octobre 2006

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.

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Peter Piot delivers keynote speech at the University of Kyoto: “25 years of AIDS: tracing the history and looking forwards”.

As UNAIDS Collaborating Centre, the department will make an important contribution to the global and regional promotion of HIV prevention efforts, using its innovative methodological approach called "socio-epidemiology", which integrates qualitative with quantitative methods, and sociological with epidemiological viewpoints and draws upon considerable experience and accomplishments in researching on sexual behaviours and HIV intervention.





The collaboration with UNAIDS aims to strengthen HIV prevention among people most at risk of HIV infection in developing countries, East Asia and Japan, with a particular emphasis on youth.

To achieve this goal, the collaboration will focus on four key areas:

  • Research - supporting policy making by means of facilitating socio-epidemiological research on HIV prevention in developing countries, East Asia and Japan
  • Training - Training personnel capable of creating culturally appropriate prevention programmes drawing upon the socio-epidemiological approach.
  • Communication - Accumulating the evidence for HIV prevention practice and communicating this worldwide
  • Networking - Facilitating HIV prevention networking in East Asia.

The Collaborating Centre will be headed by Dr Masoko Ono-Kihara, a leading socio-epidemiologist and a founder of the ‘Wellbeing of Youth in Social Happiness’ model for HIV prevention among young people.

UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot welcomed the collaboration at the ceremony in Kyoto marking the signing of the agreement where he delivered a keynote speech on “25 years of AIDS: tracing the history and looking forwards”.

Dr Piot was visiting Japan to meet with senior officials from the new Japanese administration including Mr Takeshi Iwaya the new Senior Vice Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with Congressman Mr Keizo Takemi.


UNAIDS Collaborating Centre is a non-UN entity that has been designated by the UNAIDS Secretariat to carry out specific activities in priority areas of the Secretariat or the response to HIV/AIDS epidemic.  Collaborating Centres have clearly defined deliverables and timelines and contribute significantly to global or regional efforts. 

  • Following a consultative process with the UNAIDS Secretariat, the Collaborating Centre functions can include:Promote, support and implement relevant research, and disseminate and utilize the results of such research;
  • Provide selected support targeted at strengthening national capacities for an expanded response to HIV/AIDS, especially in developing countries;
  • Organise international learning events, policy dialogue, produce or review guidelines and other documents;
  • Participate in technical resource networks established by UNAIDS Secretariat for the identification, collection and dissemination of best practices, and provision of technical support.