Middle East and North Africa

The new study, Vulnerabilities of Migrant Women: from Asia to the Arab Statessays that Asian women migrating to Arab countries often face circumstances which leave them highly vulnerable to factors leading to HIV infection.

Asian women migrating to the Arab states often do so under unsafe conditions, are targets of sexual exploitation and violence and are highly vulnerable to factors that lead to HIV infection, according to a study launched today, produced in collaboration by UNDP, UNAIDS, CARAM Asia, IOM,UNIFEM, and Caritas Migrant Centre in Lebanon.

HIV Vulnerabilities of Migrant Women: from Asia to the Arab States examines the health, social and economic toll that migrant women often face, particularly those who are low-skilled. In the current global economic crisis, with rising unemployment, their situation can become precarious as they tend to be in a weak bargaining position and are more likely to accept poor conditions to secure or keep a job.

Migration itself is not a risk factor for HIV infection, but it is the conditions under which people migrate, and the working and living conditions they find themselves in that make them highly vulnerable to HIV.

Based on some 600 interviews in four Asian countries and three Arab states (Bahrain, Lebanon and United Arab Emirates), the study reveals that migrant women, many of whom become domestic workers, often lack legal coverage, suffer duress and sexual exploitation in the workplace, and have limited or no access to health and social services.

The Arab States are the primary destination for many migrant workers from Asia, including the four countries which are the focus of research; Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

The movement of women and money between the countries studied is considerable. The report estimates that 70-80 percent of migrants from Sri Lanka and the Philippines to the Arab States are female. Between 1991 and 2007, 60 percent of women migrants from Bangladesh left to find employment in these countries and remittances from Filipinos working in the Arab States in 2007 amounted to US$ 2.17 billion. In Bangladesh, migrant workers sent back close to US$ 637 million from the UAE. Current remittances by migrant workers from Sri Lanka amount to US$ 3 billion.

HIV Vulnerabilities of Migrant Women: from Asia to the Arab States charts a way forward. According to the report, host countries and countries of origin share equal responsibility to provide protective policies and programmes for women who seek a better life away from home. Recommendations include:

• Migrants who have a medical condition that does not impair their ability to work, such as living with HIV, should not be denied the right to work
• Health insurance schemes for migrant workers should cover all aspects of health, including HIV
• Hiring agents and employer blacklists need to be created, monitored and shared
• Embassy and consular staff in host countries should be trained on the special needs and vulnerabilities of migrant women
• Existing labour laws should be changed/reformed to cover migrant workers in the domestic sector

Dr Renu Chahil-Graf, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team for the Middle East and North Africa
Credit: UNAIDS

Across North Africa and the Middle East, UNAIDS estimates that 35,000 people acquired HIV in 2007, bringing to 380,000 the number of people living with HIV. An estimated 25,000 died of AIDS-related illness in the same year. Effectively coordinated HIV prevention, treatment, care and support strategies are vital to the reduction of these figures.

In order to get a clearer picture of the challenges to leading and coordinating an AIDS response in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions, an assessment of the National AIDS Coordinating Authorities (NACA) in 16 countries was recently carried out by the UNAIDS Regional Support Team.

“Having insights into the strengths of their national responses helps country partners identify opportunities for improved coordination,” said Dr Renu Chahil-Graf, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Equipped with this information, countries are better informed to make decisions leading to the shared goal of universal access to HIV treatment, prevention, care and support services for those in need,” she continued.

National AIDS Coordinating Authorities assessment

Ministers and High Level Government Officials from MENA countries
Credit: UNAIDS

The assessment looked at institutional structures, governance, relationships between coordinating bodies, capacity strengthening, harmonization and alignment and operational challenges and made a series of recommendations.

Based on the review, UNAIDS convened the first regional meeting on national AIDS coordination in collaboration with the Sultanate of Oman last month in Muscat.

More than 80 participants representing directors of national AIDS programmes, senior health and other government officials from the Sultanate of Oman, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen took part in the three day meeting. Representatives of WHO, UNDP, UNFPA, World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for HIV (Global Fund) also attended.

Bringing together Ministers of Health, Ministers for Youth and Sports as well as Ministers of Social Services, the interactions facilitated cross-sectoral approaches to moving the AIDS responses forward.

“Three Ones” principles

Across the globe everyone is agreed on the need to use valued resources more effectively. Coordinated and harmonized partnerships are key to making this happen. This has resulted in an agreed set of principles introduced by UNAIDS. These “Three Ones” are shaping international and national initiatives on AIDS.

Implementing the Three Ones nationally requires National AIDS Coordinating structures to be involved in the following areas:

1. Leading the development of prioritized National Strategic Plans;
2. Strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems that facilitate oversight and problem solving for the national programme;
3. Leading participatory reviews of the performance of stakeholders in harmonizing and aligning their support to the national programme.

"Sharing Experiences on the Three Ones Principle in Action in the Middle East and North Africa" was the theme of the three day meeting. In addition to reviewing the results of the assessment, country specific roadmaps for the coming year were developed.

H.E Hasna Barkat Daoud, Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism, Djibouti (left) chairing a session with Mr Elie Aaraj, President of the Regional Network of AIDS NGOs in the Middle East and North Africa
Credit: UNAIDS

Countries in MENA received approximately US$ 431 million from the Global Fund over the last four years. Recommendations for the revitalization of the national AIDS response in MENA were discussed in several different sessions and working groups and were recapitulated in the closing ceremony.

The universal access goal

“We are all aware that we are far from having achieved the universal access goal to make HIV prevention, treatment and care accessible for all those in need by 2010,” said Jihane Tawilah, WHO Representative and Chairperson of the UNAIDS Theme Group in Oman.

“In 2007, an estimated total of 150,000 people living with HIV were in need of antiretroviral therapy in the region. Those who received the therapy were only six per cent of this number, which is considered the lowest coverage rate among the WHO regions globally,” she added.

The priority in the region is to apply effective preventive intervention strategies and to increase the antiretroviral therapy coverage, she said, adding: “This will require re-examining our policies and practice and redirecting accordingly our efforts and resources to where we can achieve our universal access targets.”

Dr Chahil-Graf also highlighted the need to raise awareness about AIDS among the sections of society not yet reached by HIV prevention information.

Press conference held on World AIDS Day 2008, Doha, Qatar 

Government, international, civil society and private sector leaders have gathered in Qatar's capital, Doha, to take stock of the implementation of the 2002 Monterey Consensus on financing for development. The “Follow-up International Conference on financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus” is taking place against a backdrop of global financial uncertainty. Officially inaugurated on Saturday, the conference runs until 2 December.

To mark the occasion of today’s 20th World AIDS Day, at the plenary meeting in Doha, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered a World AIDS Day statement in which he announced the appointment of Mr. Michel Sidibe as the new UNAIDS Executive Director.

The Secretary-General’s statement was followed by a press conference moderated by Mariangela Bavicchi-Lerner, UNAIDS Chief of Donor Relations.

The panel was composed of:

1. Ms. Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European Parliament
2. H.E. Trevor Manuel, Minister of Finance, Republic of South Africa and Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Doha Review Conference
3. H.E. Majozi V. Sithole, MP and Minister of Finance, Kingdom of Swaziland
4. Dr. Laila Isharair, Health and Social Planning Advisor, Qatar General Secretariat for Development Planning, and member of the Qatar National AIDS Committee
5. Dr. Christoph Benn, Director of External Relations and Partnerships, The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria
6. Dr. Renu Chahil-Graf UNAIDS Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

The Minister of Finance, Republic of South Africa and Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Doha Review Conference Trevor Manuel emphasized the need on this day to remember the AIDS response.

“This is a financing conference for development and it is important to remind people of the challenges of HIV on 1 December,” he said.

Dr. Renu Chahil-Graf UNAIDS Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa highlighted the status of the epidemic in the Region and noted the positive efforts made to-date which need to be replicated in other countries.

The Vice-Chair of the European Parliament emphasized the support and commitment of Europe and its institutions to the AIDS response and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria reminded the audience about the challenges ahead in view of reaching Universal Access.

Panelists also expressed their appreciation for the work of outgoing UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Piot and congratulated Mr Michel Sidibé on his appointment.

Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties and co-chair of the Summit on the Global Agenda, speaking at the Introductory Session of the Summit on the Global Agenda, 07 November - 09 November 2008. Copyright World Economic Forum/Photo by Dana Smillie.

The World Economic Forum's first Summit of the Global Agenda Councils - a unique gathering of leaders from academia, business, government and civil society – is taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 7 to 9 November. UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot is in Dubai participating in this event.

The Summit aims to advance solutions to the world’s most critical challenges; the Forum’s new Global Agenda Council is being billed as the world’s foremost intelligence and knowledge network.

Over the coming days, Dr. Piot, in his role as Chairman of the Global Agenda Council for HIV/AIDS, will participate in several workshops and sessions where discussions will be held on how to improve the state of the world, highlighting specific issues including HIV, systemic financial risk, global governance, energy security, child welfare, climate change and food security. Further issues under discussion will be actions and actors in these areas; presentation of key insights from the Councils discussions; and decisions on next steps for the Councils.

The outcomes of this Summit will be presented for further discussion and action at the World Economic Forum’s upcoming Annual Meeting 2009 in Davos, Switzerland.

Hamid Reza Setayesh is UNAIDS Country
Coordinator in Iran.

HamidReza Setayesh became the UNAIDS Country Coordinator (UCC) when the UNAIDS Iran office was established in March 2005. Like most UNAIDS Country Coordinators Setayesh’s time is filled with the major task of coordinating the UN response on AIDS in the country. In Iran there are 13 UN offices that make up the Joint UN Team on AIDS, which he chairs. In addition to this, the UNAIDS office also provides technical support to the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as it is considered a trusted and reliable partner.

“Our greatest achievement has been the harmonisation of the UN response to AIDS,” says Setayesh. “We were able to move forward and I am very satisfied with that.” Other important achievements in his three years of office are in the area of improving strategic information, where the country lacks sufficient capability. UNAIDS has assisted the government in designing small studies which provide the evidence for successful interventions.

The major factor which is fuelling the epidemic in Iran is the use of contaminated injecting equipment among injecting drug users, as well as sexual transmission of the disease. Therefore, the work of the Joint UN Team on AIDS is primarily focused on the issue of injecting drug use, “It is our top priority to advocate with the government to allocate resources towards harm reduction interventions,” says Setayesh.  According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there are an estimated 200,000 injecting drug users in the country, considerable proportion of whom are using crystal-base heroin which is known in the market as “crack”.

This work has been successful and the Iranian government has one of the most progressive harm reduction policies on record in a developing country. There are more than 20,000 drug users on the government methadone maintenance programme, which began three years ago. Important legal reforms have facilitated the success of this programme: although drug use is a crime, people who are having treatment for drug use are not considered criminals. “Even needle and syringe programmes can be considered treatment, which is a very big achievement and an important step to de-stigmatise and make services available to people who inject drugs,” says Setayesh. Based on the most recent available studies, more than 90 percent of drug users have used clean needles for their last injection in Tehran.

Two years ago the drug treatment programme was extended to prisons where the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the main partner. “A lot has been done but there is room for improvement,” says Setayesh. “Prison systems are trying to introduce needle exchange and condoms, but it is a challenge to encourage the prisoners to use them. This requires reform to expand services in prisons. “

Nonetheless, Iran is moving from having a concentrated HIV epidemic among injecting drug users to a more generalized situation, mainly affecting partners and wives of people who inject drugs and people formerly in prison. Although the response among these particular key populations has been remarkable and progressive, other groups who engage in risky behaviour such as sex workers and men who have sex with men are not sufficiently addressed in the country's response. Homosexuality is a sensitive issue in Iran and providing services for men who have sex with men presents many challenges for UNAIDS, which is the leading UN programme in this area.

 As in many other countries, it is stigma that is the major obstacle to the AIDS response in Iran. “This is found at different levels,” says Setayesh, “although we get a lot of support from communities, from government and partners, it is still a challenge.”

There is also difficulty in getting funding for innovative ideas to challenge stigma. “Though the government is committed, they spend a lot of money on methadone substitution and harm reduction. When you want to work with other groups, the government is less interested and there is no donor support,” says Setayesh. “Radio and television are not that interested in openly addressing stigma, particularly with regard to sexual transmission. They are much better with drugs.”

The Joint UN Team has worked on identifying major sources of stigma and on a novel approach to combat it. They approached high level religious leaders who supported the principle that people living with HIV should not be discriminated against and that public funds should be allocated for their health care. “This helped people living with HIV to express themselves and has put a face to HIV.” In addition, a new strategy, “Positive Prevention” is being developed by National AIDS Programme through supports from UNAIDS and UNDP.

Setayesh is upbeat about the prospects for Iran’s AIDS response. “I think everything is possible in this country,” he says. “It’s very progressive in many aspects, and the government’s work is based on evidence. That provides a very good opportunity for us to convince policy-makers to do more for public health.” With these attitudes Setayesh believes it may be possible to turn the epidemic around. There is already evidence that the methadone substitution programme is having an impact, with decreased prevalence in prisons. “We hope to see results in two years time,” he says. “And that will remarkably affect the community outside because of the linkages between drugs and sex work. So this is a golden opportunity that has already been used and I hope continues.”

Dawn has just broken in Cairo, Egypt, but Ahmed is already out on the street. But unlike other children Ahmed is not on his way to school. Ahmed is 12 years old and left home when he was just six because his father in law didn’t want him in the house. After wandering from one house to another, he found that it was easier for him to live on the streets. At that time he didn’t realise that it was far more dangerous too. When the social workers of Hope Village found him, he had been beaten up, robbed many times and raped twice. Hope Village provided him with a safe place to stay and offered him much needed shelter, care and support. “We also enrolled him in an HIV session where he learned how HIV is transmitted,” said Nawara a sociologist at the Hope Village. “After what’s happened to him he is very worried that he could be positive himself,” she added.

Hope Village Society was initially created to provide shelter and support to orphaned children from one of Cairo’s poorer neighbourhoods. However, a fter two years, they realized that the local street children also needed a safe place to go where they could receive care and support so they opened a day care center. The inauguration of this centre in the Shubra district of Cairo was soon followed by many others including one in the district of Sayeda Zeinab where Ahmed and other young boys come to seek refuge and comfort when the streets of Cairo become too much for them.

Twenty three year old Nawara has been working at Hope Village for about a year. She said that although her job is very tough it is also very rewarding, “these boys really need our help” she said. “The most difficult case I encountered, she recalled, was one of an 11 year old boy whose father threw him off the window because he was being too loud. I go with the kids when they have their medical examinations and I am shocked by what I see on their bodies–– bruises, cuts, infected wounds––It’s difficult to imagine what these kids go through,” she said.

Khalid Dawoud has been working with Hope Village for the past 17 years. He set up the Sayeda Zeinab day care centre. “I know the story inside out and I know what those kids are subjected to,” he said. 

During his experience with Hope Village, Khalid noted how interested the children were in knowing more about HIV because of the dangers they face, from sexual assaults to drugs, violence and prostitution. Sex, both forced and voluntary often takes place at and other deserted places. The girls are usually more at risk because they are abused by the older street boys, by the police and others. Some girls accept to have sex for a sandwich, others do it to ensure protection in return. “It’s critical…” said Khalid “…that they know how to protect themselves from HIV. When we announced that we would open a testing centre soon, all of the kids wanted to be tested to make sure they are not infected with HIV.”

With help from UNICEF and other sponsors, the Hope Village Society undertakes a wide range of activities from providing boys and girls with care and shelter to offering them psychological support, training and behavorial skills to help them reintergrate into society.

“Working with such initiatives is one of our priorities in Egypt,” said Maha Aon, UNAIDS Country Coordinator in Egypt. “We know how important and effective it is to focus interventions on people who are most likely to be exposed to HIV infection. One of the ways to protect street children is to help them understand where the risks are and how they can protect themselves in a way that they understand and which helps them care for and respect themselves.”

UNICEF, in collaboration with UNAIDS provides training on AIDS issues for the social workers at Hope Village . Nawara, who did the course in March said that the information she received and the methods of participatory teaching helped her a lot with the children. “We learned to use games to communicate information about HIV and about the dangers of life on the street, from an HIV perspective,” she said. AIDS awareness has become an integral part of the work carried out by Hope Village to help the children.

Dr Erma Manoncourt, Chair of the expanded Theme Group on HIV and UNICEF representative in Cairo said, “We need to mainstream HIV into existing programmes and develop programmes and interventions which focus on reducing the vulnerability of marginalized groups, including HIV prevention and impact mitigation,” she added. “We are reaching out to the private sector and other civil society entities and working with NGOs and community-based organisations, and at the same time, we collaborate with and support the Government. All these efforts are needed to make a difference for those who have no one else to care about them,” she concluded.

Fouzia Abdallah, National AIDS Programme
Manager Yemen and Somaya Al-Jowder, National
AIDS Programme Manager Bahrain during the
meeting.

Empowerment of women and promotion of gender equality were underlined as critical to reducing vulnerability to HIV in the Middle East and North Africa [MENA] at a recent gathering of experts from the region.

Specialists working in the areas of HIV and gender joined at a think tank meeting on “Gender and HIV in the Middle East and North Africa”, organized by the UNAIDS Regional Support Team MENA in Cairo, Egypt.

As the HIV epidemic in the MENA region continues to spread, the number of women living with HIV is increasing and the gap in prevalence rates among men and women is narrowing. Participants at the meeting agreed that gender inequalities across the region help fuel vulnerability and increase exposure to HIV infection. “Gender inequalities is and must be at the core of our national AIDS responses ,” said Fouzia Abdallah, the National AIDS Programme manager of Yemen.

Traditions and the role of religion were widely discussed by participants. The Minister of Family

The Minister of Family Affairs and
Social Development in
Somaliland, Fadume Haji Adam

Affairs and Social Development in North West Somalia, Fadume Haji Adam, gave an opening address looking at specific cultural and religious traditions in the region that have an impact on women and girls in the context of HIV.

“In our traditions lie our challenges, and it is also there we will find the solutions,” she said.

Adapting strategies on gender and AIDS to fit the regional context was highlighted as fundamental to a successful response. Giving examples of how AIDS responses have failed to adequately address the situation of Muslim women, Dr Nafisa Mohamed Abdelkarim from Afhad University for Women in Sudan, called for a deeper understanding of the contexts in which many women and girls in the region find themselves“:

“ We cannot adopt an international agenda on gender and AIDS, we must develop our own agenda. We have to find our own solutions and strategies,” she said.

Often, our women do not make individual choices. They make their decisions within their social contexts. Our responses to AIDS have to address these contexts, and not only the individuals. We have to make AIDS our agenda, with a language and with interventions that speak to us and our situations ,” she added.

Adapting strategies on gender and AIDS to fit the
regional context was highlighted as fundamental to
a successful response to the AIDS epidemic.

The meeting brought together people from some of the most conflict-affected areas in the world. A key concern of participants was how to keep gender and AIDS high on an already full political and media agenda. “ The agenda is already full of immediate and emergency-related issues. At the same time, we can see how conflict situations increase vulnerability to HIV,” said Laila Baker, Assistant Representative for UNFPA, Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Rather than putting all our efforts in an emergency mode, we have to keep an eye on gender and AIDS in conflict situations. We can not afford ignoring such a crucial development issue ,” she added.

Building on this Think Tank meeting, the group identified key activities for moving forward, including reviewing national responses to AIDS in the context of gender, building capacity among national partners to further strengthen a gender-sensitive response, and mobilizing key ministries and partners to address gender and AIDS in the region.

Young athletes from across the continent visited
the AIDS awareness stand to learn more about HIV
prevention tools and techniques.
Photo credit: UNAIDS

As the flags were hoisted, national anthems sung and medals presented, HIV prevention emerged as a new champion at the 2007 All Africa games held in Algeria in July.

While athletes from across the continent ran, jumped, threw and sprinted their way onto the medal winners podium, volunteers from Algerian NGO ‘AIDS-Algerie’ kicked off a ‘Games’ HIV prevention campaign for young people in all key competition and residential sites across the Algerian capital Algiers.

Young athletes were encouraged to visit special AIDS awareness stands, where they were able to find out AIDS-related information and learn more about HIV prevention tools and techniques. With special screening of HIV prevention videos and distribution of condoms, the AIDS campaign reached out to some 25,000 young African athletes.

“The awareness raising teams were able to encourage real interest and participation from the young African sportsmen and women,” said Professor Abdelkader Semid, President of the Medical Commission for the African Games organizing committee. “This opened people’s eyes to the risks of HIV infection and the need for HIV prevention,” he added.

Organized with the support of the Games’ steering committee, UNFPA, UNAIDS Secretariat and the Global Fund, the campaign demonstrated how HIV prevention can be successfully integrated into sporting events.

The AIDS campaign reached out to some 25,000
African athletes.
Photo credit: UNAIDS

“The global response to AIDS needs everyone to get involved – from all sectors of society. This huge event gave us excellent access to leaders among Algerian and African youth – we hope this will encourage them to carry on our association’s mission to respond to AIDS,” Mr Adel Zeddam, President of ‘AIDS-Algerie’.

Athletes attending the awareness-raising stands underlined their enthusiasm at taking part in the activity and their wish to move forward the AIDS response.

“This is a great activity for people like us doing sports all around the world. It’s a really special programme and I would like to see it replicated across the world so people can protect themselves better,” said Candy, an athlete from Nigeria.

Ivorian Judo champion Camara Mangue agreed: “I would like to call for all generations to face up to AIDS – it’s everybody’s issue.”

“The world must unite and fight AIDS,” said Namibian boxer Tobias.

Following the success of the campaign, it is hoped that the HIV prevention campaign will become a regular feature of future Games and other sporting events on the continent.

“Sport is a force for change and involving young people in sports and HIV prevention campaigns can empower them to be strong and become leaders on both fronts,” said UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Algeria Dr Samia Lounnas Belacel.

Links:

More on Sub-Saharan Africa
More on North Africa
More on sports and HIV

African art has traditionally been perceived by western societies as being folklore or handicrafts. It wasn’t until late 20 th century that the so-called art critics reexamined the uniqueness of the contemporary African art, which finally found its place in the cultural conscience of western countries.

In 1986, one exhibition in Paris became pivotal in changing the perception of non-western contemporary art. The exhibition, called Magicians of the Earth, showed the works of contemporary artists from all continents. This event led to the creation of the Contemporary African Art Collection (C.A.A.C) by art collector Jean Pigozzi, who has become one of the major promoters of African art.

Pigozzi’s collection, one of the most important in the world, includes works of artists that live and work in sub-Saharan Africa who use different formats of expression ranging from paintings and sculptures to video and multi-media.

The importance of the collection and of most contemporary African art lies in the fact that artists have liberated themselves from the aesthetic tutelage imposed by western models and are able to express local or universal ideas with their own language, icons and formats.

African artists live and work closely in touch with their public and are aware of both local and global current affairs. Furthermore, the representation of collective problems has become a recurrent pattern which underlines the importance of the community in Africa.

Cheri Samba, one of the most famous Congolese painters, stated: “My art is part and parcel of my environment. It draws its inspiration from the people, it is concerned with the people, and it is meant for them”(1).

African art digs into its own reality, which makes artists the chroniclers of their times. Tradition, nature, myths and day-to-day life are sources of inspiration that shape the works of contemporary African artists. But common to all those artists, is the unavoidable influence that AIDS, and its impact on their societies, has in the conception of their art.

AIDS has shaped the lives of millions of people, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and its impact it is embedded in the artists’ perceptions of their communities. Their works of art reflect in many ways the effects that the AIDS epidemic has on the societies they live in. However, art can and in fact should play an important role in the response to AIDS.

The proximity of African artists to their communities and the fact that they use a common language, place them in a privileged position to raise awareness of the epidemic as well as to provoke thought and dialogue around AIDS issues such as stigma and discrimination, poverty, gender and human rights.

UNAIDS Art for AIDS collection

In late 2006 UNAIDS launched the Art for AIDS collection in its new headquarters in Geneva, a building it shares with the World Health Organization.

“We are very fortunate to have art on loan from the Jean Pigozzi Geneva collection,” said Annemarie Hou, curator of the UNAIDS collection. “There are several pieces that have provoked hallway conversations and heated discussions—to hear people talk about the art was when we knew the collection was working.

”The UNAIDS’ Art for AIDS collection are museum quality pieces that provoke thought and dialogue. With an initial emphasis on African art and artists, the pieces have been assembled through the generous support of artists, collectors and donors.

Latest styles, smartest colours and trendiest cuts will be central to an AIDS initiative in Algeria designed to help people living with HIV get back into the workplace.

The Algerian association of people living with HIV, El Hayet, has launched a pilot project for people living with HIV where participants will be trained in the production of haute-couture and prêt-à-porter clothing.

The training is led and designed by a professional dressmaker and the course will allow participants to learn about the tools and techniques of the fashion industry, in particular designing, model making, styling and sewing. Candidates who successfully complete the course will be able to obtain official recognition of their new trade from the National Chamber of Trade and Handicraft.

Zohira Merah, President of El Hayet with
workshop trainer Mr Redouane

The 12-month programme, which began in September 2006, is supported by the UNAIDS Secretariat and UNAIDS Cosponsors ILO and UNDP. The project has been made possible through grants from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The initiative provides innovative economic opportunities for the participants, who will be paid for their work during the 12-month period. In addition, all the garments created during the course of the year will be sold with funds raised going to support people living with or affected by HIV in Algeria. “The economic element of this project will both help to attract new candidates and ensure motivation is kept alive to build a longer term career plan,” Zohira Merah said.

“In this world we need to learn how to take care of ourselves, that’s why I enrolled in this programme,” said one of the participants. “It’s hard to find work in today’s society, particularly for a woman. I’ve been living with HIV for 12 years and this course given me the opportunity take control of my life and be independent. When I’ve finished I’ll be able to pass on what I’ve learnt to other people living with or affected by HIV which is a good feeling,” she added.

On completion, the course offers new opportunities for people living with HIV to access sustainable economic independence thanks to the agreement established between the National Agency for Administration of micro-credits and the El Hayet. Specialized trainers will help interested and successful participants to apply for micro-credits ranging from US$ 400 to US$ 5,500, reimbursable over a period of up to five years.

“This project is a clear example of how the principle of greater involvement of people living with HIV can be achieved,” said Andy Seale, Chief of Civil Society Partnerships at UNAIDS. “Longer term sustainable solutions such as this workshop in Algeria are an essential part of the response to AIDS,” he added.

“As life-saving anti retroviral therapy becomes more widely available we need more focus on ensuring people living with HIV have the opportunity to fulfil their potential as productive members of society and be economically independent. Often this entails reintegration into the workforce but due to the stigma and discrimination still associated with HIV infection this is not always an easy process. The project is an excellent example of how this can be facilitated in a thoughtful way,” said Kate Thomson, Partnership Adviser at UNAIDS.