Visiting New York this week, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé met with several UNAIDS Cosponsoring organizations to discuss optimizing partnerships between the Secretariat and its Cosponsors and leveraging respective organizational mandates and resources to work collectively to deliver results for countries.

This year’s World Health Assembly is set to focus considerable attention on the widespread outbreak of influenza A (H1N1), as Health Ministers and officials of more than 190 countries gather in Geneva from 18-22 May to discuss the most effective responses to the potential pandemic.

During an official visit to Bucharest, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé met with Mr Ion Bazac, Minister of Health of Romania on 12 May 2009. The Executive Director praised Romania’s significant achievement of universal access to HIV treatment for all people living with HIV in need of it.

UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé met with Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade on 8 April 2009 and they had an opportunity to discuss the country’s national AIDS response. Mr Sidibé also visited the SIDA Service’s health centre and met with civil society leaders as well as the Senegalese Minister of Health.

UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé held a series of meetings with Government officials and civil society groups in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia during his official visit to Brazil.

UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé visited the Rio de Janeiro based Viva Cazuza Society on 26 March, a non-profit organization that provides a home for 20 children and adolescents, aged 2 to 16, who are living with HIV.

The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Mr Michel Sidibé is in Brazil this week to attend the 3rd TB Partners Forum. Earlier today in Rio de Janeiro, Mr Sidibé also joined the international launch of the World Health Organization’s annual report on global TB control.

At the invitation of the Thai Government, UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé was in Thailand this week to discuss progress in the response to AIDS and visit projects to get a better understanding of how HIV prevention and treatment efforts are making a difference to peoples lives.

UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé addressed the audience of the 23rd TEDDY Award in Berlin on 13 February with a strong message: universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support must be accessible to all people who are in need—including men who have sex with men and other populations most-at-risk of HIV infection.

On his first country visit, the new Executive Director of UNAIDS, Mr Michel Sidibé met with community and political leaders in South Africa and outlined his vision and priorities for UNAIDS. “I want to start here where government is now working with civil society and key stakeholders to meet the demand for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support,” said Mr Sidibé.