Lamia Jouini, engaging with fellow delegates in the café discussion on the third day of the UNESCO Youth Forum.

How can the world’s youth maximize their potential as dynamic agents of social, political and economic change to improve their lives, health and societies? The 7th UNESCO Youth Forum, held in Paris from 17 - 20 October, brought together nearly 250 youth delegates from 193 Member States and hundreds of civil society observers to try to find answers to this key question.

With the theme ‘How youth drive change,’ the Forum explored the myriad ways in which young people are reshaping the world. Three sub-themes looked at youth in political and public life, breaking through employment barriers, and countering youth exclusion, vulnerability and violence. 

HIV remains a major area of vulnerability for young people, with 15-24 year-olds representing some 40% of new infections among adults worldwide. On the third day of the Forum, more than 30 youth delegates from around the world engaged in a ‘cafe discussion’ on HIV-related issues and AIDS activism.

During the session, organized by UNESCO, delegates were encouraged to contribute to the HIV response in their home countries. They shared diverse opinions and ideas, learning from each other’s experiences. 

“I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as a female condom! It just shows the lack of information,” said Lamia Jouini from Tunisia with a slight laugh, a member of the International Federation of Medical Student’s Association. On a more serious note, she added, “The HIV situation is bad in many countries—we should really adjust our work to the needs of young people.”

The wide-ranging discussions touched on issues such as stigma and discrimination, lack of good-quality sexuality education in schools and access to commodities such as quality condoms.

“I was really impressed with the work young people are doing to educate themselves and their peers, challenging stigma,” said Joanna Herat, a programme specialist in the HIV and AIDS section with UNESCO, who facilitated the discussion. “Many of the delegates left the session with a strong sense of dedication to advocate for HIV-related education in their home countries.”

Developing a symbiotic relationship between young people and UNESCO as an organization was also seen as critical. Delegates took the opportunity to tell UNESCO representatives about their needs and priorities as advocates and beneficiaries. The UN agency, in turn, was able to identify activists and follow up with them for peer engagement and leadership development opportunities.

The café discussion reflected the aspirations of the 7^th UNESCO Youth Forum as a whole: to encourage youth to be a force that makes a difference in the world and to be a force that drives change.

Panelists at the side event “The Politics of Health” included (from left to right): Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health, South Africa; Dr Jarbas Barbosa, Brazil’s Vice-Minister of Health; UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé; Ms Amina Ibrahim, Chief Executive Officer, Center for Development Policy Solutions, Nigeria.

High-level government officials, medical experts and civil society representatives from 120 countries are gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at a three-day meeting focused on the social, economic and political conditions that drive health inequities. Convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health provides a global platform for discussion on a range of topics, including early child development, universal health care, social protections, fair financing, gender equity, political empowerment and global governance.

In a panel session at the conference entitled "Politics of Health: Lessons from the AIDS movement to address the social determinants of health,” UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé emphasized the need for a greater focus on the underlying dynamics that fuel health inequities. "AIDS has taught us about the need to address social inequities that put women, children and vulnerable populations at risk for HIV," said Mr Sidibé, who chaired the session, together with Brazil's Vice-Minister of Health, Dr Jarbas Barbosa.

Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, South Africa’s Minister of Health underlined the importance of partnerships in addressing the national HIV epidemic. “We have 19 sectors represented in the South African National AIDS Council, chaired by the Deputy President. When we aim to address the social determinants of health, these groups are essential to mobilize all aspects of our society," he said.

Noting the struggle for health and human rights in Brazil, Vera Paiva, Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Sao Paolo said that the mobilization and participation of people affected by HIV has helped ensure the protection of human rights within the country’s HIV response.

Ms Amina Ibrahim—Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Development Policy Solutions in Nigeria and former Special Advisor to the President of Nigeria on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—underscored that political commitment can become “lost in translation” between policy and action. To lessen the implementation gap, she said that Nigeria is devoting considerable effort to briefing ministries and parliamentarians and providing them with evidence of how investing in education, gender and other MDGs benefits their constituents.

According to WHO there is ample evidence that an individual's health status is largely determined by his or her socio-economic position. "The differences within and between countries, in income levels, in opportunities, in health status, and in access to care are greater today than at any time in recent history," said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, at the opening plenary of the conference. "A world that is greatly out of balance in matters of health is neither stable nor secure," she added.

During the conference, the UNAIDS Executive Director congratulated Finland’s Minister of Health, Maria Guzenina-Richardson, on her successful role as Vice-President of the Conference. They reflected on areas for mutual collaboration between UNAIDS and the Government of Finland on health promotion, young people and vulnerable populations.

In recent years, the Government of Brazil—host of this week’s conference—has made major strides in improving the health and well-being of its population. Through the publicly-funded Sistema Único de Saúde, every Brazilian is entitled to free health care, from routine check-ups to complex surgical procedures. Nearly all people living with HIV in Brazil who are eligible for antiretroviral treatment now have access. The Government has also taken bold action to address stigma and discrimination, most recently through the launch of a pioneering anti-homophobia campaign.

Speaking at the opening plenary, Alexandre Padilha, the Brazilian Minister of Health, related that in the 23 years since Brazil adopted its democratic Constitution, the country has faced many crises, but has never given up its commitment to providing universal access to medical services free of charge. Brazil, he said, would not allow the current economic crisis to change this.

Following the opening plenary, the UNAIDS Executive Director participated in a High Level Round Table alongside Dr Margaret Chan of WHO, Rebeca Grynspan of the United Nations Development Programme, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and Tereza Campello, the Brazilian Minister of Social Development.

Calling attention to the seismic political shifts occurring in the global North and South, Mr Sidibé noted that the old rules of development no longer apply. “The world is changing! Countries like Brazil and South Africa have shown that policies founded in respect for all of their people, and that distribute opportunity fairly, bring dynamism and growth that is good for all,” he said.

At the end of the conference, governments are expected to endorse a Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health outlining their pledges to improve the social conditions that affect people's health.

UNESCO’s new AIDS strategy intends to meet the needs of the changing face of the AIDS epidemic.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently launched a new AIDS strategy intended to meet the needs of the changing face of the AIDS epidemic.

The strategy articulates UNESCO’s contribution to the UNAIDS strategy Getting to Zero, and calls for the need to accelerate universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

“All parts of the Organization are mobilized at the global, regional and country levels, through activities that are culturally appropriate, gender transformative and evidence-based. This cross disciplinary approach is our signature strength and it is well-suited for tackling HIV,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

The launch event was chaired by Qian Tang, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, who was joined by Jan Beagle, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management and External Relations and Mark Richmond, UNESCO Global Coordinator for AIDS.

Other presenters included Lady Cristina Owen-Jones, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for HIV Prevention Education, Nobel Laureate Dr Luc Montagnier, Patricia Machawira, UNESCO Regional AIDS Advisor for East and Southern Africa and Pablo Torres Aguilera, Young People Living with HIV Officer at Dance4Life.

Speaking at the launch, Ms Beagle commended the new UNESCO strategy and the key role the organization plays in promoting the education sector engagement in national AIDS responses. “The UNESCO AIDS Strategy addresses critical challenges in protecting young people from HIV infection and places particular emphasis on the promotion of comprehensive HIV responses in the education sector.”

In the new strategy, HIV prevention education will be integrated within the context of wider health promotion to ensure that all girls and boys, and young women and men, have access to comprehensive health education. Furthermore, UNESCO strategy outlines three priority areas:

• Building country capacity for effective and sustainable education sector responses to HIV;

• Strengthening comprehensive HIV and sexuality education;

• Advancing gender equality and protecting human rights.

UNESCO hopes that its new AIDS strategy will reinforce the pivotal role of the education sector in a successful AIDS response. With knowledge about HIV and health issues provided in a nurturing and enabling environment, young people can make more informed choices about how to live safer and healthier lives. 

Credit: UNAIDS/P.Virot

Men, women and children on HIV treatment in drought-affected Ethiopia will benefit from a US$ 56 million donation from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to the World Food Programme (WFP).

The donation will allow the UN agency to increase vital nutritional support to people on HIV treatment—who are often already weakened by malnutrition—and their families. Spread over five years, it is the largest contribution ever made from PEPFAR to WFP.

Welcoming the donation, Josette Sheeran, WFP Executive Director emphasized that the provision of the right nutritional support for people on HIV treatment “can make the difference between life and death. Because when malnourished people do not have the right food to eat, treatment does not work.” She added that WFP would now be able to reach more people; assisting families affected by AIDS with sustainable food security and helping to eliminate new HIV infections among children and keep their mothers alive.

Supporting children living with HIV by helping ensure good nutrition is a key concern which echoes the WFP’s new global initiative to mark World Food Day: ‘Feed a child, feed a dream’.  Through an online platform, the initiative highlights the aspirations of some of the many children being supported by WFP around the world and how they can be met.

WFP will now expand its areas of operation into the country’s least developed regions of Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, Somali and Gambella to improve the nutritional status, treatment success and quality of life of people on HIV treatment and their families.

At present WFP supports HIV treatment in urban areas, including assessments, counselling and food assistance for those who are malnourished. From 2008 to 2010, an estimated 355 000 people living in households affected by AIDS in 23 towns benefited from these activities. With PEPFAR’s donation, WFP can reach an additional 375 000 people living in households affected by AIDS—those that are most vulnerable to malnutrition and food insecurity—over the next five years.

The entry criterion for the receipt of food aid is the nutritional status of the individuals as measured by body mass index for example. All people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) receive nutrition education and counselling, and only those who are malnourished will receive food rations for a period of six months. Experience has shown that nutritional recovery (>85% weight for height) occurs rapidly when ART is combined with food assistance.

Food and nutrition assistance is an essential and cost-effective means of enhancing the success of antiretroviral treatment (ART), enabling nutritional recovery and mitigating the socio-economic consequences of HIV and tuberculosis. Furthermore, this type of assistance increases the likelihood that patients will adhere to treatment, thereby reducing the likelihood that additional, more costly treatments will need to be found.

WFP is the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. It feeds more than 90 million people in over 70 countries every year. In 2010, WFP supported 2.5 million beneficiaries in nearly 50 countries through its HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) programmes. This included food and nutritional support to some 500,000 people living with HIV as part of their antiretroviral therapy or TB treatment.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and Luxembourg’s Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Marie-Josée Jacobs.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé commended the country’s contribution to the AIDS response and its support to UNAIDS at a meeting with the Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Marie-Josée Jacobs in Luxembourg.

“The Government of Luxembourg has been a longstanding partner in the global AIDS response and has shown strong leadership through its engagement in social justice against social disparities,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé.

During his visit Mr Sidibé also met with the Minister of Health, members of parliament, senior officials from the Directorate for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives from youth groups.

Since the beginning of the epidemic Luxembourg has been committed to the AIDS response and supports many programmes around the world. The country is expanding its response to HIV and is focusing on gender equality and stopping new HIV infections among children with special emphasis on women and girls and young people.

"Besides its bilateral commitments in public health and more specifically in the response to AIDS, Luxembourg maximizes the impact of its international development cooperation by working with strategic partners such as UNAIDS,” said Minister Jacobs. “Luxembourg will focus its efforts on three tracks which are crucial for the global AIDS response: HIV prevention, treatment and research.” 

From 2005 to 2011, Luxembourg has contributed more than EUR 32.8 million to the work of UNAIDS. Today its commitment to AIDS is stronger than ever, with financial commitments remaining firm despite difficult economic times.

During the UN High Level Meeting on AIDS in June 2011, Minister Jacobs chaired a pivotal panel on HIV prevention. Mr Sidibé commended her engagement and briefed her on current issues including Treatment for Prevention, Treatment 2.0 and the important link between HIV and non-communicable diseases. He also emphasized that UNAIDS will continue to work closely with Luxembourg to ensure that AIDS remains high on global political agenda and that the progress made to date is not put in jeopardy.

The visit concluded with a conversation with youth representatives. Mr Sidibé emphasized the importance of strengthening the leadership of young people in the global AIDS response as well as the need for a prevention revolution to break the trajectory of the epidemic. "Young people don't want to be passive beneficiaries but active players for change. They are refusing to accept stigma and exclusion.”

Credit: UNAIDS

Aurobindo Pharma and MedChem have become the first producers of generic antiretroviral medicines to join the Medicines Patent Pool. By joining the Pool, the two manufacturers are able to take advantage of the agreement signed between Gilead Sciences and the Medicines Patent Pool in July 2011. The July agreement made Gilead’s intellectual property on four antiretroviral medicines available to the Patent Pool for licensing to generic manufacturers.

Through the new agreement, both pharmaceutical companies have signed up to produce emtricitabine, cobistat and elvitegravir and the combination pill called the ‘Quad’ which contains tenofovir, emtricitabine, cobistat, and elvitegravir. In addition, generics manufacturer MedChem has also chosen to produce tenofovir.

Aurobindo is already a major producer of generic antiretroviral medicines, and was previously manufacturing tenofovir under a separate voluntary license granted directly from Gilead Sciences which carried restrictions to distribute to several countries. Through a key provision in the Medicine Patent Pool’s licenses, Aurobindo was able to end its previous agreement with Gilead. This will now allow Aurobindo to independently produce tenofovir, which is off patent in India and directly distribute it to a wider number of countries than the previous license had permitted. This should help to make tenofovir more widely available at a lower cost.

“We congratulate the Medicines Patent Pool for completing this agreement with Aurobindo and Medchem,” said Paul De Lay, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme. “UNAIDS strongly encourages other antiretroviral patent holders to establish agreements with the Pool, and for generic manufacturers to utilize the licenses that the Pool can facilitate to expand access to antiretroviral treatment.” 

There are currently an estimated 6.6 million people receiving antiretroviral treatment in low- and middle-income countries around the world. However a further 9 million people who are eligible for treatment still do not have access.

The Medicines Patent Pool was established in 2010 with the support of UNITAID. It aims to increase access to newer antiretroviral medicines by creating a pool of patents and intelligence on antiretroviral production donated by medicine producers. It is currently in negotiations with a number of other patent holders and producers.

Panellists in the session included (from left to right): Nina Ferencic of UNICEF; Paige Alexander of USAID; James Chau, a UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador; Mikhail Grishankov, a member of Russia’s State Duma; Dr Luiz Loures, Director of the UNAIDS Executive Office

Women, girls and HIV were the focus of a panel discussion on the final day of the International Forum on MDG-6 in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Moderated by UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador James Chau, the session included representatives from government, civil society and international development organizations.

Across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the number of women infected with HIV is growing every year. In Russia, HIV prevalence among young women aged 15-24 is two times higher than among men of the same age, according to government figures.

Alexandra Volgina, an advocate for the Russian women’s network EVA, opened the session describing the key challenges faced by women and girls affected by HIV in the region. Stigma and discrimination, she said, continue to hamper access to HIV services and sustained availability of HIV treatment remains a major concern. Harm reduction programmes for women who inject drugs are insufficient, she added.

Ms Volgina was joined in the audience by women affected by HIV from across the region. Svetlana, a former drug user and mother of two, called for programmes that address the specific needs of women, including special treatment and care centres for women with children. “The birth of a child is a huge incentive for women using drugs to quit—but when these women seek help, we have nothing to offer,” she said.

Members of the regional networks highlighted the issue of violence faced by women within their own homes and communities. They also spoke of the pressure that many pregnant women living with HIV face to end their pregnancies. Several participants indicated that legal frameworks hinder access to much-needed care, including services that prevent new HIV infections in newborns.

Women affected by HIV launched a campaign at the MDG-6 Forum with the slogan, “Children’s health starts from mom! Invest in women!” This theme was echoed in the remarks of UNICEF’s Nina Ferencic, who drew attention to the inextricable link between mother and child. “If you ask HIV-positive children what they want, they’ll tell you that—more than anything—it’s for their mothers to be alive and well. For a child to be healthy and happy, we need to first take care of the mother,” she said.

Panelist Paige Alexander of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said that putting a human face to HIV is what will drive change in the region.  “We need to raise the face of women through all channels—by, for example, supporting women’s networks and women’s leadership,” she said.

Mikhail Grishankov, a member of the Russian Federation Parliament who has been working on AIDS issues for many years and a longstanding advocate for women and girls, called for greater cooperation between all stakeholders in addressing the needs of women in the HIV response. “Without political leadership and a united civil society, we will not be able to move ahead on this issue,” said Mr Grishankov, who also serves as Vice-Chair of an inter-parliamentary working group on AIDS and other diseases.

Sveta Izambaeva, member of the Russian Network of Women affected by HIV

Mr Grishankov also underscored the need for wider public awareness of HIV in Russia using various media channels. He committed to organizing a highly visible follow-up meeting between parliamentarians, women’s groups and HIV experts to review the immediate challenges faced by women affected by HIV in obtaining appropriate services.

“We need a fundamental change in the way that this region is responding to HIV,” said Luiz Loures, Director of the UNAIDS Executive Office. “If we want to make progress in this region, we need to look at the epidemic through a woman’s eyes,” concluded Dr Loures.

The International Forum on MDG-6, hosted in Moscow from 10-12 October by the Russian Federation, aimed to foster a strategic discussion on progress towards the Millennium Development Goal 6 in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. UNAIDS will ensure immediate follow-up to the Forum, engaging women’s organizations and partners.

Panellists in the session included (from left to right): Women’s World Cup champion Lorrie Fair; Russian HIV activist Alexandra Volgina; Chinese television news anchor James Chau; UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé; and Indian actress Preity Zinta.

On the opening day of the International Forum on MDG-6 in Moscow, Indian actress Preity Zinta, women’s World Cup champion Lorrie Fair, Russian HIV activist Alexandra Volgina and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé engaged in a lively discussion on how to turn the Millennium Development Goal 6 (MDG-6) into reality. The panel session, moderated by Chinese television news anchor James Chau, highlighted the important contribution by BRICS countries to the HIV response, and also the challenges ahead to achieve an AIDS-free generation.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—often referred to as the “BRICS” countries—are home to 40% of the global population and nearly one third of all people living with HIV in the world.  While all BRICS countries have made progress in expanding HIV prevention and treatment services for their populations, the goal of universal access remains a critical challenge: In four of five BRICS countries, for example, only one third of people eligible for HIV treatment are receiving it.

With Eastern Europe and Central Asia facing a significant number of new HIV infections among people who inject drugs, Mr Chau, a UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador, highlighted China’s national achievements in expanding harm reduction services. “Last week, I visited a methadone maintenance therapy clinic and saw first-hand how access to harm reduction is changing lives,” he said. Mr Chau noted that after years of a zero tolerance policy on injecting drug use, China began its harm reduction programme in 2005 and now has more than 700 clinics offering methadone maintenance therapy.

A supporter of social equality, Ms Zinta, who is also a Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS, cited the sports and film industries as important platforms to reach people of all ages with HIV prevention messages. “In India, the film industry has incredible influence and reach. So does cricket—the most popular sport in my country. If we succeed in using both mediums to spread awareness around HIV prevention, we will not just have healthier populations, but more caring ones too,” she said.

Ms Volgina, an advocate for the women’s network EVA, shared a personal story of the stigma she has faced as a woman living with HIV. “I have a goal to try and change HIV policy in Russia, so that when children impacted by AIDS—like my own daughter—reach school age, they won’t be discriminated against in any way,” said Ms Volgina, who recently gave birth to an HIV-negative baby. Ms Volgina highlighted how the HIV epidemic in the Russian Federation continues to grow, and increasingly affects women.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and Indian actress and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for India Preity Zinta

Ms Fair brought the discussion to South Africa, where she is currently working for the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project in the rural area of Kwa-Zulu Natal. Her work supports the use of mobile health units to provide HIV treatment, testing and counselling, education, and basic health care for communities spread out over great distances. “Bringing these services directly to people who need them is an important strategy to curb the HIV epidemic—not only in South Africa, but in any place where people would otherwise not have access,” said Ms Fair.

The UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé emphasized that people—not data or statistics—must be at the centre of efforts to reach MDG-6. “What inspires and guides my work are women like Alexandra who are breaking new ground in the AIDS response in Russia,” said Mr Sidibé. Achieving the UNAIDS vision of Zero new HIV infections, Zero discrimination and Zero AIDS-related deaths is “entirely possible” in Russia and beyond, he said.

The International Forum on MDG-6 is a three-day meeting hosted by the Russian Federation in collaboration with UNAIDS, the World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Its aim is to foster a strategic discussion among key stakeholders on how to mobilize resources and partnerships to achieve MDG-6.

Panelists at the opening of the MDG-6 Forum including (left to right): Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director; Alexey Kudrin, Governor of the World Bank Group and the IMF for the Russian Federation; Elena Salgado, First Vice President, Government of Spain; Arkady Dvorkovich, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation and Chair of the MDG-6 Forum; Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russian Federation.

On the opening day of the International Forum on MDG-6 in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the three international Co-chairs of the meeting—UNAIDS, World Bank, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria—unveiled a new joint statement calling for accelerated action on MDG-6 in the region.

The three-day meeting in Moscow, hosted by the Government of the Russian Federation, brought together high-level representatives from government, civil society, the private sector and scientific community. The Forum is an unprecedented platform to redouble progress towards the sixth Millennium Development Goal (MDG) in the region.

MDG-6—one of eight development goals adopted by world leaders in 2000—calls for halting and reversing the spread of HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases by 2015. While the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia are on track to reach several of the MDGs, progress on MDG-6 is generally seen as behind.

Speaking at opening plenary on 10 October, Arkady Dvorkovich, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation and Chair of the MDG-6 Forum, underscored the critical link between achieving MDG-6, economic growth and sustainable development. “Russia has always considered fighting infectious diseases to be a priority for development. In view of the current economic situation, it has never been more important to ensure that our results are sustained and that commitments are kept,” he said.    

Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs said that Russia’s development assistance strategy in the region includes programmes related to HIV and other infectious diseases. “The health of all people in all times has been the most important asset for any state—that is why our work on HIV is so important,” he said.

Since the G8 Summit in St Petersburg in 2006, Eastern Europe and Central Asia has made significant progress in its response to HIV—one of the main pillars of MDG-6.  Across the region, more than 90% of pregnant women living with HIV now receive services to prevent new HIV infections in their children.  

Access to antiretroviral therapy has also expanded rapidly. In the Russian Federation, nearly
80 000 people were receiving life-saving antiretroviral therapy in 2010, compared to just 5,000 people in 2005—a sixteen-fold increase.

Despite progress, Eastern Europe and Central has the fastest-growing epidemic in the world. Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV in the region has nearly tripled, from 530 000 in 2000 to 1.4 million in 2009. Approximately half of all new HIV infections in the region result from injecting drug use.

“Experience and science have shown us that without a holistic approach to the HIV response—including harm reduction and substitution therapy—we will not stop the transmission of HIV,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, in his opening address at the Forum. “Inaction will be very costly—if we don’t pay now, we will pay forever.”

Elena Salgado, First Vice President of Spain, also underscored the importance of harm reduction programmes in preventing HIV transmission among people who use drugs. In recent years, Spain has adopted a pragmatic—rather than moral—approach to injecting drug use which has led to a steep decline in new HIV infections, she said.

A new MDG-6 Action Plan will be launched on the final day of Forum, with an emphasis on financing and regional partnerships. The plan provides a road map to achieve a 50% reduction in new HIV infections across the region, among other goals.

Arkady Dvorkovich, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation (pictured left) and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé deliver short remarks before a charity soccer match in Moscow on 9 October.

On the eve of the International Forum on Millennium Development Goal (MDG)-6, the Government of the Russian Federation and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) co-organized a charity soccer match at the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium in Moscow in support of women and children living with HIV in Russia.

The two teams—captained by Arkady Dvorkovich, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, and Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director—were composed of prominent politicians, business leaders and former international and Russian sports stars.

Members of the UNAIDS Red Ribbon United Team included internationally-known soccer players Daniele Massaro, Luigi Di Biagio, Gianfranco Zola and Lorrie Fair.  A number of high level government officials joined Dvorkovich on the Russian Rossich Team, including Sergey Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Alexander Zhukov, Deputy Prime Minister.

“The aim of this game is to bring attention to the issue of HIV,” said Mr Dvorkovich. “I hope this event will encourage governments and companies to join efforts to support women, children and families affected by HIV,” he added.

Thanking the Russian Government for taking the lead in hosting the match, the UNAIDS Executive Director noted: “This is not just a game—I am confident that this event will help break the upward trajectory of the HIV epidemic in the region.”

According to government figures, a growing proportion of women across Eastern Europe and Central Asia are living with HIV. In Russia, HIV prevalence among young women is two times higher than among than among young men. Throughout the region, stigma and discrimination prevent women and children from accessing much-needed HIV and other health services.

The two teams—captained by Arkady Dvorkovich, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, and Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director—were composed of prominent politicians, business leaders and former international and Russian sports stars.

Speaking on behalf of women living with HIV in the region, Alexandra Volgina, an advocate for the Women’s Network EVA said, “This is the first time that we have come together in this region to talk about HIV at such a high level. I hope that we can all join forces to ensure that political declarations of commitment become a reality on the ground.”

Donations collected during and after the match will be used to finance a project in St Petersburg that helps women, children and families affected by HIV. On World AIDS Day, UNAIDS will publicly announce the results of the fundraising campaign.

This week, the Government of the Russian Federation, UNAIDS and partners will co-host an International Forum on MDG-6—a high-level meeting of representatives from government, civil society, the private sector and scientific community. The aim of the Forum is to foster discussion on progress towards MDG-6, with a specific focus on financing and regional partnerships in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

MDG-6—one of eight development goals adopted by world leaders in the year 2000 at the United Nations in New York—calls for halting and reversing the spread of HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases by 2015.