Austria’s Minister of Health Alois Stöger, (right) met UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé in Vienna, 7 April 2010. Credit: UNAIDS

During an official visit to Vienna, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé met with high-ranking government representatives of Austria, including the Minister of Health Alois Stöger, Executive City Councillor for Public Health and Social Affairs of Vienna Sonja Wehsely, as well as Her Excellencies Ambassadors Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl, Director General of the Department of Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria and Brigitte Öppinger-Walchshofer, Director General of the Austrian Development Agency.

The visit acknowledged the strengthening of the relationship between UNAIDS and Austria in recent years, and was very timely as Austria is hosting the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna from 18-23 July 2010.

In his meeting with Minister of Health Alois Stöger, Mr Sidibé commended Austria for its support for the upcoming International AIDS Conference, emphasizing that UNAIDS wanted this event to become a turning point in addressing the epidemic, especially with regard to the debate around AIDS and its strong linkages with human rights, as well as with the issues of migrant populations and violence against women. He encouraged Austria as host of the Conference to play a leadership role on HIV prevention in the Eastern European/Central Asian region, especially given the rise of the co-infections with TB. AIDS was an opportunity to make progress on larger health and development goals through the integration of HIV services with wider health services including treatment of tuberculosis as well as sexual and reproductive health.

Executive City Councillor for Public Health and Social Affairs of Vienna Ms Sonja Wehsely (right) and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé discussed together the forthcoming International AIDS Conference in Vienna. The meeting took place 7 April 2010. Credit: UNAIDS

Mr Sidibé commended the City of Vienna for its leading work on HIV prevention in a meeting with the Executive City Councillor for Public Health and Social Affairs of Vienna Ms Sonja Wehsely, and mentioned with regard to the upcoming AIDS Conference that Vienna “should not only be the bridge between the east and the west but also the bridge between people who have and who have not,” and be an opportunity to bring together minorities. The City Councillor affirmed the importance of making the conference visible in order to show that “the City of Vienna was on the side of solidarity.” Mr Sidibé outlined his priorities, being the virtual elimination of mother-to child-transmission and a strong focus on prevention and “zero new infections”. Another topic of discussion was the planned first participation of UNAIDS at the Vienna Life Ball on 17 July 2010. This is the biggest charity event in Europe supporting people living with HIV and has been running annually since 1993.

In discussions with high-ranking representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Austrian Development Agency, Mr Sidibé highlighted the good cooperation between UNAIDS and Austria in the past and expressed his wish to further consolidate the relationship, encouraging Austria to become a regular donor to UNAIDS.

During his visit, Mr Sidibé also met with the Austrian Action Alliance against HIV and AIDS, an association of over 40 Austrian non-governmental organizations who advocate for a greater involvement of Austria in the AIDS response. Mr Sidibé emphasized the importance to strategically reposition the AIDS agenda, given the need for a prevention revolution and the support of civil society activism. He hoped the Vienna AIDS conference could be a bridge to the upcoming MDG summit in September 2010.

A version of this story was first published at unicef.org

Malekena George heads home from the Pilot Health Clinic in Lesotho’s Berea district after her first antenatal check-up
Credit: © UNICEF Lesotho/2010

Malekena George, from Lesotho’s Berea district, is eight months pregnant, living with HIV, and exhausted from the five-hour trek she endured to get to the Pilot Health Clinic, for her first antenatal check-up. But because her journey to the clinic was so difficult, this visit may also be her last.

Ms. George's first child died at 13 months, and the Lesotho Ministry of Health is working to ensure that her second baby is not born with HIV.

In 2007, the Government, with help from UNICEF and other partners, initiated a massive effort to improve the country's Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission (PMTCT) services. To succeed, they needed to ensure that every clinic in the country could provide HIV testing and treatment.

Lesotho leads the way

Lesotho became one of the first countries in the region to allow nurses to administer antiretroviral (ARV) treatments, which greatly expanded access to these critical interventions in the remote areas of the country where fewer doctors are available.

Malekena George is given her new ‘Mother to Baby Pack’ at the Pilot Health Clinic. The pack includes ARV drugs and antibiotics
Credit: © UNICEF Lesotho/2010

But despite such efforts, major challenges remain, including the fact that many women, like Ms. George, are likely to make only one clinic visit.

This is a typical problem for many health systems in Africa. Though ARV drugs substantially increase the chances that a baby is born free of the virus, providing HIV-positive mothers with the treatment is not easy, especially in remote areas. The combination of distance, lack of transport and poverty prevents many women from making regular antenatal care visits. Such factors also lead many women to drop out of the PMTCT programmes, and to deliver their babies at home without the presence of trained medical professionals.

In a country such as Lesotho, where one in four people is living with HIV, that one antenatal visit has become all the more critical.

Keeping mother and child healthy

Innovative prevention methods are making a huge difference. The Lesotho Government has designed a minimum package for expectant mothers like Ms. George that includes the most effective ARV drugs and antibiotics needed to keep them, and their children, healthy. When they leave the clinic, women are also provided with clear instructions on what medicines they need to take – and when – and what medicines they need to give to their babies after birth.

In an effort to expand this public health innovation ever further, UNICEF and WHO have created a colour-coded take-home box that will be rolled out to five countries in eastern and southern Africa, Lesotho included, by July. Instead of the nurses having to pack all the medicines in small pill bags, this new 'Mother to Baby Pack' clearly separates the ARV drugs and the antibiotics according to when they need to be taken.

"We had to take advantage of the first antenatal visit," said UNICEF HIV and Maternal Health Expert Blandinah Motaung. "In case a woman delivers at home, she will have that package with her."

A dramatic drop in infections

With the new regimen of ARV treatments, and the efforts to facilitate women taking these medicines at home, health experts expect the number of babies born with HIV in Lesotho to drop dramatically.

"The expectation is that with better adherence to treatment and more focus on helping mothers to exclusively breastfeed for six months, we can further reduce the transmission rate to less than five per cent," said Ms. Motaung.

Take home medicine

After her check-up, Ms. George listened carefully to Marethabile Lelia, the clinic nurse, give instructions on the medicines that she would be carrying home. The mother-to-mother counsellor reiterated the importance of sticking to the treatment.

Although Ms. George has another appointment scheduled at the clinic, Ms. Lelia doesn't expect to see her until she returns with a six-week-old for the baby's first round of immunizations and first HIV test - children are again tested at 12, and then 18 months

As she prepared for her five-hour walk home, Ms. George clung to her medicines, understanding clearly that they represented her best hope of ensuring that her baby would escape HIV infection and grow up healthy

Lesotho has the third highest adult HIV prevalence in the world at 23.2%. There are an estimated 270,273 people living with HIV in Lesotho as of end 2007 of which 258,472 are adults and 11.801 children. At the end of 2007, an estimated 3,966 pregnant women with HIV received anti-retroviral treatment to prevent mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The coverage of PMTCT programmes has increased from an estimated 5% in 2005 to 42% in the first quarter 2009

Mr Sidibé delivered an address during the closing ceremony of the conference. 31 March 2010.

While a wide range of AIDS epidemics occur across the Francophone world, this week in Casablanca, countries came together to speak with a common voice and with one common goal – stopping AIDS from making further inroads in French-speaking countries. Representatives from around 50 French-speaking countries wrapped up the 5th Francophone conference on HIV/AIDS today.

“I am impressed by the leadership Francophone countries have shown,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, “here in Casablanca we have heard about how French-speaking countries are making important contributions to the AIDS response.”

Mr Sidibé delivered an address during the closing ceremony of the conference. In his speech he said, “In partnership with Francophone countries my dream can become a reality: we can stop all new HIV infections.”

During the conference, speaker after speaker highlighted the financial difficulties the AIDS response faced since the global economic crisis. Mr Philippe Douste-Blazy, President of UNITAID, called for a new approach to address funding needs. "We need innovative financing mechanisms to complement classic institutional financing."

It was the first time that the event, which began on 28 March, was held on the African continent. It brought together scientists, policy-makers and health and development experts from more than 40 countries.

"Over the past few days we have had a lot of fruitful exchanges. We have reached some important conclusions, now we must put them into action," said Patrice Debré, French Ambassador in charge of the fight against HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases.

It was also the first Francophone HIV conference in which UNAIDS participated significantly. The Joint United Nations Programme plans to continue this strengthening of cooperation with Francophone countries.

"I see UNAIDS presence here as the start of a new era of deeper collaboration with French-speaking countries," said Mr Sidibé, "We want to give value to their expertise and reinforce experience sharing between nations."

UNAIDS estimates that there were 4.1 million people living with HIV in Francophone countries and 340,000 new infections in 2008. Prevalence rates vary widely: for example Algeria has a rate of 0.1 percent while the Central African Republic has a rate of 6.3 percent.

The next Francophone Conference on HIV/AIDS will take place in Geneva, Switzerland in 2012.

Group photo of JICA, SONY and UNDP directors with the Ambassadors of Ghana and Cameroon in Japan

Sony Corporation is partnering with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to bring health information, with a special focus on HIV, to vulnerable communities in Cameroon and Ghana.

This summer, Sony will set up large screens to live broadcast, for free, approximately 20 FIFA World Cup matches, allowing people in areas where TVs are scarce. Throughout the games, UNDP, JICA and local partners will also be offering viewers HIV counselling and advocacy material as part of their AIDS-awareness campaign called “Public Viewing in Africa”. Both countries’ national football teams will be participating in the World Cup, to be held in South Africa this June and July.

Although football is the most popular and closely followed sport in Cameroon and Ghana, the countries are characterised by low rates of household TV penetration (22 percent in Cameroon, and 21 percent in Ghana) with many people unable to watch football matches on TV and support their home country.

By conducting the joint project during the World Cup, one of the biggest sporting event of the year, the partners aim to attract some 13,000 participants and estimate to provide HIV testing and counselling to around 1,800 recipients.

“The World Cup brings people together, both as teams, and as nations cheering on their players. The same can be true for the Millennium Development Goals,” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. “There can be no spectators in the fight against poverty. Everyone has a role to play in scoring the 8 Millennium Development Goals, which if reached would improve the quality of life for many hundreds of millions of people across developing countries.”

Stopping the rise of AIDS, malaria and other diseases is one of eight key Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) UN member nations are striving to achieve within the next five years. The other goals are to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; to establish universal primary education; to promote gender equality; to reduce child mortality; to improve maternal health; to ensure environmental sustainability and to develop a global partnership for development.

“I am delighted that Sony can contribute to the prevention of HIV through our partnership with JICA and UNDP, while also delivering great football experiences to the people of Cameroon and Ghana through our cutting-edge technology and sponsorship of the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO and President of Sony Corporation.

JICA and Sony conducted a similar joint project in Ghana in July 2009, and it was deemed a great success. Some 9,000 people gathered in seven cities to watch Sony's high-definition broadcasts of football matches, around three times the typical attendance. About 1,100 young people and adults visited the HIV testing sites and took the test and received counselling —again about three times as many people as usual.

(L to r): Mr Ahmed Abbadi Secretary General of Rabita Mohammadia des Ouléma from Morocco, Father Hady Aya, an Antonin Maronite priest, and founder of the Organization for Justice and Mercy and UNAIDS Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mrs Meskerem Grunitzky-Bekele. 29 March 2010, Casablanca, Morocco

Religious leaders and UNAIDS renewed their commitment to collaborate closely in order to prioritize and strengthen the response to HIV. The reassurance of their commitment came during the launch of the French language version of the UNAIDS strategic framework for partnership with Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) in its response to HIV, that took place at the 5th Francophone conference on HIV/AIDS taking place in Casablanca from 28 to 31 March 2010.

The framework, launched in English in December 2009, is designed to encourage global and national religious leaders to take supportive public action in the AIDS response and create strong partnerships between UNAIDS and established FBOs working on HIV.

“The framework will serve as a guidance for UNAIDS staff to establish and strengthen the collaboration with the religious leaders,” said UNAIDS Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mrs Meskerem Grunitzky-Bekele, in Casablanca.

The document details how FBOs can work towards ending stigma and discrimination and help in the inclusion of people living with HIV in the programme design and implementation, as well as research, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and in decision-making processes.

The religious leaders present at the launch stressed the need to meaningfully engage the people living with HIV and that the faith leaders need to act decisively to protect human rights within their communities.

“Our presence in the church stresses on our main vocation to defend human dignity and be witnesses for the mercy of God,” said Father Hady Aya, an Antonin Maronite priest, and founder of the Organization for Justice and Mercy which works on HIV issues in prison settings in Lebanon.

Muslim leader Mr Ahmed Abbadi Secretary General of Rabita Mohammadia des Ouléma from Morocco welcomed the document. "I am in full support of this framework that provides us with tools for a more professional approach in our work among communities of people vulnerable to HIV".

The launch of the French version of the document was officiated by Father Hady Aya and Mr Ahmed Abbadi. Both religious leaders are active members of CHAHAMA, the First Regional Network of Arab Religious Leaders Responding to AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa region. Mrs Meskerem Grunitzky-Bekele, UNAIDS Regional Director for West and Central Africa represented UNAIDS at the event.

The Framework promotes strengthened links, including coordination and oversight, between UNAIDS and FBOs at the country level to ensure that there is an appropriate interface as part of a comprehensive national AIDS response. UNAIDS will continue to advocate for FBOs and other organizations to be appropriately funded so that they can play a role commensurate with their capacities in supporting the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national AIDS plans.

Young leaders have innovative ideas about how to reach their peers.

Following UNAIDS calls for putting young people’s leadership at the centre of national HIV responses, a new small grants programme for youth-led organizations and projects, the HIV Young Leaders Fund, announced their request for proposals. The mission of the Fund is to enable new leadership in the AIDS response among young people who are most-at-risk and vulnerable to HIV and young people living with HIV.

“Peer-based programming is highly effective yet chronically underfunded and youth-led programs often lack support for core resources,” said Liping Mian, World AIDS Campaign Youth Campaign Coordinator and HIV Young Leaders Fund Interim Steering Committee member.

Globally, young people aged 15-24 account for 40% of all new infections and in 2008; at least 2 out of every 5 people newly infected with HIV were 15-24 years old.

As noted in its Outcome Framework: Joint Action for Results (2009-2011), UNAIDS has made empowering young people one of its priority areas. The goal in this priority area is to reduce the number of new HIV infections among young people (aged 10 to 24 years) by providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive knowledge, skills, services and commodities in a safe and enabling environment, tailored to the specific country and epidemic context.

Depending on the context, most-at-risk and vulnerable young people include young men who have sex with men, young transgenders, young sex workers, young injecting drug users, young women and young people living with HIV.

The Fund, administered by the Tides Foundation, will support youth led organizations and youth-led projects working on peer-based services, community mobilization, and advocacy. Organizations from all countries can apply for grants whose amount range goes from $1,000 to $30,000. The deadline for grant applications is May 1, 2010. Grant-making decisions will be made by regional community review panels composed of young leaders.

The new small grants programme is one of the recommendations from the 2009 aids2031 Young Leaders Summit that took place in Oslo in June 23 – 25. During the three day Summit, more than 30 young leaders from around the world worked together to identify pressing stigma and discrimination issues for young people and identify ways to leverage current strategies and collaborations.

To request grant materials in Arabic, English, French, Russian or Spanish, please e-mail HIVYoungLeadersFund@gmail.com

An Interim Steering Committee serves as the governing body for the HIV Young Leaders Fund in 2010. The following organizations are on this governing body: Global Network of Sex Work Projects, Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS, GNP+’s Interim Reference Group on Young People Living with HIV, International Treatment Preparedness Coalition, Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network, World AIDS Campaign, Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Y-PEER, Young Positives, and Youth R.I.S.E.

Nicolas Ritter founder of Prevention, Information and Fight against AIDS (PILS) speaking at the technical consultation on positive health, dignity and prevention. Casablanca, Morocco on 28 March 2010.

Nicolas Ritter is a pioneer in the drive to ensure that people living with HIV are at the centre of the AIDS response. He was the first person from Mauritius to announce publicly that he was HIV positive. “It seemed logical that people with HIV should be part of the response, but it took a long time for others with HIV to come forward, because of their fear of stigmatization,” said Ritter.

In 1996, Ritter founded Prevention, Information and Fight against AIDS (PILS) in Mauritius with the mission of campaigning for improving the quality of life for people living with HIV and involving them in all aspects of prevention. Fourteen years later, PILS now has 13 “positive ambassadors” who speak in schools, businesses and to the media about HIV prevention.

As antiretroviral treatment has given millions of people a new lease on life, HIV prevention programmes have begun to refocus their attention on people who know their HIV positive status to ensure people living with HIV are at the forefront of developing and implementing HIV policies. To support this, the Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+) and UNAIDS held a technical consultation in Casablanca, Morocco on 28 March.

Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention

Around 30 international participants representing people living with HIV, civil society, government agencies, UNAIDS Cosponsors, international donors and development agencies took part in the discussions, which come almost a year after a key meeting in Tunisia. During that consultation, participants moved away from the expression “positive prevention,” finding that it stigmatized people living with HIV. To shift the unfair burden of responsibility for HIV transmission away from HIV positive people, they coined the term “Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention”.

Participants highlighted the importance of making positive health, dignity and prevention undeniable elements of combination prevention. Casablanca, Morocco on 28 March 2010.

During the consultation in Casablanca, stakeholders shared best practices, identified challenges, common goals and looked at opportunities in programming, politics and research. “This discussion has been vital in moving the debate forward,” said Nicolas Ritter, “we looked at ways to turn the concept of “Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention” into concrete action.”

Participants highlighted the importance of making positive health, dignity and prevention undeniable elements of combination prevention. They stressed a human rights approach based on legal protection and a policy environment free of discrimination and examined ways to address social vulnerabilities such as poverty, gender-based violence, xenophobia and homophobia. “We looked at the major roadblocks to dramatically increasing the participation of people living with HIV in prevention programmes,” said Helene Badini UNAIDS Regional Adviser, Social Mobilization.

5th Francophone Conference on HIV

The international consultation was held in Casablanca as part of the 5th Francophone Conference on HIV which is taking place from 28 to 31 March. The event brings together over 1,500 health professionals, researchers, government officials, civil society and leading francophone actors of the HIV response. The conference is chaired by Profession Francoise Barré-Sinoussi, Nobel Laureate for Medicine 2008. UNAIDS is collaborating in the event for the first time and in addition to the consultation on “Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention” it is also helping to organize a symposium on HIV and human rights on Tuesday with the United Nations Development Programme. UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé will be speaking at Wednesday’s closing ceremony.

This year human rights and law will be in the spotlight at the 5th Francophone Conference on AIDS held in Casablanca, Morocco from 28 to 31 March 2010. Credit: UNAIDS/P.Virot

This year human rights and law will be in the spotlight at the 5th Francophone Conference on AIDS held in Casablanca, Morocco from 28 to 31 March 2010. The conference is taking place against a backdrop of continuing discrimination and human rights infringement of people living with HIV across the world. There are reports of harassment, prosecution of and violence against people living with HIV in several francophone countries.

However, leaders and policy makers are increasingly recognising the importance of addressing the legal and policy environment as a fundamental component of national AIDS responses. This is particularly true for populations such as men who have sex with men, prisoners, sex workers and people who use drugs whose marginalisation hinder their access to HIV-related services.

Countries are taking action. Guinea, for example, recently amended its HIV law of 2005 to remove any restriction to access HIV-related services for children and to ensure access to HIV-related prevention, treatment, care and support for populations including men who have sex with men. Similar processes are ongoing in Togo, Benin and Sierra Leone.

In East Africa, UNAIDS is currently supporting the development of a regional Bill on HIV which would protect people against HIV-related stigma and discrimination and other human rights abuses in the context of the HIV epidemic.

In order to help support the current initiatives aimed at ensuring access to HIV-related services as well as access to justice in the context of the HIV epidemic in francophone countries, UNAIDS, UNDP, the African Council of AIDS Service Orgnizations (AfriCASO), the Association Marocaine de Solidarité et Développment (AMSED), International Development Law Organization (IDLO), and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance are organising a preconference meeting on 28 of March which will focus on strengthening and expanding HIV-related legal services in the region.

The meeting will bring together lawyers, advocates, representatives of people living with HIV and representatives of key populations at higher risk to share their experiences and discuss ways to increasing HIV-related support for those who need it most.

“Analyses in many countries reveal the existence of punitive laws and law enforcement that drive people away from HIV-related services,” said Susan Timberlake, UNAIDS Senior Human Rights and Law Adviser. “It is critical to support law reform as well as access to justice through legal services to create a legal environment that will support people to access HIV-related services. To respond effectively to HIV, we need to protect, not punish, with the law.”

UNAIDS believes that a protective legal environment is critical for an effective response to HIV. In 2009 UNAIDS strengthened its focus on the removal of punitive laws, policies, practices, stigma and discrimination that block effective responses to AIDS by making it one of ten key priority areas outlined in the UNAIDS Outcome Framework 2009-2011 (Joint action for results: UNAIDS outcome framework, 2009 - 2011).

On Tuesday 30 March UNAIDS together with UNDP will be holding a symposium event on the legal environment to the AIDS response in Francophone countries during the Conference themed “HIV and the Law: addressing the barriers and realising Universal Access.”

Dr Julio Montaner, the President of the International AIDS Society, speaks at UNAIDS Headquarters in Geneva. 24 March 2010.
Credit: UNAIDS

Dr Julio Montaner, the President of the International AIDS Society (IAS), visited the UNAIDS Secretariat in Geneva on 24 March. At the headquarters he met with UNAIDS staff and discussed various topics including the concept of ‘treatment as prevention’’ which has come from his long standing work in Vancouver, Canada.

In an interview with UNAIDS, Dr Montaner, gave an overview of some of the key emerging issues at the upcoming XIII International AIDS Conference, or AIDS 2010, organised by the IAS. The conference will be held in Vienna from 18 to 23 July.

Vienna, according to Dr Montaner, was chosen as the location for AIDS 2010 as it presents an opportunity to put the spotlight on HIV epidemics in Eastern Europe. HIV transmission occurs mainly among the injecting drug user population and their partners in the region, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia is the only region in the world where the HIV epidemic remains on the rise.

“In the Eastern European context, addressing the injecting drug use HIV epidemic is critical. If we neglect the evidence-based prevention programmes that we know work for this community we will not have a chance of containing the epidemic,” Dr Montaner said and continued “as the IAS, we want to make it clear that we need drastic measures to deal with the injecting drug use HIV epidemic in Eastern European context as well as the rest of the world.”

Dr Montaner gave an overview of some of the key emerging issues at the upcoming AIDS 2010 conference organised by the IAS. 24 March 2010.
Credit: UNAIDS

Dr Montaner also said that AIDS 2010 will provide a great platform for merging the universal access and Millennium Development Goals movements. “This is a unique opportunity to rally behind universal access to contribute towards a renewed and re-energized commitment to deliver on the Millennium Development Goals.”

Dr Montaner is Professor, Chair in AIDS Research, and Head of the Division of AIDS at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of British Columbia; he is also Director of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS at St. Paul's Hospital-Providence Health Care. He has focused his research in the development of antiretroviral therapies and management strategies. In the mid 90s, he played a key role in establishing the efficacy of the antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This was one of the pivotal contributions which emerged from the Vancouver 1996 International AIDS Conference.

Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Minister of Health of Guyana launching the national HIV prevention, principles, standards and guidelines. 24 March 2010.

On Wednesday 24th March 2010, Guyana unveiled the country’s new national principles, standards and guidelines for the prevention of HIV as part of its efforts to achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

“By 2020 Guyana must be well on the road towards elimination of HIV as a major public health problem,” said Dr Leslie Ramsammy, Guyana’s Minister of Health.

The principles, standards and guidelines are the result of two years of work under the leadership of the Ministry of Health’s National AIDS Programme, in close collaboration with UNAIDS. Guyana’s HIV prevention quality standards are fully in line with the UNAIDS Executive Director’s call for a global “prevention revolution” to reduce the number of new HIV infections.

“Prevention is a key priority. We need to construct a compelling prevention narrative. One built upon equality and human rights. One that recognizes the importance of responses that are strategically tailored to local epidemics, that include biomedical, behavioural and structural approaches, and that meaningfully involves beneficiaries,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé.

According to UNAIDS, the national HIV prevention principles, standards and guidelines represent an important step forward for intensifying HIV prevention activities in Guyana, and should serve as a model for other countries in the region. The guidelines feature a scorecard for rating the quality of prevention programmes being implemented.