As a resource for the delegates at this African Development Forum 2000 devoted to the topic of HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS is pleased to provide the following country profiles. Together, the profiles help to paint a picture of the current state of the HIV epidemic in Africa, its impact on the social and economic fabric, and the response thus far of the African nations to the unprecedented crisis caused by HIV/AIDS. For the selected indicators used, they are as complete a compilation as possible, given the available data from the African countries and from UNAIDS and WHO sources. Additional information on AIDS in Africa is available from the UNAIDS Web site (www.unaids.org) and other sources, including the bibliographical references contained in this document.

A report on the GIPA initiative.

Palliative care aims to achieve the best quality of life for the patients (and their families) suffering from life-threatening and incurable illness, including HIV/AIDS. Crucial elements are the relief of all pain-physical, psychological, spiritual, and social and enabling and supporting caregivers to work through their own emotions and grief.

A literature review.

Guidance on encouraging beneficial disclosure, ethical partner counselling & appropriate use of HIV case-reporting.

The set of case studies in this collection emerged from a session entitled Best Practices in Female Sex Worker Projects held at the Fourth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Manila, October 1997. Preparation for the session began in May 1997 when UNAIDS sponsored an effort to learn about sex worker projects.

AIDS is now the leading killer in sub-Saharan Africa—a region where the infection levels are the highest, access to care is the lowest, and social and economic safety nets, which might help families cope with the epidemic’s impact, are badly frayed. African leaders are demonstrating unprecedented leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS with the creation of the International Partnership against AIDS in Africa (IPAA)—an organization that believes that within the next 10 years, African nations, with the support of the international community, will be implementing larger-scale, sustained, and more effective multisectoral national responses to HIV/AIDS. This booklet attempts to capture details of a range of Best Practices in order to provide useful lessons and offer references for all actors of the IPAA.

Workshop - report and conclusions.

Evaluation of the 100% Condom Programme in Thailand.

Denial, stigma and discrimination continue to surround HIV/AIDS, resulting in a high level of secrecy concerning the epidemic. Governments and communities are at a loss as to how to deal with this and have called for new approaches to respond to the epidemic, particularly in high-prevalence areas. This document highlights the need to identify the causes and consequences of the denial, stigma, discrimination and secrecy that surround HIV/AIDS and hinder effective responses. It proposes that opening up the HIV/AIDS epidemic involves the encouragement of beneficial disclosure, ethical partner counselling and the appropriate use of HIV case reporting. The guidance the document offers is based on the firm belief that human rights and ethical principles are essential in the creation of an effective public health environment in which most people are encouraged to, and indeed do, change their behaviour, prevent their own infection or onward transmission, and receive care.