In December 2003 UNAIDS supported a workshop on HIV and AIDS related stigma and discrimination. This brought together 37 leading academic theologians from different Christian traditions and countries, to consider and debate the major theological issues that contribute to and can help eradicate stigma related to HIV and AIDS, to engage in dialogue with people living with HIV and to provide a framework for theological refl ection. This report of the workshop contains the framework for theological refl ection and the related speeches presented at the workshop.

This report looks at progress on applying the “Three Ones” principles to the end of 2004, and identifies the challenges ahead as well as opportunities for overcoming these challenges. While this preliminary report is by no means comprehensive, it is a very useful step forward in helping us find answers to a question that must preoccupy all of us: How can we, individually and collectively, make optimal use of the limited resources available for tackling the AIDS pandemic, an unprecedented global crisis, and so accelerate progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals?

A Consolidated UN Technical Support Plan for AIDS has been developed to accelerate and improve implementation of global funding initiatives and thus “make the money work”. It addresses many of the weaknesses of the prevailing technical support system. Based on the comparative advantages of the UNAIDS Cosponsors and Secretariat, the Plan anticipates the technical support required by 45 high-priority countries1 during 2006-2007 and provides a ‘menu’ of UN-provided or UN-facilitated interventions available to countries to scale up their national response to AIDS.

In 2007, advances in the methodology of estimations of HIV epidemics applied to an expanded range of country data have resulted in substantial changes in estimates of numbers of persons living with HIV worldwide.

Describes key principles and considerations and provides a framework for the monitoring and evaluation of HIV prevention programmes for most-at-risk populations. This is not an manual of monitoring indicators.

Despite the pervasiveness of HIV-related stigma and discrimination in national HIV epidemics and their harmful impact in terms of public health and human rights, they remain seriously neglected issues in most national responses to HIV. National AIDS programmes together with key partners can take concrete steps to address these critical obstacles and help pave the way towards universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support. This document presents strategies, programme examples and research findings concerning how governments, the UN system, donors and civil society can make the reduction of HIV-related stigma and discrimination central in the national response to AIDS.

Launched in January 1996, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) supports and coordinates the efforts of 10 cosponsoring United Nations (UN) system organizations and works with a wide range of other partners in the global response to AIDS. UNAIDS is guided by a Programme Coordinating Board with representatives of 22 governments from all geographical regions, six cosponsors, and five nongovernmental organizations including associations of people living with HIV. UNAIDS Secretariat headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland, with staff on the ground in more than 80 countries.

UNAIDS policy advice on the HIV related risks and prevention, care and treatment needs of international labour migrants.

According to data in the UNAIDS 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic there have been significant gains in preventing new HIV infections in a number of heavily affected countries. In Rwanda and Zimbabwe, changes in sexual behaviour have been followed by declines in the number of new HIV infections.

The two main reasons advanced for criminalizing HIV transmission are to: