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.

Michel Sidibé was sworn in as new Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at UN Headquarters in New York yesterday. Mr Sidibé took up his post as head of UNAIDS and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations on 1 January.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé met French minister of Foreign and European Affairs Bernard Kouchner at the Quai d’Orsay, Paris. They exchanged views on accelerating the global AIDS response to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.

Visiting France this week, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé met with Secrétaire général de la Francophonie, Abdou Diouf. They discussed the need for political mobilization on the AIDS response in French-speaking countries, as well as the need to promote a human rights agenda as the core of this response.

On 15 December 2008, the Thematic Segment of the 23rd meeting of the Programme Coordinating Board took place at CICG, Geneva, Switzerland. The theme discussed was: “The Relationship between UNAIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: issues of relationships with the international technical support architecture and Public-Private Partnerships”

UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot paid a visit to Mali 7 – 11 December 2008 where he met with leaders including the President of Mali Amadou Touré, civil society and the newly appointed UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador and African music star Toumani Diabaté.