Dr Peter Piot met with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. The Prime Minister's leadership has put the AIDS response on the national political agenda. As the Chairperson of the National Council on AIDS, Dr. Singh has developed a multi-ministerial task force comprising of 31 ministries and seven state governments for a coordinated multi-sectoral response to the HIV epidemic in India.

Sri-Lankan journalists reflect on media role in reducing stigma and discrimination

The media has a key role to play in raising awareness on HIV and reducing AIDS-related stigma and discrimination, even in countries with low HIV prevalence rates. 

This summer, a group of Sri Lankan journalists joined a special UNAIDS workshop in Bangkok to better examine the powerful role the media can play within the AIDS response. Despite relatively low levels of HIV infection within Sri Lanka, the country is nevertheless at real risk of a potential epidemic. Increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections, high levels of internal and external migration, apparent increases in the numbers of sex workers and low use of condoms, all combine to put people at greater risk of HIV. The media in Sri Lanka therefore plays a key role in ensuring that HIV stays on the political agenda. It is also a major vehicle for prevention messages to inform people how to protect themselves and reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with AIDS.

The three day intensive Media Exposure Tour, organized by UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia Pacific, brought together 12 journalists from Sri Lankan print, radio and television media and four Government representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to examine the situation in their country and how they could best put their media skills to work to help get ahead of the epidemic and combat discrimination.

Prior to the workshop, only two of the 16 participants had ever met a person living with HIV and most of them said they had limited experience in HIV and AIDS issues.

“We wanted to provoke the participants to reflect on their own behaviours and attitudes and on what each of them can do to make a difference,” said Mechai Viravaidya, founder of the Thai Population and Community Development Association and a resource person in this initiative. In his welcoming address he urged all participants to “think outside the box and challenge societal norms to break down barriers.”

The tour started with an assessment of what media can do to make a difference in the AIDS response, which included: building awareness on HIV in all groups, socializing, reducing stigma and discrimination, improving education in schools and engaging politicians.

Over the three days participants reviewed the journalistic ethical guidelines coined as RESPECT (Responsible, Ethical, Sensitive, Participative, Empowering, Compassion and Trust) and also had a chance to learn from and discuss with a number of regional journalists and artists who presented their own experience and work on HIV and AIDS.
The programme provided the journalists with a variety of rich experiences engaging with a range of people from organizations representing different aspects of the response to HIV in Thailand and the region. They met with Frika, a young Indonesian activist living with HIV and visited a number of centers in Bangkok such as the Injecting Drug Users treatment centre and the Mercy center. They also learned about the empowerment of sex workers at the Empower office located in an area of Bangkok known for commercial sex work.

“I am not the same journalist who came from Sri Lanka,” said TV producer Nirosha Damayanthi to describe the impact of the Tour on her. “Hearing how Frika turned a new leaf in her life created in me the urge to make a difference in the field of HIV and AIDS.”

Less than two weeks after the end of the Tour, articles on HIV and AIDS began to appear in Sri Lanka media telling Frika’s story about overcoming stigma and discrimination from her own family to become the voice of People living with HIV in Asia and disseminating hard facts about the spread of the disease and the importance of respect and empathy towards the most vulnerable people in society.

Tour participant Ramani Prematillake Bogoda wrote: “people living with HIV should not be cornered or abandoned. They too are entitled to the rights and benefits of society.”

Another journalist from the tour, Buddhi Jayawardene from the Health Education Bureau, has started a weekly live radio discussion on HIV to build on the momentum.

“Speaking about the disease is the first step towards reducing the stigma around people living with HIV and preventing new infections,” said David Bridger from the UNAIDS Regional Office in Bangkok.

“The media plays a critical role in breaking the silence,” he added.

The Bangkok Media Exposure Tour is an activity of the National HIV/AIDS Prevention Project in Sri Lanka, supported by the World Bank. The UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific provided support in developing the program and hosting the Media Exposure Tour.
The 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka 19-23 August 2007.

UN Photo/Mark Garten

The UN Secretary General, CEOs from the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies and UN officials met in New York to explore ways in which the companies and United Nations can work collaboratively in expanding access to HIV treatment and care in developing countries.

The meeting represents the first of its kind between both research and development - or ‘brand name’ – pharmaceutical companies, generic development companies and United Nations bodies.

Following the discussion, the Secretary General issued a statement in which he outlined a number of commitments to assist international efforts to ensure universal access to HIV treatment, prevention, care and support, as called for at the High Level Meeting on AIDS held in June 2006.

Read the Secretary-General’s Statement

Among other commitments, the companies committed to continue to review individually their offers of products and the prices of their existing and new HIV medications and diagnostics to make them more affordable and accessible in low-and-middle income countries; and to give greater priority to research and development of new and improved antiretroviral treatments for children – currently extremely lacking in the AIDS response.

The United Nations in turn committed ensuring the continuing revision and updating of key treatment guidelines, to help the companies turn their commitments into action and to continue the work with Governments, donors and the pharmaceutical companies in developing forecasting models to predict demand and supply of HIV medications and diagnostics in developing countries.

In 2001, seven major ‘brand’ pharmaceutical companies first met with the Secretary General to discuss improving affordability and accessibility of HIV medications. Since this time there been significant advances in the global response to AIDS, including in the provision of care support and treatment services in developing countries. Earlier this year   WHO and UNAIDS reported that 1.3 million people living with HIV are receiving antiretroviral therapy by the end of 2005.

Related Links:
 
New York, 24 July 2006
Statement by the Secretary-General on his meeting with Pharmaceutical Executives on HIV/AIDS

New Delhi, 15 July 2006 – A new body to study the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS in the Asia Pacific region was launched on Saturday (15 July) in New Delhi.

The independent Commission on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, chaired by the Chief Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, Dr Chakravarthy Rangarajan, consists of 10 leading economists, scientists, civil society representatives and policy-makers from across the region. Over a period of 18 months, the Commission will conduct an objective analysis of the impact and developmental consequences of the AIDS epidemic in the region, and what this might mean to the socio-economic environment in the medium and long term. The Commission’s findings will be summarized in a report with recommendations for a set of measures designed to mobilize leaders to adequately respond to the epidemic in the region.

At the end of 2005, there were an estimated 8.3 million persons living with HIV in Asia and the Pacific and the numbers are growing rapidly. Over half a million people died of AIDS last year alone “Faced with these startling figures and such a grim scenario, development experts need to describe in greater detail the kind of impact AIDS will have on societies and the development of countries in the region. To date, this sort of analysis has been inadequate for Asia and the Pacific and data is still limited” said Dr Rangarajan during the launch.  “The goal of this Commission and its eminent thinkers is to generate adequate information to show to leaders and governments in the region the urgent necessity to invest in AIDS if they are to maintain their achievements in development,” added Dr Rangarajan.

The Joint United Nations Programme of AIDS (UNAIDS) will provide the commission with logistical support in its initial months and has contributed the funding towards the work of the Commission on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific. Mr JVR Prasada Rao, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the pacific in Bangkok, sits as the Secretary to the Commission.

“Such an important analysis of the impact of HIV and AIDS should be conducted through a group of experts who can make an objective assessment of the situation in the region, and bring out a report which can carry credibility with national governments and civil society alike,” Mr Rao said.

“We are confident this Commission will make a real difference and move the agenda forward for the Aisa Pacific region response to HIV and AIDS.”

The commission's expected work includes studying the impact of AIDS on human resources, labour productivity, poverty reduction, social stability and household savings.

It will also examine the spread of the virus in coming years, and how it could be reduced by raising national and international efforts.

A series of sub-regional consultations in different venues in South Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific will be held, with inputs coming from local academics, government officials, civil society, multilateral organizations and experts in the field.

The Commission is expected to release a final Report at the end of 2007.

First legislative forum on HIV and AIDS in Bihar state

The Indian North Indian state of Bihar is the first in India to have established a forum with a formal constitution and institutional mechanisms for elected representatives to address AIDS issues in the state.

The Bihar Legislative Forum on HIV and AIDS (BLFA) was launched last week at a symposium in Bihar’s capital, by Shri Nitish Kumar, Bihar’s Chief Minister, as a way to raise AIDS awareness among policy makers in the state and to build capacity to address the challenges posed by AIDS.

Alerted by the growing number of infections, a number of Indian officials, including a former minister, submitted a proposal to create a forum for policy makers where they could learn more about HIV and AIDS and engage in dialogues on possible responses in the state.

In his opening address the Chief Minister welcomed the initiative and recognized the critical importance of leadership in the response to AIDS.

Reported numbers of HIV infections in the state (Bihar State AIDS control Society)

This initiative has come at the right time,” said Symposium organizer, elected member and speaker of Bihar legislative assembly, Mr Uday Narayan Chaudhary. “We are aware of the devastating effects of AIDS, but we need to know more about how it spreads and what we can do about it.”

“Half of the recently elected village representatives are women. This amounts to almost 100 000 women who could play a critical role in increasing people’s awareness about HIV at the grassroots level,” he added.

Chaudhary also said that heightened awareness is a key element to reducing the social stigma associated with HIV and AIDS.

Recognizing the need for consolidated action in Bihar, the Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar called for strengthening the public awareness campaign and committed to expand health infrastructures at various levels in the state. He also committed to support seminars and workshops to educate more than 200 000 elected village representatives on issues of public importance such as agriculture, rural development as well as AIDS.

Supporting these initiatives, Denis Broun, UNAIDS country coordinator in India, underlined the importance of political leadership to move the response to AIDS one step further. “Facing up to the issue of AIDS and taking concrete action such as this is vital to getting ahead of the epidemic,” he said. “By creating this forum, , Bihar’s leaders have introduced a critical link that will be key to Bihar’s victory in its AIDS response.”

Under the theme “facing the challenge”, the first Eastern European and Central Asian AIDS conference (EECCAAC) welcomed around 1500 participants in Moscow from 15 to 17 May. This first regional conference provided an important forum for political leaders, scientists and researchers, people living with HIV and representatives from civil society to take stock of the AIDS response in the region. The EECAAC will be held every two years, and will replace the annual Russian National AIDS Conference in Suzdal.

During the last decade, the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia have experienced one of the world’s fastest growing HIV epidemics. By the end of 2005, more than 1.6 million people were already living with HIV in the region and around 75% of the reported HIV infections between 2000 and 2004 were in people under 30. The escalating epidemic threatens to accelerate the demographic crisis, seriously impact the workforce and national security, and put a heavy burden on the already strained health sector in the region.

This conference is being held in light of recent expanding national health spending in the most affected countries of the region. Domestic spending on AIDS in Russia is slated to increase by 20 times in 2006 to over US$100 million. In 2005, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin established HIV prevention as a national priority.

“AIDS is one of the greatest challenges facing Eastern Europe and Central Asia today,” said Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, during his keynote address at the conference. “Fear and stigma are truly the best friends of HIV. To get ahead of the epidemic, stigma and discrimination must be tackled head-on, and HIV prevention and treatment services must be urgently scaled up.”

The conference programme is divided into three parts: Leadership, Science and Community. The Leadership programme will focus on political, social, business and media leadership necessary to stem the epidemic. The scientific programme will bring together clinicians and researchers to provide critical insight into the various aspects of addressing HIV in the region (ranging from epidemiological surveillance to clinical treatment). The community programme will highlight the response of AIDS service organizations, NGOs and people living with HIV and provide a forum for exchange of knowledge and experience.

The expected outcomes of the conference are enhanced political leadership and commitment, increased technical capacity building, and partnerships with civil society and people living with HIV. The conference will set the stage for three major events on the global AIDS response: the High Level Meeting on AIDS in New York, June 2006; the G8 Summit in Saint Petersburg, July 2006; and the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto, August 2006.

The Conference Organizing Committee is co-chaired by Dr. G.G. Onishenko, Head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumers Protection and Welfare, Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, and Craig McClure, President of the International AIDS Society. The committee is composed of international organizations and representatives of Russia and other CIS countries.

Related Links

Photo Gallery
Speech by UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot
Speech by Prof Lars O. Kallings, Special Envoy of the Secretary General for HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia   (ru)

How one woman’s crusade is making a difference in Kenya

When rural girls and young women move to Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, in search of a better life, not all of them find it. Faced with limited educational training and the difficulties of earning a living—some end up as sex workers and at risk for HIV.

Professor Elizabeth Ngugi, a nurse by training, has been looking out for these young women since 1992 when she founded the Kenya Voluntary Women Rehabilitation Centre (KVOWRC). The center reaches out to sex workers in the slums of Nairobi who are looking for a better life. 

The center offers skills training and has a micro finance programme. Graduates of KVOWRC are now running small business. Professor Ngugi says by providing these services she and her team are helping young women re-build their self-esteem and make positive changes in their lives. “Every human being has a right to exploit their potential to the full.  The world has the obligation to give vulnerable women and children a chance,” she says.

In the city where number of children aged between 10 and 18 involved in sex work is increasing at an alarming rate, KVOWRC also focuses on HIV education and prevention, peer counseling and home based care for those who need it.

For the younger girls, many of whom are teenage mothers, the centre also provides a home and pays for school fees so they can complete their education. The centre also offers vocational training programs in tailoring, dressmaking, weaving, and tie and dye hairdressing, which are boosting their income and empowering them to abandon risky behavior. Most of the girls who come to the centre choose not to go back to the streets.

For one graduate it took a hairdressing course and a hair dryer to turn her life around. “It was not easy for me to get a job because I had no experience” she says. “Thanks to the KVOWRC training, I opened a small beauty salon, and am now able to pay my rent and buy food and clothing for myself and my two children.”

Related links
KVOWRC website: www.kvowrc.or.ke

Every day nearly 14 000 people around the world become infected with HIV. This means nearly 5 million new infections a year. An effective response to AIDS requires access to both HIV treatment and prevention. Unfortunately, HIV prevention efforts have for some time been overshadowed by the increased attention on treatment.  The complexities of having to discuss sensitive issues such as sex and drugs also contribute to denial and complacency. 

Recognizing the importance of HIV prevention as a central part of all AIDS work, the Government of Sweden and UNAIDS invited a group of policy makers, civil society representatives and the media to Stockholm this week to work together towards building a vocal constituency around HIV prevention.

UNAIDS Executive Director, Dr Peter Piot and Lennarth Hjelmaker, the Swedish HIV/AIDS Ambassador.

Hosted by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), in collaboration with UNAIDS and the Swedish Association for Sexual Education (RFSU), the international meeting centered around setting priorities for more effective HIV prevention. This includes giving impetus to HIV prevention; advocating for the effective use of resources available for AIDS and getting all partners to work together.

Giving the global overview of the state of HIV prevention today, UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot said, “important progress has been made, but unfortunately it is not enough. Scaling up HIV prevention is critical for the success of the overall response to AIDS.”

Sweden has recognized the importance of emphasizing the importance of HIV prevention. Sweden’s contributions to the AIDS response have increased dramatically in the past few years, and its contribution to UNAIDS in 2006 increased by 33%, from around $ 20.5 million to $ 27.5 million.

Recognizing the importance of HIV prevention is only the first step,” said Carin Jämtin, Minister for International Development Cooperation in Sweden, speaking at the meeting. “Translating the recognition into reality on the ground is something else.  To move forward on prevention we need open eyes and open minds.”

Sweden is actively preparing for the 2006 High Level Meeting on AIDS, to be held in New York later this month. Sweden will become the Chair of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) at UNAIDS’ next board meeting at the end of June 2006.

From right: Representative of UN Secretary General, Executive Director UNAIDS, Dr Peter Piot; President of Niger Republic, Mamodou Tandja and President Council of Senate Senegal, Mbaye-Jacques Diop on arrival for the opening session of the meeting of Heads of State and Government at the Special Summit of the African Union on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Abuja
Photo: Sunday Aghaeze

African leaders and Heads of State recently met in Abuja, Nigeria at a Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to address the challenges posed by the three diseases that kill an estimated four million Africans every year.

Organized by the African Union in collaboration with UN Agencies and other development partners, and at the invitation of Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Special Summit adopted the Abuja Call for accelerated action towards Universal Access to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (ATM) services in Africa, and a resolution to achieve this by 2010. The delegates also adopted an African Common Position to be presented to the High Level Meeting on AIDS in June 2006.

In the Abuja Call, participants urged for intensified leadership at all levels; further commitments regarding human rights; increased mobilization of resources including negotiations for debt cancellation; and collective advocacy with multilateral and bilateral donors.

African leaders renewed their commitment to allocate 15% of their national budgets to health, and to incorporate health financing plans into national development plans.

“For the first time the political commitment exists to work towards Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment and care, but getting this will require that once more we change gear and further accelerate the response to AIDS. We have no other options that will save entire societies”, said UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo commended African countries for the progress they had so far made in responding to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The Nigerian leader called for the development of structures and systems guaranteeing better and more transparent utilization of funds, as well as for the development of strategies translating national level goals into community targets.

Press Conference after the closing of the Special Summit (left to right) Alpha Oumar Konaré, Chairperson of African Union Commission and former President of Mali; President Sassou-Nguesso of Republic of Congo, Chairman of the African Union; President Olusegun Obasanja of Nigeria, Host of the Special Summit and Alhaji Mamadou Tandja, President of Niger Republic
Photo: Sunday Aghaeze

Also speaking on the occasion, African Union Commission Chairperson, Prof. Alpha Konare, outlined measures Africa should adopt to successfully deliver AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria services. These include local production of essential medicines, greater mobilization of resources, more efficient utilization of resources, and ensuring access to the most vulnerable groups.

Sub-Saharan Africa has just over 10% of the world’s population, but is home to more than 60% of all people living with HIV - 25.8 million. In 2005, an estimated 3.2 million people in the region became newly infected, while 2.4 million adults and children died of AIDS. Among young people aged 15-24 years, an estimated 4.6% of women and 1.7% of men were living with HIV in 2005.

Related links
Read Statement of the UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot at the Special Assembly of Heads of State and Government, Abuja, 4 May 2006  

Photo gallery
3 April 2006
4 April 2006

President Vladimir Putin gathered the Presidium of the State Council to discuss the HIV epidemic in Russia. In a groundbreaking move, the State Council examined all aspects of the growing epidemic in the country and agreed on a set of measures that will strengthen Russia’s response to the epidemic in an unprecedented manner.

On 21 April, President Vladimir Putin gathered the Presidium of the State Council to discuss the HIV epidemic in Russia. In a groundbreaking move, the State Council examined all aspects of the growing epidemic in Russia and agreed on a set of measures that will strengthen Russia’s response to the epidemic in an unprecedented manner. “The State Council meeting, chaired by President Vladimir Putin, marks an important milestone in the fight against AIDS in Russia. We welcome the decision to establish a National Commission to coordinate the Russian national response and a scaling up of prevention, treatment and care programmes” said UNAIDS Representative Bertil Lindblad. “The State Council reviewed all aspects of the epidemic and President Putin called for a comprehensive national strategy and the involvement of government ministries, civil society, the media and business".
 
Russia is facing an HIV epidemic concentrated among groups most at risk. As of today, 342,000 people living with HIV have been officially registered†. Experts believe, however, that this number is considerably higher. The fact that more and more women are contracting the disease and that most of the people living with HIV are under 35 is particularly worrying.

At the opening of the State Council, President Putin emphasized the urgent need of a more efficient AIDS response at all levels. “This is a serious situation that requires us to take the appropriate action. We need more than words; we need action, and the whole of Russian society must get involved. Of course, the people directly involved in dealing with HIV infection should take the lead in this area, but politicians, teachers, cultural figures and the mass media should all play an active part in this work” said President Putin.

The President called for more accurate monitoring of the HIV epidemic and for improved coordination between the federal ministries and agencies in their work. Carrying out preventive work among groups most at risk is considered of vital importance in scaling up Russia’s national AIDS response.

To achieve these objectives, Russia plans to establish a long-term strategy. The previous five-year sub-programme on HIV and AIDS ends this year. Over this period the rate of HIV infection was reduced from 88,000 cases in 2001 to 35,000 cases last year. The national health care project planned significant funding to prevent, diagnose, and treat HIV and viral hepatitis. Over 3 billion rubles ($109 million US) have been allocated for this year alone.

With respect to this, Russia will develop new accurate and objective HIV monitoring tools that meet common international standards. These new tools will enable Russia to make a real evaluation of the causes of the epidemic and the effectiveness of medical and social preventive measures.

The launch of a major wide reaching information campaign has been planned. The programme for the next five years will include prevention measures aimed at groups most at risk and teenagers. A good number of such projects and programmes are already underway in Russia, but they were not yet united by a common strategy.

Finally, the presidium of Russia's State Council has decided to set up a special government commission to review how the country deals with its growing problem of HIV infections. At Russia’s initiative, the AIDS issue has been included on the agenda for the upcoming G8 summit in St Petersburg.

† Source: Presidium of the State Council