News for Africa Doc

Cultural sensitivity is critical for the success of development strategies according to a new report produced by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Reaching Common Ground: Culture, Gender and Human Rights, launched 12 November 2008, reports that culture is a central component of successful development of countries, and must be integrated into development policy and programming.

Under a government initiative, police in India are being encouraged to act as facilitators and to offer proactive support to community groups reaching out to people who are at higher risk of HIV and who also may be the most marginalized in society.

An increasing amount of information about the epidemic is coming from data gathered by HIV programmes and services. This helps to give a clearer picture of the epidemic worldwide. However the information is usually not available before a current year ends and so it has been decided not to publish a new “AIDS Epidemic Update” in 2008.

The World Economic Forum’s first Summit of the Global Agenda Councils - a unique gathering of leaders from academia, business, government and civil society – is taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 7 to 9 November. UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot is in Dubai participating in this event.

Four years after signing the first cooperation agreement to support the AIDS response in Central America and the Caribbean, UNAIDS and KfW Entwicklungsbank (KfW) have entered into a new agreement to expand the reach of its cooperation to include parts of Africa.

More than 30 representatives from 10 countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), along with UNAIDS representatives, took part in the meeting of the CIS Coordination Council on HIV/AIDS on 30 October in Moscow. The meeting, hosted by the Russian Government, brought together government representatives, country and regional civil society leaders and members of the Eastern European and Central Asian Union of the Organizations of People Living with HIV to build on their experiences to

HIV prevention was the focus of a meeting organized by the UK Department for International Development on 4 November in London. Politicians, scientists, international organizations and civil society gathered to evaluate current HIV prevention strategies and assess the steps forward. UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Michel Sidibe also took part in the meeting.

Representatives from G8 and non-G8 countries, international organizations, foundations and civil society are in Tokyo, Japan to further health systems strengthening. The International Conference on Global Action for Health System Strengthening took place from 3-4 November as a follow-up to the July 2008 Toyako G8 Summit. The conference aims to keep global health high on the agenda of G8 leaders and to develop a coordinated framework to better align global health initiatives

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) was launched in 1996 to strengthen the way in which the UN was responding to AIDS. “UNAIDS: The First 10 Years” is a new publication that presents a multifaceted account of the history of UNAIDS based on multiple views.

The South African Supreme Court Judge Edwin Cameron visited China from 27th to 31st October at the invitation of China’s Ministry of Health and UNAIDS. Through his visit, he set out to support the response to AIDS in China with a special focus on legal issues, discrimination and rights of people living with HIV

While in Beijing to give a keynote on HIV and Gender at the High-Level Forum on Poverty Reduction and Development, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy Dr Nafis Sadik also gave a public lecture under the theme of “know your epidemic,” urging a broader approach to AIDS in China.

UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot and UNAIDS Special Representative, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway were in the Ukrainian capital Kiev this week to call for strengthened leadership in the AIDS response in the country which has Europe’s most severe AIDS epidemic.

UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador and international football star Michael Ballack and UNAIDS are proud to team up for an online competition. Read more

On 20 October 2008 Festus Mogae the former President of Botswana was named the winner of the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. How has Mogae’s leadership made a difference in Botswana’s AIDS response?

In the second of a series of interviews with the UN Special Envoys for HIV/AIDS, Professor Kallings shares his views on his role and the challenges facing the AIDS response in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Michel Sidibe addressed the vital role of civil society at “Rendez-vous de la coopération québécoise et canadienne dans la Francophonie” hosted by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The event takes place ahead of the XIIe Sommet de la Francophonie in Quebec City.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of illness and death among people living with HIV in many parts of the world, yet TB is mostly curable and preventable. In spite of the two diseases being so inextricably linked, for many years, efforts to tackle HIV and TB were largely separate. To enhance collaboration, the forthcoming Union World Conference on Lung Health will hold a series of symposia on TB and HIV.

Business Coalitions on AIDS have emerged as an effective platform for the private sector response to the epidemic. UNAIDS and the Brazilian Business Council on HIV-AIDS Prevention recently convened a workshop of business coalitions and initiatives from Latin America and the Caribbean to recognize the role that the private sector play in the response to HIV and exchange experiences, challenges and opportunities.

On 09 October 2008, the United Nations Secretary-General together with senior officials from the United Nations system met with seventeen of the world’s research-based and generic pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies to review progress on strengthening efforts to expand access to HIV services in low- and middle-income countries.

Regional conference brings together broad coalition of military, technical experts, civil society and government representatives from across Commonwealth of Independent States to discuss a shared approach to lowering HIV prevalence among servicemen and servicewomen.