PHA-Exch> UNAIDS Executive Director's message "To Our Partners"

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Vern Weitzel <vern.weitzel at gmail.com>
cross posted from: "[health-vn discussion group]" health-vn at cairo.anu.edu.au


http://www.unaids.org/Resources/UNAIDS/images/feature/200802/20080213_Photo_EXD.jpgIt

It is now 12 years since UNAIDS started work, 12 years in which the Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS has matured into a truly global
institution, supporting national AIDS responses in more than 80 countries.

During those 12 years, we have established close relationships with a
wide range of partners—networks of people living with HIV, governments,
businesses, community groups, advocacy groups, religious organizations,
foundations, scientific institutions, and the United Nations family.
These partnerships are critical: without them, we at UNAIDS would not be
able to do our work.

Because of this, I wanted to share with you our priorities for 2008.
This year we have five focus areas. First we have to make the
significant domestic and international money being made available—work
the best that it can. We will intensify our technical and policy support
to help countries scale up towards universal access to HIV prevention,
treatment, care and support. Halfway towards the Millennium
Development goals—we aim to do a better job of sharing information about
the progress that countries have made in reaching their
targets—information that could help unblock challenges faced by others.

The second is to intensify country-level action on HIV prevention,
gender equality and human rights—interrelated areas that need broad
engagement. We will mobilise and build capacity to support planning,
costing and implementation of prevention programmes that reduce HIV
risk, vulnerability and impact. And we will work with a range of
stakeholders to build demand, capacity and resources for HIV prevention,
while continuing to support the further roll-out of HIV treatment.

The third is to enhance the provision of practical strategic
information. The 2007 /AIDS epidemic update/ report showed just how
complex the epidemic has become. We can no longer describe this epidemic
in simple global figures. We have to tell the story of what is happening
in countries in all their diversity. Over the next year we will further
refine our reporting on the epidemic and the response. We will continue
to strengthen data collection, and work with others to enhance the
analysis of this information. In August, we will publish a new /Global
Report on the AIDS epidemic /with the most up-to-date information on
progress at country level.

The fourth focus is to ensure that the AIDS response contributes to
wider development processes and outcomes. We want to highlight, through
reporting results, the difference that HIV programmes are making towards
achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We will use this knowledge
to support global policy, particularly for the health related MDGs, but
also for issues such as aid effectiveness and long-term predictable
financing.

And the fifth area is to develop a much longer term, more strategic
approach. We have to build on what has been achieved so far, and find
ways to accelerate and then sustain this in the future. The rate of new
HIV infections per year is declining, but the need for prevention,
treatment, care and support is increasing. We have to find new ways to
fill existing gaps—notably around HIV prevention and the volatility of
development assistance. Because if we don't find ways to address those
gaps now, we will not be able to sustain the AIDS response over the
longer term.

So 2008 is really a year of demonstrating and building on results. It's
about making sure those results provide maximum benefit in the decades
to come. We look forward to working with you to make this happen.

Best regards,

http://www.unaids.org/Resources/UNAIDS/images/feature/200802/clip_image002.jpg

Dr Peter Piot

Executive Director
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