When African leaders discuss economic growth in Africa at this week’s African Union Summit, their options will be constrained by the growing AIDS epidemic and slow progress on reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). For example, over the years we have seen agriculture output being impacted by people unable to till their fields or having to sell their land to take care of themselves and their families.

We, the Champions for an HIV-Free Generation, visited Namibia from June 14-17 on a regional mission to share experiences and encourage leadership to renew and revitalize the response to the HIV epidemic. We came to exchange views with government and civil society leaders on what can be done to arrest the spread of HIV and AIDS. We came to reach out to our peers and to find solutions together.

The 2009 HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting opened on June 10 in Namibia, drawing more than 1,500 HIV and AIDS implementers from more than 55 countries around the world to Windhoek. With the theme : "Optimizing the Response: Partnerships for Sustainability", this year's meeting focused on optimizing the impact of prevention, treatment and care programmes, enhancing programme quality, promoting coordination among partners and encouraging innovative responses to the AIDS pandemic.

HIV policy makers and programmers pledge to reduce the number of new HIV infections by 50% and to the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) convened a meeting to take stock of where the SADC member states are in their prevention responses since the 2006 SADC Expert Think Tank on HIV Prevention, to look at progress against SADC and UNGASS indicators, and to share emerging evidence and information to intensify an effective response to turn off the tap of new infections.

In 2005, UNAIDS established regional Technical Support Facilities (TSF) as independent regional entities to build capacities and provide timely, high-quality and competitively priced technical assistance in support of national AIDS responses. Six TSF are currently operational. Contracts with the TSF host institutions in (1) East Africa (2) Southern Africa (3) West & Central Africa and (4) South-East Asia & the Pacific come to an end in December 2009. In accordance with procurement policies, UNAIDS is initiating a re-bidding process for indentifying potential contractors to manage the TSFs in above-mentioned regions.

Institutions or consortia are invited to tender for the management of the Technical Support Facility (TSF) in East and Southern Africa Tender documents, eligibility criteria and the required formats for tenders can be obtained by sending an e-mail to:

25 May 2009

If national HIV prevention strategies are to succeed, countries must understand the character and drivers of their epidemic and focus on proven need through sustained and effective interventions. However, there is often a mismatch between HIV prevention efforts and the actual factors driving new infections. This can lead to significant resources being invested in programmes of limited effect which do not reach those most at risk. To address this situation in five African countries, National AIDS Authorities, UNAIDS and the World Bank have produced a series of detailed reports that aim to characterize the true nature of the respective epidemics and their drivers, the existing HIV prevention response and the allocation of funding for prevention.

> Click here to visit the UNAIDS RST website section on the Modes of Transmission studies

Experts call for urgent action on PMTCT and Paediatric HIV Care and Treatment in Eastern and Southern Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya, 25 May 2009 - Governments from nine countries in Eastern and Southern Africa*, who last year accounted for half of the global new HIV infections, need to take urgent action to expand and strengthen existing Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services for pregnant women, and increase treatment to infected mothers and children. Experts agreed that these countries must reach 80% of all pregnant women, mothers and their children with services, halve the number of mothers and children lost to follow up, and double the number of HIV infected children on ART treatment if we are to succeed in halting the spread of the virus.

On 14 and 15 May 2009, UNAIDS and Soul City Institute co-convened the second of a series of meeting of HIV prevention communications practitioners working on discussing comprehensive HIV prevention efforts with a particular focus on addressing multiple and concurrent partnerships in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Click here to access meeting presentations. A meeting report will be published on this site soon.

UNAIDS and UNDP launch plan to increase access to HIV information and services

GENEVA, 15 May 2009 - Ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia (17 May), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are launching a plan to encourage new and better approaches to HIV, specifically focusing on men who have sex with men and on transgender populations.

In many parts of the world HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men is more than 20 times higher than in the general population. Studies show that HIV prevention services reach only one tenth to one third of people who engage in male homosexual activity. In addition, a growing body of evidence shows that the majority of new infections in many urban areas are among men who have sex with men.

Yet, these same groups have limited access to HIV-related information and health services due to discrimination, violence, marginalization and other human rights violations. In many countries, they still face criminal sanctions and lack access to justice.

"Countries must be rigourous in moniotoring the evolution of their epidemics and recalibrate their HIV programming to respond to the needs of those most at risk. In many settings these will be men who have sex with men", said Paul De Lay, Deputy Executive Director ad interim, Programme, UNAIDS. "Responses must be based on local epidemiological and social realities to be effective," he added.

Related documents
Statement by Mr Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, on occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia, 17 May

UNAIDS Action Framework: Universal Access for Men who have Sex with Men and Transgender People

Windhoek, Namibia and Washington, D.C. - On June 10, 2009, H.E. Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia, will welcome more than 1,500 HIV/AIDS implementers from around the globe at the opening of the 2009 HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting in Windhoek, Namibia.

The five-day meeting will be hosted by the Government of Namibia, and co-sponsored by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); UNICEF; the World Bank; the World Health Organization; and the Global Network of People Living with HIV.  Namibia was selected to host the 2009 conference in recognition of the country's bold leadership in fighting HIV/AIDS.

Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information and Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) with technical support from Health and Development Networks (HDN) and financial support from UNAIDS have launched the "Invigorating Universal Access" eForum within the context of the "Accelerating Prevention" eForum which has been running since April 2007.

The eForum discussion on Universal Access will run until the end of May 2009. It will be used as a public platform to solicit the opinions of HIV programme practitioners, People Living with HIV, academics, civil society and a broader public on universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. The discussion will bring sharper focus on identifying and proposing solutions for the challenges and obstacles that prevent the attainment of Universal Access.

To join the discussion on Invigorating Universal Access, please send a blank email to join-accelerating-prevention@eforums.healthdev.org

The eForum discussion can be viewed at http://www.healthdev.org/eforums/cms/individual.asp?sid=183&sname=Accelerating-Prevention

On 10 February the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Mr Michel Sidibé gave his first major global statement at a public meeting in Khayelitsha, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town in South Africa which has a population of approximately one million people.

Building on the commitment countries have made to reach universal access by 2010, Mr Sidibé set out his strategy for the future direction of UNAIDS and highlighted the need to invigorate global momentum, action and commitment towards achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

• Press release - Calls for US$ 25 billion investment to ensure countries reach 2010 targets
• Photo Gallery
• Letter to Partners
• New report calls for $25 billion investment to ensure countries reach 2010 targets