Uganda developed the Multi-sectoral Approach to the Control of AIDS (MACA) was developed and adopted in 1992 to ensure a concerted response. This policy and strategy calls for the involvement of all stakeholders in the response to HIV.

The Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) was established in 1992 under the Office of the President to ensure a focused and harmonized response. Uganda’s response to the epidemic has been characterized by strong political commitment and support, open dialogue, multisectoral interventions and coordination, the involvement of religious leaders, decentralised planning, programmatic targeting for discrimination issues, supportive policy and social environment, the availability of local and external resources, the involvement of local communities and investment in research.

The National HIV & AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP) 2007- 2011 was developed through a broad consultative process aligned to the Country’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP). It focuses on Human Development and emphasizes preventive health care and commodities for basic curative care. The NSP’s main objectives are:

• Reduce the incidence of HIV by 40% by 2012
• Improve the quality of life of people living with HIV by mitigating the health effects of HIV by 2012
• Mitigate the social, cultural and economic effects of HIV at individual, household and community levels
• Build an effective support system that ensures high-quality, equitable and timely service delivery

Since 2002 Uganda’s response to HIV has been mainly coordinated through the National HIV & AIDS Partnership arrangement. At district level, the response is coordinated through a technical District AIDS Committee and a political District AIDS Taskforce. This arrangement is translated at all Local Government levels down to the grassroots community.

Key Achievements

• Launch of the AIDS Control Programme in 1986
• Creation of the AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) in 1987 to support ogranisations of people living with HIV
• Creation of the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) in 1992 to conduct clinical research on HIV/AIDS and care and treatment
• Launch of the AIDS Information Centre (AIC) in 1992 to provide voluntary counselling and testing services
• Launch of the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) in 1992 to coordinate the multisectoral response to HIV
• Launch of the multisectoral National Operational Plan and HIV/AIDS Policy Guidelines in 1992
• Launch of the multisectoral National Operational Plan (NOP) and HIV/AIDS Policy Guidelines in 1993
• Launch of the Five-year National Strategic Framework (NSF) for HIV/AIDS in 1997 New NSF launched in 2000 covering the period 2000 – 2005

Key Challenges

• Shortage of skilled human resources
• Heavy reliance on external donors for funding and concern over sustainability of funding;
• poor physical infrastructure
• Inequitable access to services across the country (easier access in urban areas than in rural areas, difficulty reaching the northern part of the country
• Linkages to and integration of services: many vertical projects - resulting in loss of harmonisation and synergies
• Inefficient supply chain management
• Under-resourcing and under-performing of monitoring and evaluation
• Weak mainstreaming of HIV in the public and private sectors
• Gender mainstreaming inadequate
• Limited access and uptake of services, for example voluntary counseling and testing and antiretroviral therapy services

• National Strategic Plan
• Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC)
• PMTCT and Paediatric Care and Treatment Factsheet