UNFPA is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect

HIV-related Mission

The policies, strategies and activities of UNFPA are guided by the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the ICPD+5 Plan of Action, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other international agreements such as Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS. As a UNAIDS cosponsor, UNFPA works to intensify and scale up universal access to HIV prevention using rights-based, evidence-informed strategies, including attention to the gender inequalities that fuel the epidemic.

UNFPA actively promotes

• Exploring the linkages between HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health, such as including prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) and meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of people living with HIV
• Supporting women and youth friendly policies and programmes to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections
• Providing comprehensive condom programming with an emphasis on expanding access and use of female condoms
• Supporting meaningful involvement of young people, of people living with HIV, and of communities at large, in all aspects of programming

Key Roles of the Country Support Teams

Country Support Teams provide technical advisory services in all areas of population, development and sexual and reproductive health. These multidisciplinary teams have dedicated HIV advisors who work to integrate prevention within UNFPA supported activities

• Advise country offices on country 5-year plans, on joint programming and on critical stages of programme development
• Support capacity-building among government and other counterparts in HIV prevention – especially linked with sexual and reproductive health –, behaviour change and communication activities, condom programming, provision of youth friendly services, mainstreaming of gender into national policy and socio-cultural research
• Support the development of global and regional policy and strategic directions, guides and toolkits
• Promote and provide support to sexual and reproductive health efforts including HIV prevention in countries affected by emergency and conflict situations

Key Roles of UNFPA within the Regional HIV and AIDS Team (RHAT)

The UNFPA RDT is the convening agency for a coordinated UN response for sexual and reproductive health, young people and HIV/AIDS, condom programming, and sex work programmes. UNFPA is a key partner contributing to a coordinated UN response on PMCTC, OVCs, mobility, migration and displaced populations, treatment and prevention linkages, prevention in educational institutions, drug use and prison settings. UNFPA works to:

• Promote and provide support for the integration of sexual and reproductive health within HIV prevention policies and programmes and vice versa
• Ensure coordinated technical and programming support for UN country programming, implementation support and review exercises within UNFPA’s area of work/mandates
• Develop and strengthen strategic partnerships for HIV/AIDS with regional entities, bilateral donors and civil society in support of UNCT actions

Regional Offices and Contacts

UNFPA Africa Division

Fame Hane Ba, Director
220 East 42nd Street, New York, NY
10017 USA
Tel: 1-212-297-5151; Fax: 1-212-297-4951
Email: ba@unfpa.org

UNFPA Regional Directors’ Team (RDT) for Eastern and Southern Africa

Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and, Zimbabwe.

Dr Agathe Lawson
Regional Directors’ Team (RDT) for Eastern and Southern Africa
1st Floor, Merafe House, 11 Naivasha Road, Private Bag X 44
Sunninghill 2157, Johannesburg, South Africa
Tel: (+27) 11 517 1672 Fax: (+27) 11 517 1631
Email: lawson@unfpa.org

Country Support Team – Central and East Africa

Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Chad, Cameroon, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda

Benson Morah
Menelik 11 Avenue, UNECA, Old Building 1ST Floor
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 544 4063
Fax: + 251 1 51 53 11
Email: cstaddis@unfpa.org, morah@unfpa.org

Country Support Team – Southern Africa

Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Essan Niangoran
1st Floor, Building 7, Arundel Office Park, Norfolk Road
PO Box 4775
Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: +263 4 338 524/525/527
Fax: +263 4 307 467
Email: niangoran@unfpa.org

UNFPA Liaison Office to the African Union/Economic Commission for Africa

Etta Tadesse
Menelik 11 Avenue, UNECA, Old Building, 1ST Floor
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: tadesse@unfpa.org

References

Strategic Guidance on HIV Prevention, UNFPA 2002

Websites

www.unfpa.org
http://easternsouthernafrica.unrdt.org/reports/rdtdocs.asp