NEW UN REPORT SAYS 50 MILLION WOMEN IN ASIA AT RISK OF HIV FROM THEIR PARTNERS

An estimated 50 million women in Asia, who are either married or in long-term relationships with men who engage in high-risk sexual behaviours, are at risk of becoming infected with HIV from their partners, according to a new report published by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

"HIV Transmission in Intimate Partner Relationships in Asia," produced by UNAIDS and its partners, was today in Bali at the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific.

According to the agency, the HIV epidemics in Asia vary between countries in the region, but are fuelled by unprotected paid sex, the sharing of contaminated injecting equipment by injecting drug users, and unprotected sex among men who have sex with men.

Men who buy sex constitute the largest infected population group – and most of them are either married or will get married. "This puts a significant number of women, often perceived as 'low-risk' because they only have sex with their husbands or long-term partners, at risk of HIV infection," it stated in a news release.

UNAIDS estimated that more than 90 per cent of the 1.7 million women living with HIV in Asia became infected from their husbands or partners while in long-term relationships. In Cambodia, India and Thailand, the largest number of new HIV infections occur among married women.

"HIV prevention programmes focused on the female partners of men with high-risk behaviours still have not found a place in national HIV plans and priorities in Asian countries" said Dr. Prasada Rao, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team Asia and the Pacific, speaking at the launch of the report.

The report pointed out that the strong patriarchal culture in Asian countries severely limits a woman's ability to negotiate sex in intimate partner relationships. While society tolerates extramarital sex and multiple partners for men, women are generally expected to refrain from sex until marriage and remain monogamous afterwards.

"Discrimination and violence against women and girls, endemic to our social fabric, are both the cause and consequence of AIDS," said Dr. Jean D'Cunha, South Asia Regional Director for the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). "Striking at the root of gender inequalities and striving to transform male behaviours are key to effectively addressing the pandemic."

The report makes a number of recommendations, including that HIV prevention interventions be scaled-up for men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, and clients of female sex workers and should emphasize the importance of protecting their regular female partners.

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TOP UN OFFICIAL CALLS ON ASIA-PACIFIC NATIONS TO LEAD ON AIDS RESPONSE

The time has come for countries in Asia and the Pacific to translate their growing economic clout into positive political influence to help set the global AIDS agenda and the response to the epidemic, the head of the United Nations agency dealing with the disease has stated.

Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) told the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific that the world looks to the region and sees what tremendous progress is possible.

"The region has been achieving breathtaking economic growth and social development, especially in the last decade," he noted in a statement delivered by J. V. R. Prasada Rao, Director of the UNAIDS Regional Support Team, to the week-long meeting, which began yesterday in Bali, Indonesia.

He added that the region's economic dynamism is also reflected in the leadership of the AIDS response in many countries, including on addressing the needs of the most marginalized and at-risk populations – men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, and sex workers and their clients.

However, he pointed out that "spectacular economic growth has not been matched by progress in creating the enabling environments and supportive social norms necessary to deliver a future generation free of HIV."

According to a report last year on the global AIDS epidemic, an estimated 5 million people in Asia, and 74,000 in the Pacific, were living with HIV in 2007. In addition, the Independent Commission on AIDS in Asia says that AIDS remains the most likely cause of death and loss of work days among people aged 15 to 44 in the region.

Mr. Sidibé said he continues to receive reports of "senseless, vicious and inhumane" harassment of people living with HIV in the region, as well as harassment of AIDS activists.

"UNAIDS will continue to advocate, both publicly and privately, to repeal laws that undermine our quest for universal access and root out HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

"But real transformation has to come in the hearts and minds of the people," he added. "Courts and parliaments can only create an enabling environment. Societies and communities have to change the social norms to end stigma and discrimination faced by transgender, men who have sex with men, sex workers and injecting drug users."

The Executive Director also stressed the need to reap the "prevention dividend," noting that it is possible today to virtually eliminate mother-to-child transmission just as has been done in Western Europe. "An AIDS-free generation is within our reach – it is a moral imperative."

There is also a strong business case for prevention, he told the gathering, as it generates economic benefits. As pointed out by the AIDS Commission, for every dollar spent on preventing HIV, eight dollars can be saved on treatment costs in the future.

"Prevention has been systematically under-invested," said Mr. Sidibé. "The time has come to boldly ramp up our prevention efforts and ensure investments are better focused on reaching marginalized groups in poor communities."

The Congress, which takes place every two years, has drawn thousands of people together for five days of discussion on issues ranging from mobility and migration, injecting drug use, human rights as well as gender.
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UNAIDS CHIEF WELCOMES PLAN TO SLASH PRICES OF ESSENTIAL MEDICINES

A top United Nations official has hailed agreements reached by the Clinton Foundation with pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Matrix to reduce the prices of antiretroviral drugs for people living with AIDS and tuberculosis (TB).

"The reduction of prices of second line antiretroviral drugs will saves lives," said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). "These agreements will help improve the sustainability of national treatment programmes over the long term."

Second line antiretroviral drugs are necessary when people living with HIV – currently an estimated 33 million people worldwide – fail to respond to standard treatment regimens.

At the end of last year, an estimated 5 per cent of the 4 million people on antiretroviral treatment required second line drugs, according to UNAIDS, which added that the need for these drugs is expected to rise in the coming years.

The agency noted that the agreement with Matrix to make available three second line drugs in a single package will also contribute to the ease of delivery and help increase treatment adherence.

Meanwhile, the agreement with Pfizer will enable people to seek treatment for TB – a leading cause of death for those living with AIDS – without interrupting their second line treatment.

"People living with HIV should not have to choose between TB and AIDS treatment," said Mr Sidibé. "We have to stop people living with HIV from dying of TB."
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CHANGE IN DRUG TREATMENT REDUCES HIV INFECTION IN NEWBORN BABIES – UN-BACKED STUDY

Mother-to-child HIV transmission rates can be dramatically cut with the administration of a cocktail of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs over a longer period of time to pregnant and breastfeeding women, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) announced today.

Newborn babies are over 40 per cent less likely to become infected with the virus if HIV-positive pregnant women take a combination of three ARV drugs from the last trimester of pregnancy until six months into breastfeeding, rather than a short course of drugs that ends at delivery, according to a new study led by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The study – named Kesho Bora, which means "a better future" in Swahili – involved 1,140 women from Burkina Faso, Kenya and South Africa and showed that a significant reduction can be achieved in many pregnant women with a lowered immune cell count.

In many developing countries HIV-positive mothers face a tough choice between breastfeeding their babies and risking the transmission of the virus through their milk, or giving them formula which deprives infants of the natural immunity passed on through breast milk and helps protect against diarrhoea, malnutrition and other potentially deadly diseases.

UNAIDS said in a news release that it was clear that the Kesho Bora research increases the range of treatment options available to mothers living with the virus and offers them hope that, if they so wish, they have a greater chance of breastfeeding their babies without passing on HIV.

The agency added that there is no increased risk to the health of the mother or the infant associated with this triple-ARV regimen, consisting of zidovudine, lamivudine and lopinavir/ritonavir.

"Strengthened services for maternal health, for reproductive health and for paediatric health will mean we can prevent mothers from dying and babies from becoming infected with HIV in Lesotho and around the world," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé during a recent visit to Lesotho in Southern Africa.

The initial findings of the three-year study were presented at the 5th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention, which concluded today in Cape Town, South Africa.

WHO worked on the study in partnership with the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis (ANRS), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the US National Institutes of Health.

Additional funds for the Kesho Bora study were provided by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, the Thrasher Foundation, the UK Department for International Development, UNICEF and the Belgian Government.
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NEW UN-BACKED REPORT FINDS DECLINING FUNDING LEVELS FOR HIV VACCINE RESEARCH

A new United Nations-backed report on investment in HIV prevention research in 2008 finds that funding levels for a possible vaccine for the virus have decreased for the first time since investment trends have been tracked.

The report – "Adapting to Realities: Trends in HIV Prevention Research Funding 2000 to 2008" –notes that this trend may have been influenced by shifts in scientific priorities, the global economic downturn and competition for various health issues.

Despite the decrease, the overall trend since 2000 has been of greater investment for experimental biomedical prevention strategies, adds the report, prepared by the HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Resource Tracking Working Group, of which the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is a member.

It identifies investments of almost $1.2 billion in HIV prevention research in 2008, of which $868 million supported vaccine research and development (R&D), and $244 million supported microbicide R&D.

The United States was once again the leader in funding HIV prevention research, supporting 71 per cent of HIV vaccine R&D and 63 per cent of microbicide R&D in 2008. "A decrease in investment from the US National Institutes of Health contributed to the overall decline of funding for HIV vaccine R&D," states a news release published by UNAIDS on the report.

In addition to the $39 million decline in US investment, there was also a decrease in funding for HIV vaccine research from other countries, including from European governments, Brazil, Canada, India, South Africa and Thailand.

A recent report from UNAIDS and the World Bank warned that the well-being of millions of people could be put at risk as HIV prevention and treatment programmes fall victim to funding cutbacks as a result of the global economic crisis.

It found that eight countries – which together are home to more than 60 per cent of all those receiving AIDS treatment – are already facing shortages of antiretroviral drugs or other disruptions to treatment.

In addition, 34 out of the 71 surveyed countries report that HIV prevention programmes focusing on high-risk groups such as sex workers, injection drug users and men who have sex with men are already feeling the impact of the crisis.

Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said research to develop new HIV prevention tools and strategies is essential to prevent new infections, and an HIV vaccine still holds "the greatest hope" to ending the epidemic. "It is vitally important that investments into research for HIV prevention be sustained and increased for as long as it takes to reach those goals."

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UNAIDS WELCOMES FRENCH-SPEAKING BLOC’S COMMITMENT TO COMBAT HIV

Parliamentarians from Francophone countries, which bear a large burden of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, today reaffirmed their commitment to tackling the disease, in a move welcomed by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

A resolution adopted during the annual gathering of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie in Paris from 3-6 July sent a strong message that fighting AIDS is given high priority on the agenda of Francophone parliamentarians.

"I am encouraged to see this level of leadership from Francophone countries to the AIDS response," said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. "A strong response is needed to break the trajectory of the epidemic and start building a better future for people affected by HIV," he added.

The resolution adopted by the Assembly called for, among other matters, boosting HIV prevention efforts, especially among groups with higher risk of infection.

It also rejected punitive laws, such as the criminalization of HIV transmission and laws barring marginalized groups from accessing health services.

Access to anti-retroviral drugs must be free to all in need, the resolution added, stressing the need to ensure that the necessary resources are provided for the health-care systems of developing countries in Africa and Asia. The lack of an effective response to poverty will weaken the response to AIDS, it warned.

More than half of all UN Member States hold either full-fledged or observer-status membership of La Francophonie, which signed a cooperation agreement with the UN in October 2006.

ANNUAL UN MEETING OPENS WITH CALL TO ENSURE HIV SERVICES FOR ‘PEOPLE ON THE MOVE’

The agency tasked with coordinating the United Nations response to the AIDS epidemic today called for improving HIV information and services for "people on the move," saying it will help further development and promote human rights.

Addressing the HIV-related needs of the millions uprooted from their homes every year, either by forced displacement or migration, is the focus of the annual meeting of the governing body of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, which began in Geneva today.

Figures by the UN refugee agency indicate that there were 16 million refugees, 26 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to conflict and an additional 25 million displaced due to natural disasters in 2007, while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates there were over 200 million international migrants in 2008.

Meeting the needs of people on the move for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support is essential for achieving universal access, UNAIDS noted in a news release.

The agency said that populations on the move are sometimes blamed for the spread of HIV, or for increasing the burden on limited services for people living with HIV. However, many of the underlying factors driving mobility also increase the vulnerability of this group to HIV infection.

In addition, those among this group living with HIV and those taking antiretroviral medication face additional challenges in obtaining needed care and treatment.

It is critical to address the needs of those who 'fall between the cracks' in national AIDS strategies, and in global discussions of forced displacement, migration and travel, the agency said.

Among the specific issues of concern being discussed at the three-day UNAIDS meeting are human rights, especially in connection with access to services, as well as stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV.

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TOP UN OFFICIALS URGE CONTINUED AIDS FUNDING AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS

Top United Nations officials today urged countries to maintain and strengthen their commitments to tackle HIV and AIDS in the midst of the global economic downturn, warning that slashing resources now could mean greater costs and suffering in the future.

Addressing a meeting of the General Assembly convened to assess progress in the response to the global epidemic, its President, Miguel D'Escoto, noted that people living with HIV/AIDS have been placed at greater risk as a result of the global financial and economic crisis that is crippling economies around the world.

"As a result of this ongoing crisis, I fear that many governments are resigned to reducing programmes and diminished expectations," he told delegates. "But it is precisely when times are difficult that our true values and the sincerity of our commitment are most clearly evident.

"Even as we see signs of cutbacks in AIDS funding in many countries, we must remind governments and the international community that the world has the resources to mount the kind of AIDS response to which we have committed.

"If we allow cuts now, we will face increased costs and great human suffering in the future," he stated.

In 2006, the Assembly pledged to achieve universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. A report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on progress on HIV/AIDS commitments shows that achieving national universal access targets by 2010 will require an estimated annual outlay of $25 billion within two years.

Mr. D'Escoto said that, as the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has pointed out, the amounts needed to achieve this goal represent "a miniscule fraction" of the sums that have been spent this year on economic stimulus measures.

The Secretary-General's report also highlights a number of encouraging developments such as countries establishing clear national targets for universal access, and a continued increase in financing for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries, reaching $13.7 billion in 2008.

At the same time, the report says considerable challenges remain, including significant access gaps for key HIV-related services. Also, the pace of new infections continues to outstrip the expansion of treatment programmes, and commitment to HIV prevention remains inadequate.

"Now is not the time to falter," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the meeting. "The economic crisis should not be an excuse to abandon commitments – it should be an impetus to make the right investments that will yield benefits for generations to come."

Mr. Ban said that a vigorous and effective response to the AIDS epidemic is integrally linked to meeting global commitments to reduce poverty, prevent hunger, lower childhood mortality, and protect the health and well being of women.

"But to achieve the goal of universal access, barriers to progress need to be overcome. Not just in battling the disease, but also in confronting obstacles that society puts in the way," he said, adding that the fight against AIDS also requires attacking "diseases of the human spirit – prejudice, discrimination, stigma."

He called on all governments to review their legal frameworks to ensure compliance with the human rights principles on which a sound AIDS response is based. "This is not solely a medical or scientific challenge. It is a moral challenge, too," he said.

Speaking to reporters after addressing the meeting, the Secretary-General discussed his own efforts to attack prejudice, discrimination and stigma. Among them, he said he met regularly with UN staff who lived with HIV and that he is pushing for all people living with HIV to participate in society without fear of discrimination.

He was joined by UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibé, who commended Mr. Ban's leadership in helping to break the "conspiracy of silence" on stigma, discrimination and criminalization against people living with HIV, particularly among vulnerable groups – homosexuals, sex workers and drug users.

He added that "time is running out," noting that the 2010 deadline for achieving universal access is right around the corner. "Unfortunately, we are far from reaching our goals."

Some 84 countries have reported that they have laws and policies that act as obstacles to effective HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for vulnerable populations, according to UNAIDS.

"Achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support is a human rights imperative. It is essential that the global response to the AIDS epidemic is grounded in human rights and that discrimination and punitive laws against those most affected by HIV are removed," stated Mr. Sidibé.
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SOME AIDS WORK IN AFRICA ‘MISMATCHED’ FROM ACTUAL CAUSES, SAYS UN-BACKED REPORT

SOME AIDS WORK IN AFRICA 'MISMATCHED' FROM ACTUAL CAUSES, SAYS UN-BACKED REPORT
New York, May 27 2009 12:00PM
The publication of potential "mismatches" between prevention strategies and the actual causes of HIV/AIDS in some African countries has already helped to improve efforts to combat the disease, according to the lead United Nations agency on the issue.

The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (<"http://www.unaids.org/en/">UNAIDS) said that a series of reports from Kenya, Lesotho, Swaziland and Uganda showed a "relative lack of evidence-based policies and programmes."

On Lesotho, for example, which has the third highest adult prevalence in the world, the study shows that there is an 'exceptionally high' number of multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships before and during marriage, UNAIDS <"http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/FeatureStories/archive/2009/20090512_UNAIDS_WB_epi.asp">said.

"Yet, according to the report, national prevention strategies do not explicitly address concurrent partnerships and no activities are designed specifically for adults, married couples and people in long-term steady relationships."

Meanwhile, the agency noted that efforts in Kenya are aimed at the general population. "Even where the evidence shows a clear need for it, Government funding aimed at other most-at-risk groups, such as sex workers, their clients, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users is 'negligible or non-existent,'" UNAIDS said.

At the same time, some countries under study have already begun to adapt. Uganda, for example, recommended the establishment of clear policies, standards and guidelines to improve counselling and testing services, IEC (information, education and communication) and behaviour change interventions for married and long-term sexual partners, people living with HIV and at-risk groups.

"Swaziland also recommended that married, cohabiting and steady couples be acknowledged as a priority population and, further, that stronger political leadership for HIV prevention be exercised in order to build widespread engagement to address the complex norms underlying the level of vulnerability to infection in the country," UNAIDS said.

"The leadership demonstrated by the countries that have undertaken this analytic work is a first and important step towards building effective prevention strategies," said Mark Stirling, Director of UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa.

The Analysis of Prevention Response and Modes of Transmission Study series is supported by national AIDS authorities, UNAIDS and the World Bank. Mozambique and Zambia are preparing forthcoming reports.

Debrework Zewdie, Director of the World Bank's Global HIV/AIDS Unit, said, "These syntheses use the growing amounts of data and information available to better understand each country's epidemic and response, and identify how prevention might be more effective. They are guiding the programmes we support."
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TOP UN OFFICIAL URGES END TO MOTHER-TO-CHILD AIDS TRANSMISSION BY 2015

TOP UN OFFICIAL URGES END TO MOTHER-TO-CHILD AIDS TRANSMISSION BY 2015
New York, May 21 2009 2:00PM
The head of the United Nations agency charged with coordinating the fight against HIV/AIDS has called for a virtual elimination of mother-to-child AIDS transmission worldwide by 2015.

"We can prevent mothers from dying and babies from becoming infected with HIV," Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (<"http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/PressCentre/PressReleases/2009/20090521_PriorityAreas.asp">UNAIDS), told this week's meeting of the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

According to UNAIDS, evidence shows that timely administration of antiretroviral drugs to HIV-positive pregnant women significantly reduces the risk of HIV transmission to their babies.

"It is a proven, inexpensive, and effective intervention," UNAIDS said in a news release. "Despite this, latest estimates show that in 2007, only 33 per cent of HIV-positive pregnant women received the necessary treatment and only 21 per cent of women in low- and middle-income countries were tested for HIV as part of their antenatal care.

"Progress in this area can only be achieved by integrating programmes which prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children into the broader reproductive health agenda," the agency stressed.

Mr. Sidibé met with more than 80 health ministers during the <"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2009/wha62/en/index.html">World Health Assembly to underscore the commitment of UNAIDS in supporting countries to achieve their universal access goals. He outlined key priority areas in which joint action by the UN could make a significant difference to the AIDS response and a positive contribution to the broader development agenda.

In a related development, UNAIDS and the UN Development Programme (<"http://www.undp.org/">UNDP) have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Forum of Arab and African Parliamentarians for Population and Development to work towards achieving access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services for all people in the region.

In the agreement, the three parties pledged to strengthen the parliamentarians' role in addressing universal access, including by creating awareness and influencing public opinion, as well as ensuring that legislation protects and promotes human rights and that funds are allocated to the issue.
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NEW UN PLAN TO BOOST HIV SERVICES TARGETS GAY MEN AND TRANSGENDER PEOPLE

NEW UN PLAN TO BOOST HIV SERVICES TARGETS GAY MEN AND TRANSGENDER PEOPLE
New York, May 15 2009 2:01PM
Two United Nations agencies are launching a plan to provide increased HIV-related information and health services to men who have sex with men and transgender populations, while stressing the need to make universal access to treatment, care and support a reality for all.

The initiative, spearheaded by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (<"http://www.unaids.org/en/">UNAIDS) and the UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/may/aids-responses-failing-men-who-have-sex-with-men-and-transgender-populations.en">UNDP), comes ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, observed on 17 May.

"The case is clear and urgent," said Jeffery O'Malley, Director of UNDP's HIV group. "If we are going to make universal access for sexual minorities a meaningful reality, we must work towards ending homophobia and transphobia. We must address the legal and policy barriers."

In a news release issued today, the agencies noted that 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.

In addition, studies show that HIV prevention services reach only one tenth to one third of people who engage in male homosexual activity. At the same time, there is growing evidence 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," the agencies stated. "In many countries, they still face criminal sanctions and lack access to justice."

Paul De Lay, acting Deputy Executive Director at UNAIDS, stressed the need for rigorous monitoring by countries of the evolution of their epidemics, and for tailoring national responses to the needs of those most at risk.

"In many settings this will be men who have sex with men," he said, adding that responses must be based on local epidemiological and social realities to be effective.

The plan being launched – the UNAIDS Action Framework: Universal Access for Men who have Sex with Men and Transgender People – outlines several factors that impede access to HIV services, such as unwillingness on the part of governments and donors to invest in the sexual health of sexual minorities.

It also sets out how UNAIDS will work towards achieving universal access through three main objectives – improving human rights, strengthening the evidence base through better data, and reinforcing capacity and promoting partnerships to ensure broader and better responses.
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SENEGAL: UNAIDS LAUDS RELEASE OF MEN JAILED FOR THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today welcomed the release of nine men, members of a Senegalese AIDS awareness group, who had been imprisoned for their sexual orientation.

The men were arrested last December and sentenced the following month by the Senegalese courts for "acts against nature and the creation of an association of criminals."

UNAIDS, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), civil society organizations, the French Embassy and the Swedish Embassy representing the European Union (EU) mounted a campaign to secure the release of the detainees, who work for an organization called AIDES Senegal.

"Homophobia and criminalization based on a person's sexual orientation is fueling the AIDS epidemic," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. "We urge Senegal to remove such laws that block the AIDS response."

The agency stressed that the rights of men who have sex with men must be protected, with laws prohibiting sexual acts between consenting adults in private being amended to curb stigma and discrimination.

Further, UNAIDS called for the enforcement of anti-discrimination, the provision of legal aid services and the promotion of campaigns that address homophobia.
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TOP UN OFFICIAL CALLS FOR FULLY FUNDING FIGHT AGAINST AIDS, TB AND MALARIA

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria must be fully funded if countries are to achieve the goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, the head of the United Nations agency tasked with coordinating the AIDS response has stressed.

Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), told donors and partners gathered in the Spanish city of Cáceres for the Mid-Term Review meeting of the Global Fund's Second Voluntary Replenishment process that many countries rely on Fund to finance their national AIDS programmes.

"Countries need predictable financing so that they can focus their efforts on achieving their universal access goals. That is why the Global Fund must be fully funded," he told the meeting, which concludes tomorrow.

The Fund says that donor funding for the period 2008-2010 stands at $9.5 billion – $4 billion short of the expected demand of at least $13.5 billion.

Despite the current global economic downturn, Mr. Sidibé stressed the necessity of investing in delivering HIV services to the millions of people worldwide who are in need.

"We cannot let the economic crisis paralyze us. Stimulus packages and economic adjustments should be made with a human face in mind. A mother should not have to choose between continuing AIDS treatment and feeding her children. We cannot let down the 4 million people on treatment and millions more in need today," he stated.

In a video message to the meeting, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for continued support to the Global Fund, which was established in 2002 by the international community to ensure sufficient funding to combat three deadly diseases.

"The Global Fund is helping countries to set ambitious targets. It is helping them to achieve concrete results. And it is giving affected populations a real voice in programmes and policies that affect them. I urge you to ensure it is fully funded," he said.

The Fund's voluntary replenishment process was established in 2004 to ensure predictable and sustainable funding, and offers an important forum for donors to exchange views and expectations and to enable them to better plan their financial commitments.
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UNAIDS CHIEF VISITS BRAZIL TO PROMOTE AWARENESS OF TB LINK, END PREJUDICE

The head of the United Nations agency charged with coordinating the fight against HIV/AIDS is in Brazil this week promoting awareness of the link between the epidemic and tuberculosis and the necessity to address discrimination in the South American country's response to HIV.

Brazil is home to some 40 per cent of people (730,000) living with HIV in Latin America, the largest epidemic in the region, while the next most significant HIV-positive population lives in Mexico with 200,000 people.

However, AIDS mortality rates were halved between 1996 and 2002 thanks to the country's commitment to providing access to both HIV prevention and treatment services, which has also helped stabilise the epidemic.

"We have to stop people living with HIV from dying of tuberculosis," Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said at yesterday's launch of a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on global TB control.

"Universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support must include TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment. When HIV and TB services are combined, they save lives," stressed Mr. Sidibé.

Underscoring a message of solidarity with those affected by HIV and his opposition to laws blocking AIDS services, Mr. Sidibé will meet in Brasília with Government officials, the National Congress Parliamentary group on HIV, as well as civil society actors active in promoting HIV awareness, protecting human rights and ending stigma and discrimination.

One meeting will bring together national level representatives of groups representing people living with HIV, youth, women, and lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders to discuss these issues within the national and local context.

Mr. Sidibé also plans to visit organizations providing vital services to children and young people in Rio de Janeiro as part of his first official trip to Brazil since becoming Executive Director of UNAIDS.
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RATE OF EPIDEMIC’S DECLINE TOO SLOW, SAYS BAN ON WORLD TB DAY

A new United Nations report notes that the percentage of the global population falling ill to tuberculosis is dropping annually, but Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the pace of the disease's decline is too slow and that efforts to combat it are "falling short."

In a message marking World TB Day, Mr. Ban said that although strides have been made, the "rate of decline is far too slow," with the disease claiming a life every 20 seconds.

"Millions of people are benefiting from treatment through coordinated national efforts, but millions more are still missing out," he said, cautioning that "unless we accelerate action, the numbers of those falling ill will continue to grow."

The report released today by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) notes that the total number of new cases in 2007 has stabilized, up to 9.27 million from 9.24 million the year before.

Rates reached their peak at 142 cases per 100,000 people in 2004, but have decreased to 137 per 100,000 people in 2007.

The Secretary-General stressed the need to intensify the fight against multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), as well as the TB/HIV co-epidemic.

The new WHO study reveals that one-quarter of all TB deaths are HIV-related, twice as many as previous recognized. In 2007, 1.37 million people living with HIV fell ill to TB.

"These findings point to an urgent need to find, prevent and treat tuberculosis in people living with HIV and to test for HIV in all patients in order to provide prevention, treatment and care," said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, urging countries to step up cooperation to combat both diseases.

There has been a steep climb in testing for HIV among people being treated for TB, especially in Africa, the report notes. In 2004, only 4 per cent of TB patients in the region were tested for HIV, but that has surged to 37 per cent in 2007.

"We have to stop people living with HIV from dying of tuberculosis," said Michel Sidibé, who heads the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), underscoring the need for universal access to HIV prevention and treatment to include TB prevention, diagnosis and care.

"When HIV and TB services are combined, they save lives," the UNAIDS chief said.

In his message today, Mr. Ban welcomed the commitments made by governments, multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), foundations, the private sector, academia and researchers to halt and reverse the spread of the disease and press ahead with efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.

"In this time of economic crisis, we must protect investments in global health, particularly to protect the most vulnerable," he said, calling for partnership and innovation to "prevent disease, save lives and enable communities to thrive."
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TOGOLESE FOOTBALLER JOINS UN ROSTER OF STARS SPOTLIGHTING HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC

Togolese footballer Emmanuel Adebayor is the latest addition to the United Nations roster of renowned personalities using their star power to raise awareness about the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.

As the newest Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Arsenal star and "African Footballer of the Year" will use his sporting popularity to highlight, among other things, the importance of preventing new infections among young people.

"Sports stars like Emmanuel are excellent role models for young people," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. "I am confident that he will use the same skill and determination he has on the field in teaching young people about how to protect themselves against HIV off the field."

About half of all new HIV infections occur among young people between the ages of 15 and 24, according to UNAIDS, which notes that the key to reversing the epidemic is preventing infections among this age group.

Mr. Adebayor's interest in working on AIDS issues began after seeing the impact of the epidemic in his native Togo.

"Young people are most affected by the epidemic around the world," he said. "Many of these young people aren't aware of HIV and the risk of infection, and don't know how to protect themselves. I hope I can help change this in my new role as UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador."

He joins fellow footballer and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Michael Ballack, working together in an HIV awareness campaign, 'On the pitch we compete – off the pitch we are uniting the world against AIDS.'

UNAIDS works with a number of prominent individuals from the arts, science, literature, entertainment, sport and other fields to strengthen awareness on AIDS. They include Princess Stephanie of Monaco, actors Rupert Everett and Naomi Watts, and Salman Ahmad, lead singer and founding member of one South Asia's biggest rock bands, 'Junoon.'
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UN-SUPPORTED HIV SERVICES TARGET DRUG-ADDICTED WOMEN AND AFGHANS IN IRAN

UN-SUPPORTED HIV SERVICES TARGET DRUG-ADDICTED WOMEN AND AFGHANS IN IRAN
New York, Mar 20 2009 4:00PM

The United Nations drug control agency has signed agreements with the Government of Iran to provide HIV prevention and care services to women and Afghan refugees there who are dependent on drugs.

HIV programmes for such vulnerable groups represent "an often neglected and humanitarian side of drug control," said Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), expressing thanks to the Netherlands for financial assistance and urging other funding partners to follow suit.

"These agreements are further evidence of UNODC's pro-health approach to drugs, and to a deepening of our partnership with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mr. Costa added.

According to UNODC, there are more than 900,000 Afghan refugees in Iran, down from a peak of 2 million in 2002 and 2003, making it one of the largest refugee populations in the world.

The group has been identified as being high-risk and has thus far not fully benefited from Iran's HIV prevention and support services, such as opioid substitution treatment, for injecting drug users.

The project is part of a three-year sub-regional initiative to assist Afghan drug-dependent refugees in Pakistan as well as those who have returned home.

"The hardships of Afghan refugees are compounded, not solved, by drugs. We need to reach out to this vulnerable group, and lower their vulnerability to drug abuse and the spread of HIV/AIDS through injecting drug use," Mr. Costa said.

Partners in the project include the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), along with the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The second project targets Iranian women who are either drug dependent or affected by HIV or both, aiming to increase quality services tailored to the specific needs of these women in prison settings and elsewhere.

It will complement the "significant resources" that the Government of Iran already devotes to prevention and treatment of HIV and to drug-demand reduction measures, UNODC said.
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GUYANA’S BARBER SHOPS, BEAUTY SALONS OFFER UN-BACKED HIV PREVENTION ADVICE

Barber shops and beauty salons in Guyana's capital are taking part in a United Nations project to spread crucial information about HIV prevention in the small nation, which has one of the highest prevalence rates in its region.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) project seeks to provide some 2,000 young people access to information, skills, services and supplies they can use to protect their health.

It involves training staff of shops in Georgetown to answer simple HIV-related questions, pass out informational material, dispense both male and female condoms to clients – and even provide on-site counselling and testing.

Currently, over 7,000 male and 400 female condoms are distributed monthly by requests in the shops and salons.

With a population of just over 751,000, Guyana has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the region. According to the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the prevalence rate is about 1.6 per cent for pregnant women and 26.6 per cent among sex workers, and AIDS is currently the leading cause of death among the 20-49 age group.

UNFPA chose the participating shops and salons based on their location in malls, parks, popular attractions, or low-income communities, and owners received added marketing exposure for their small businesses and are provided with incentives, such as access to promotional material

"Shops were informed how their companies would be promoted through the project, and the economic value of participating," said UNFPA Guyana Liaison Officer, Patrice La Fleur "They would most importantly provide safe places to discuss sexuality and the prevention of HIV."

Once the shops were chosen, two employees from each shop were sent for training on basic HIV and AIDS education and prevention means. They were also taught to properly monitor the project and introduced to safe practices within the context of their own work, such as ensuring the sterility of hair cutting machines, razors, needles for stitching and weaving, manicure and pedicure implements, and tattooing and body piercing equipment.

In addition to training participants about sexual and reproductive health and gender issues, the project also focuses on building life skills such as communication, healthy relationships, and leadership.

"Participants expressed personal gains in their quality of relationships with friends, family, and clients," said UNFPA Programme Officer Babsie Giddings, who monitors the project.
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CONDOMS ESSENTIAL ELEMENT IN FIGHTING AIDS EPIDEMIC – UN

CONDOMS ESSENTIAL ELEMENT IN FIGHTING AIDS EPIDEMIC – UN
New York, Mar 18 2009 2:00PM

With over 7,400 new HIV infections daily, comprehensive approaches – including condom use – are essential to stop the spread of the AIDS epidemic, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said today, warning that there is no "single magic bullet" for prevention.

"Condoms are an essential part of combination prevention," which also includes access to HIV information and treatment, waiting longer to become sexually active, reducing multiple partners and concurrent relationships, ensuring human rights and reducing stigma, the agency said in a press statement.

"An HIV prevention approach based solely on one element does not work and can hinder the AIDS response," UNAIDS stressed. "There is no single magic bullet for HIV prevention."

It appealed to nations to use a mix of behavioural, biomedical and structural HIV prevention actions to meet anti-disease needs.

Countries must understand the epidemic and tailor their response accordingly, the agency said, calling on nations to use all human rights-grounded approaches that are informed by evidence.

The most recent UNAIDS report on the global scourge shows how significant increases in HIV prevention and treatment efforts are producing results in several countries.

Condom use among young people with multiple partners is gaining momentum in some nations hardest hit by HIV, including Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.

Sub-Saharan Africa is still the most heavily HIV-affected region in the world, with some 22 million people living with the disease, and the region accounting for two-thirds of all people living with HIV and for three-quarters of deaths from AIDS.

Last week, UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibé said that even in the face of the current global economic turmoil, investing in AIDS responses is crucial to prevent 1.3 million deaths in the next two years, highlighting how the agency's top priority is to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

"Universal access means saving lives and restoring dignity to people," Mr. Sidibé told reporters in Geneva.

It encompasses stopping mothers from dying and babies from being infected with the virus; stopping people living with HIV from dying of tuberculosis; and stopping drug users from becoming infected with HIV, he said.

During the financial crisis, "economic adjustments should be made with a human face in mind," he stated, underscoring that a mother should not have to choose between receiving treatment and feeding her children.

Resources for responses to AIDS should be viewed as investments, and not expenditures, to avert 2.6 million new HIV infections and to put nearly 7 million people on a course of treatment, he told journalists at his first press conference since taking office as UNAIDS Executive Director.
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UNIVERSAL ACCESS FOR HIV PREVENTION, CARE TOP PRIORITY, SAYS UN OFFICIAL

UNIVERSAL ACCESS FOR HIV PREVENTION, CARE TOP PRIORITY, SAYS UN OFFICIAL
New York, Mar 13 2009 5:00PM

Even in the face of the current global economic turmoil, investing in AIDS responses is crucial to prevent 1.3 million deaths in the next two years, the head of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said today, highlighting how the agency's top priority is to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

"Universal access means saving lives and restoring dignity to people," Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, told reporters in Geneva.

It encompasses stopping mothers from dying and babies from being infected with the virus; stopping people living with HIV from dying of tuberculosis; and stopping drug users from becoming infected with HIV, he said.

Universal access also entails curbing legislation that blocks an effective response to AIDS, the official stressed.

Further, it underscores the need to end sexual violence against women and girls and "stopping failing our young people," he said.

During the financial crisis, "economic adjustments should be made with a human face in mind," Mr. Sidibé said, underscoring that a mother should not have to choose between receiving treatment and feeding her children.

Resources for responses to AIDS should be viewed as investments, and not expenditures, to avert 2.6 million new HIV infections and to put nearly 7 million people on a course of treatment, he told journalists at his first press conference since taking office as UNAIDS Executive Director.

Mr. Sidibé, a Malian national with more than 20 years of experience with the UN under his belt, was appointed to his position last December by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
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