HIV/AIDS Joint Programme

The Joint UN Action Plan is now in full implementation and includes peer education, condom and Femidom distribution, linkages between the UN dispensary and UN Learning Group on HIV/AIDS with retroviral facilities and community based support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Different agencies took a lead on different activities and funded them accordingly. At the request of the National AIDS Committee (NAC), the UN System prepared a joint work plan in support of the National AIDS Strategic Framework (NSF) for 2005 which amounted to just over $9.5 million. Support provided constitutes activities of the current ISP and includes: UNICEF & UNAIDS technical support to the.. Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme with the Ministry of Health and Orphans &Vulnerable Children with a unit set up in the Ministry of Women's Affairs; UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP and UNAIDS have so far mobilized support for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS through the Civil Society Action Plan on HIV/AIDS and a National Youth Network. UNHCR and UNAIDS have provided support to refugees by working with States Action Committee on HIV/AIDS (SACA), National Action Committee for HIV/AIDS (NACA) and the State Ministry of Health to provide voluntary counseling and testing for refugees, referral and community support. UNAIDS continues to support NACA on the public private sector partnership on HIV/AIDS and UNIDO is collaborating with UNAIDS to deepen partnership with private sector organizations. UNFPA, WHO, and UNAIDS have strengthened national capacity on VCT and improved the availability of condoms and Femidoms. And the latter organizations continue to provide support to the HIV/AIDS components of the Health Sector Strategy and the scale up of ARV treatment.

A major highlight in coordination last year was the support of the UN System to the 14th International Conference on Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS (ICASA). The UN provided support from a very early stage of planning along with other development partners led by the UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS. The support was technical, logistical and the resources were also provided by the UN in order for the event to be a success. The UN System contribution of over US$800 000 was important particularly in light of short falls from some other major donors in realizing the conference.
The overall conclusion of the ICASA was that the UN gained a lot in the practical exercise on collaborative planning, resource commitment, and technical input. The result was that the UN profile both in country and externally was increased as a result of the collective effort.