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1/12/2000 UNAIDS - the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS - is the leading advocate for worldwide action against the HIV/AIDS epidemic - an epidemic that has been recently confirmed as affecting more than 36 million people. UNAIDS
created in 1996 in recognition of the devastation that the AIDS
epidemic was wreaking on global communities and in acknowledgement
that the subsequent impacts on human, social and economic development
were too broad and far-reaching for any one existing agency to address
alone. Up until that point, it was the World Health Organisation
who had the lead responsibility for helping countries to set up
much-needed national AIDS programmes. As it became clear that the
relentless spread of HIV was creating an emergency that would require
a greatly expanded United Nations effort, the UN took the step of
drawing together six organisations to form a joint and co-sponsored
programme. The six original Co-sponsors of this programme were the
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP),
the UN Fund for Population Assistance (UNFPA), the UN Economic,
Social and Cultural Organisation, (UNESCO), the World Health Organisation
(WHO) and the World Bank. The original six were joined in April
1999 by the UN International Drug Control programme, (UNDCP) when
the extent of drugs-related HIV transmission became clear. With 11 new HIV infections occurring every minute, the programme faces an enormous task. However, it is having a substantial impact. Working through representatives of the 7 co-sponsors, the UNAIDS programme aims to establish 'UN Theme Groups on HIV/AIDS' to support national efforts to mount an effective and comprehensive response to the epidemic. In most cases, the host government is invited to be part of the Theme Group. As of April 1999, the UNAIDS Co-sponsors had established 132 UN Theme Groups on HIV/AIDS covering 155 countries. Given the global impact of the disease, it is reassuring to note that the UNAIDS Programme Co-ordinating Board contains representatives of 22 governments from all parts of the world. Significantly, UNAIDS is the first UN programme to also include representatives from non-governmental organisations in its governing body. The specific activities of UNAIDS are co-ordinated by its Geneva-based secretariat. Current priorities include; highly vulnerable populations, young people, prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, vaccine development and implementing special initiatives for hard-hit regions, including sub-Saharan Africa. With
an annual budget of only EUR 72 million and a staff of 129 professionals,
UNAIDS is a modest-sized programme. The annual budget represents
only 2 per cent of the EUR 3.6 billion UNAIDS estimates is needed
to contain the epidemic and remedy its devastating consequences.
©EuropaWorld 2000 - Copyright Policy
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