After feedback received from representatives of civil society organizations following our initial statement, during late March and early April 2018, the NGO Delegation undertook and completed several key consultations, which included meetings with the UNAIDS Secretariat Staff Association (USSA), the United Kingdom in their capacity as current PCB Chair, and two civil society telephone consultationContinue reading “Update on UNAIDS’ sexual harassment policies”

The NGO Delegation congratulates Erika Castellanos and the Board of Directors of GATE on Ms. Castellanos’ recent appointment as director of programs.  Founded in 2009, the Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) is an organization that promotes and supports transgender and intersex rights. 

We join the global community in congratulating Laurel D. Sprague, Ph.D., on her recent appointment as the incoming executive director of  GNP+. Dr. Sprague, who served as the North American NGO delegate from the United States from 2014 to 2016, will now move to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to oversee the largest global network of people living with HIV as the international community seeks to end HIV/AIDS by 2030.

According to the “Health for the World’s Adolescents” report in 2014 released by the World Health Organization, AIDS is now the second most common cause of death among adolescents aged 10-19 globally. This does not mean that we have to isolate HIV as an issue. The All-In to End Adolescent AIDS Launch Report by UNICEF early this year shows that adolescent girls are disproportionately affected because of gender-based inequality, age-disparate sex, and intimate partner violence.

To ensure the meaningful involvement of key populations and make their voices count in the development of the updated UNAIDS Strategy 2016-2021, UNAIDS conducted a series of consultations coinciding with the Asia-Pacific Intergovernmental Meeting on HIV/AIDS (IGM on HIV) in the last week of January 2015.

Serious concerns have been raised relative to the stakeholders’ meeting that was held on 14-15 January 2014 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) capital Kinshasa. The meeting was the final country dialogue to validate the content and priorities of the country’s HIV concept note under the Global Fund’s new funding model (NFM).

For the NGO report of 2014, the NGO Delegation has chosen the topic of how intellectual property (IP) regulations impact the access to HIV treatment and what role civil society plays in addressing IP barriers to essential treatment.

The sweet, familiar taste of bream fish, the feel of the warm African sun, and the beautiful colors and talents of open markets. I was back in Zambia… open to learning and excited.

The discussion on the new Strategic Development Goals (SDG) is currently a key agenda for the United Nations. Just as happened with the Millennium Development Goals – MDGs (which were even considered by many as reductionist when compared to the set of commitments made at the UN Social Cycle in the 90s, but is now referred to as the most far-reaching action outlined by the UN), the indubitable point at this stage is: “will how the Post 2015 goals are set, determine how resources and power will flow globally?”

In March 2013, fighting between Sélékarebel forces and the Central African Army resulted in the ousting of President Francois Bozize and the overthrow of the government of the Central African Republic (CAR). Tens of thousands of people fled. Health facilities were looted, and many were abandoned. As a result, thousands of people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) are now estimated to be ‘lost.’