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Foreword from the UNAIDS Country Programme Advisor
Dr Kwame Ampomah
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Health worker in a community based project in Botswana assisting an
AIDS patient
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HIV/AIDS has been called "Africa's Greatest Leadership
Challenge." That it is . . . in part. It is a challenge alright . . . but
not just to our leaders. It is a challenge to every one of us. The answer
to HIV/AIDS is to be found among us, through our action as individuals, as
family members and as responsible members of our various communities.
By visiting our web site you have shown your interest and involvement in
turning the tide against HIV/AIDS. Here you will find information about
what is happening globally, as well as in Botswana and about UNAIDS'
support to the national response in Botswana. We hope the information and publications
you find here will be useful to you.
We also look forward to having your views on how this web page can
better serve you.
Thank you.
Kwame Ampomah
As the leading advocate for worldwide action against HIV/AIDS, the
global mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an expanded response
to the epidemic that will:
- prevent the spread
of HIV
- provide care and
support for those infected and affected by the disease
- reduce the
vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV/AIDS
- alleviate the
socio-economic and human impact of the epidemic.
Why UNAIDS
From 1986 the World Health Organisation (WHO) had the lead
responsibility on AIDS in the United Nations. By the mid 1990s, however, it
was becoming clear that the relentless spread of HIV and the devastating
impact on human lives and social and economic development were creating an emergency
that would need a greatly expanded United Nations effort.
In 1996 The United Nations took the innovative step of bringing together
six organisations in a joint and cosponsored programme: the joint United
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
At present UNAIDS brings together eight United Nations System
Organizations in a common effort to fight the epidemic (see the following
chart):
Chart 1: UNAIDS cosponsors and their broad areas of intervention
related to HIV/AIDS
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Organisation
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Broad
areas of involvement related to HIV/AIDS
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International
Labour Organisation (ILO)
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labour
and labour related issues
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United
Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP)
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drug
control
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United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
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social
and economic development
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United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
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reproductive
health
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World
Health Organisation (WHO)
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reproductive
health, maternal and child health, blood safety, sexually transmitted
diseases, tuberculosis
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United
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
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youth,
maternal and child health
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United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
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scientific
research, education
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World
Bank
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economic
development
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For more information about UNAIDS' cosponsors, click here.
The goal of UNAIDS is to catalyse, strengthen and orchestrate the unique
expertise, resources, and networks of influence that each of UNAIDS'
partners offer. Working together through UNAIDS, the cosponsors expand
their outreach through strategic alliances with other United Nations
agencies, national governments, corporations, media, religious
organizations, community-based groups, regional and country networks of
people living with HIV/AIDS, and other nongovernmental organizations.
How UNAIDS Works
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HIV/AIDS quiz and condoms distribution during radio programme from the
main mall in Gaborone
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With an annual budget of US$ 60 million and a staff of 129
professionals, UNAIDS is a modest-sized programme with a substantial impact.
The UNAIDS Secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland. It operates as a
catalyst and coordinator of action on AIDS, rather than as a direct funding
or implementing agency.
At country level, UNAIDS operates mainly through the country-based staff
of its seven Cosponsors. Meeting as the host country's United Nations
Theme Group on HIV/AIDS, representatives of the Cosponsoring
organizations share information, plan and monitor coordinated action
between themselves and with other partners, and decide on joint financing
of major AIDS activities in support of the country's government and other
national partners. The principal objective of the Theme Group is to support
the host country's efforts to mount an effective and comprehensive response
to HIV/AIDS.
Currently, the UNAIDS Cosponsors have established more than 130 United
Nations Theme Groups on HIV/AIDS, covering more than 150 countries.
What UNAIDS Does
Policy development and research
Drawing on practical experience from around the world, UNAIDS identifies
sound
policies and strategies for prevention and care what can be called
"international best
practice". It also supports research to develop new tools and
approaches.
Technical support
UNAIDS helps government departments, community groups and other partners to
build upon the capacity to manage their own response to the epidemic.
Technical support is directed above all to developing countries and
economies in transition.
Advocacy
Both internationally and within countries, UNAIDS speaks out for ethical
and effective initiatives carried out with adequate resources and by a wide
range of partners, including non-governmental and grass-root organizations
and people whose lives are affected or threatened by the epidemic.
Coordination
UNAIDS helps to strengthen and streamline action by the co-sponsors and
other UN bodies in support of the national response to HIV/AIDS.
Partners
UNAIDS works with a broad range of partners - governmental and NGO,
business, scientific and lay- to share knowledge, skills and best practices
across boundaries.
More Information About UNAIDS
For more background information about UNAIDS, click here.
The UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS and
Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (YSRH)
 The UN
organizations in Botswana work together as UNAIDS through the UN Theme
Group on HIV/AIDS to deliver integrated HIV/AIDS assistance.
A Technical Working Group on HIV/AIDS and YSRH provides technical
support to the UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS and YSRH. This group is comprised
of one or more technical staff members from each UN agency.
Since its inception, The UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS and YSRH has evolved
from being a strictly UN platform to a broader national platform, bringing
together UN partners and national key players, including government
ministries, bilateral organizations and non-governmental organizations. The
UN Theme Group has become a key mechanism for coordinated and joint UN
action in Botswana.
Recently, the UN Theme Group has been reshaped into two separate theme
groups:
- the National
Theme Group on HIV/AIDS, chaired by the National AIDS Coordinating
Agency (NACA) with all national key players among its members. This
Theme Group acts as a national partnership coordinating forum and has
been developed out of the expanded UN Theme Group.
- the UN Theme
Group on HIV/AIDS and YSRH, with its technical arm, the UN Technical
Working Group on HIV/AIDS and YSRH. Since the expanded UN Theme Group
has been transformed into the above-mentioned National Theme Group,
the UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS and YSRH has changed its name to the UN
Country Team on HIV/AIDS and only comprises of its initial members,
the UN organisations present in Botswana (UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR UNICEF,
WHO).
The UNAIDS CC Office in Botswana
The UNAIDS Country Coordinator (UCC) and his staff provide technical
advice and support to the UN Country Team on HIV/AIDS, the Technical
Working Group, and other stakeholders in the national response to the
HIV/AIDS epidemic. The UNAIDS UCC Office receives back up support from the UNAIDS secretariat
in Geneva, Switzerland, and the UNAIDS Intercountry Team for Eastern and
Southern Africa in Pretoria, South Africa.
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