2008 HIV/AIDS Implementers’ Meeting Concludes in Kampala, Uganda

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Global and Local HIV Leaders Reflect on Road Ahead in AIDS Fight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2008

Kampala, Uganda – The 2008 HIV/AIDS Implementers’ Meeting concluded successfully today after five days of discussions, presentations, and plenary sessions on a wide array of topics critical to advancing partnerships in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Her Excellency Mrs. Janet Museveni, the First Lady of Uganda, gave the closing remarks on the final day of the conference. She was joined by Ambassador Mark Dybul, Coordinator of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and Joy Phumaphi, Vice President of Human Development at the World Bank.

“I would like to thank the Government and People of Uganda for their warm hospitality, friendship and kindness in hosting us in their wonderful country,” said Ambassador Dybul. “It is right that the global HIV implementers meet in Uganda to share lessons learned. It is essential that we simultaneously look backward and forward at the response to global AIDS so that working together we can save and improve even more lives.”

The 2008 HIV/AIDS Implementers’ Meeting drew more than 1,700 delegates from Uganda and around the world. The meeting was hosted by the Government of Uganda and co-sponsored by PEPFAR; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; UNAIDS; UNICEF; the World Bank; the World Health Organization (WHO); and the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+).

"For the past five days, implementing agencies including governments, civil society and the private sector, affected communities, technical partners and donors involved in the fight against AIDS have been sharing information on best practices and on challenges in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care," said Helen Evans, Deputy Executive Director of the Global Fund. "Meetings like this certainly facilitate better understanding and coordination among all partners and lead to a more effective response to the AIDS crisis and to more lives being saved."

This year’s conference theme is “Scaling Up Through Partnerships: Overcoming Obstacles to Implementation,” recognizing the rapid expansion of HIV/AIDS programs worldwide.

“The major message Kampala can send out is that HIV prevention remains a major challenge for HIV implementers,” said UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Michel Sidibe. “It is time to re-think prevention approaches, tailor them to the realities of the epidemics, and define them not through quick wins and silver bullets, but through a better understanding of communities and practices.”

Through presentations, dialogue and networking, participants shared information that will directly impact HIV/AIDS programs in the coming years. For more information on the meeting, please visit www.hivimplementers.org.

Media Contacts:
Kristin Pugh (PEPFAR) +256 (0)714 101 054; Kirsi Viisainen (The Global Fund) +41 79 477 0310; Chiara Frisone (UNAIDS) +27 82 880 4729; Chulho Hyun (UNICEF) +256 (0)772 222 347; Pat Leidl (WHO) +41 79 619 8525

Information about the host of the meeting:

The Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Health and the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) ensures a focused and harmonized response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic by the Government of Uganda. UAC provides strategic leadership by ensuring effective harmonization of the HIV/AIDS-related activities of the various players within agreed policy and program parameters. For more information about UAC, please visit www.aidsuganda.org/.

Information about the sponsors of the meeting:

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) employs the most diverse prevention, treatment and care strategy in the world, with an emphasis on transparency and accountability for results. The goals of the Emergency Plan’s first five years include support for treatment for two million HIV-infected people, support for prevention of seven million new infections, and support for care for 10 million people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. For more information about PEPFAR, please visit www.PEPFAR.gov.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases. For more information about the Global Fund, please visit www.theglobalfund.org.

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative joint venture of the United Nations, bringing together the efforts and resources of the UNAIDS Secretariat and ten UN system organizations in the AIDS response. The Secretariat headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland—with staff on the ground in more than 80 countries. Coherent action on AIDS by the UN system is coordinated in countries through UN theme groups, and joint programmes on AIDS. UNAIDS’ Cosponsors include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. Visit the UNAIDS website at www.unaids.org.

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations, and governments. For more information, please visit www.unicef.org.

The World Bank is engaged in the fight against AIDS, which is threatening to reverse the gains of development, to further its mission of fighting poverty. The World Bank provides comprehensive and sustainable financing for AIDS programs worldwide and to date has committed more than US $3.7 billion since 1988. For more information on the World Bank’s response to HIV/AIDS, please visit www.worldbank.org/aids.

The World Health Organization is the directing and coordinating authority on international health work and takes the lead in the United Nations system in the global health sector response to the AIDS epidemic. For more information, please visit www.who.int.

The Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+) is a global network for and by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). Its overall aim is to improve the quality of life of PLHIV. The work of GNP+ is guided by the Global Advocacy Agenda, which consists of three key areas: (i) Promoting universal access to HIV/AIDS care, treatment and prevention; (ii) Combating stigma and discrimination; and (iii) Promoting the greater and more meaningful involvement of PLHIV. GNP+ is the only international network representing the diverse voices of all PLHIV. As a network based on emancipation and self-determination, GNP+ nurtured the development of six fully independent regional networks of PLHIV covering Africa (NAP+), Asia (APN+), the Caribbean (CRN+), Europe (GNP+ Europe), Latin America (REDLa+) and North America (GNP+ NA). Elected representatives from these networks form the GNP+ Board. For more information, please visit www.gnpplus.net.