UNESCO. General Conference; 36th; 36 C/5: volume 1: Draft ...

including gender equality issues, related to climate change, and contributing to Member State’s efforts
globally to address climate change mitigation and adaptation, the fourth flagship activity will develop
and implement a policy-relevant, action oriented research programme focusing in particular on the
design and implementation of appropriate climate change adaptation actions, based on the MOST and
environmental ethics programmes, in cooperation with partners. The results of the flagship will feed
into the work and delivery of the UN Task Team on the Social Dimensions of Climate Change, in which
UNESCO is an active member.
Intersectoral Platform on UNESCO’s contribution to the fight against HIV and AIDS
07041 UNESCO is uniquely placed to make an intersectoral and multidisciplinary contribution to efforts to
tackle HIV and AIDS by harnessing the resources of all of its sectors. Such efforts have been coordinated
through the Intersectoral Platform on HIV and AIDS since it was established in the previous biennium,
and will be further strengthened in the 36 C/5.
07042 UNESCO supports efforts towards universal access to comprehensive HIV programmes for prevention,
treatment, care and support. This is in the framework of the MDGs, particularly MDG 6 on HIV and
AIDS – namely, to halt the epidemic and to begin reversing it by 2015 – and of the six EFA goals, the
achievement of which is fundamental to reducing HIV vulnerability. To this end, UNESCO is well
placed to address the complex challenges of the epidemic through a holistic approach. This involves
improved coordination and harmonization, especially at the country level where the response to
HIV and AIDS constitutes a high-priority component of joint programming efforts by several United
Nations system organizations and other partners.
07043 UNESCO’s work on HIV and AIDS is coordinated through the Intersectoral Platform on HIV
and AIDS, overseen by the UNESCO Global Coordinator for HIV and AIDS with support from
the UNESCO Focal Point on HIV and AIDS. Four regional HIV and AIDS advisers, based in
Johannesburg (at the UNAIDS Regional Support Team office), Bangkok, Moscow and Santiago, and
two sub-regional advisors in Beirut and Dakar , provide a critical link between global and country level
to support national colleagues and partners to deliver relevant and high-quality technical support to
Member States. Their role includes engaging in regional UN processes related to HIV, intersectoral
programming, articulating and communicating UNESCO’s role and impact and generating further
resources to support this work. In 2010-2011, UNESCO expanded its capacity at national level to
respond to HIV and AIDS through the creation of twenty National Programme Officer (NPO) posts,
ten of which are intersectoral. UNESCO will continue with its efforts to strengthen country-level HIV
capacity and impact in 2012-2013.
07044 As a UNAIDS cosponsor, UNESCO works closely with the other nine UNAIDS cosponsors and
Secretariat, which collectively define commonly agreed outcomes within a division of labour and
ensure harmonized action at the country level. Under the recently revised division of labour, UNESCO
has been designated as the convening agency for ensuring good quality education for a more effective
HIV response. UNESCO is also a key partner in eight other areas, which focus on reducing sexual
transmission of HIV, empowering young people and other key populations to protect themselves from
HIV infection, meeting the HIV needs of women and girls and stopping sexual and gender-based
violence, removing punitive laws and reducing stigma and discrimination, and supporting prioritised
and costed national AIDS plans.
07045 In 2012-2013 all programme sectors will continue to contribute to strengthening and complementing
education sector policies and practices, through: (i) engaging universities and research institutions
to integrate HIV and AIDS in their scientific programmes, and promoting capacity building for
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