UNAIDS: The First 10 Years

UNAIDS The First 10 Years176In 1982, 13 health professionals from Haiti founded the Haitian Study Group onKaposi’s Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections (GHESKIO). This early initiative has,over the years, developed and grown from a focused research group to a number ofcentres offering not only clinical and laboratory services related to HIV, tuberculosisand other sexually transmitted infections but also broader primary and reproductivehealth-care services. These centres merge testing and counselling with preventionof mother-to-child transmission services. The centres are supported by the UnitedNations Population Fund, working with the Ministry of Health.UNAIDS established a presence in Haiti in March 2001, with Maria Tallarico as thefirst Country Programme Adviser. The main challenges she encountered upon arrivalwere practical, logistical and political: no electricity, no running water, roadblocksand a great deal of political insecurity and instability following the election ofPresident Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Tallarico, with other (United Nations) partners anddevelopment organizations, addressed the situation as best as she could. She recallsthe strength of the collaborative environment of the time, both within the UN (thePan American Health Organization was Chair of the Theme Group at this time)and among other partners, including donors such as the United States of America.Tallarico felt that in spite of the difficult circumstances, Haiti was an inspiring placeto work because of the many brilliant minds she encountered, such as Jean WilliamPape, one of the founders of GHESKIO, and Paul Farmer, who was among the first toprovide an integrated package of prevention, treatment and support through Partnersin Health.The year 2002 was a busy one. The National Strategic Plan was completed, the firstGlobal Fund proposal was submitted and an in-depth assessment of the Theme Groupwas performed. The UN Theme Groups of Haiti and the Dominican Republic jointlydeveloped an integrated work plan on migration and HIV, a unique collaborationbetween two Theme Groups. The UNAIDS focus at this time was on improvingsurveillance, expanding access to testing and counselling, and promoting care andsupport and the empowerment of women. Although USAID was by far the biggestdonor on AIDS in the country, the coordination and facilitation role of the UNsystem, especially in a situation of political instability, was explicitly called for both bynational and international (donor) partners in the response to AIDS.The business sector played a key role in visualizing the economic impact of theepidemic on the country, and there was concrete and strategic support from thecountry’s major enterprises in raising funds for nongovernmental organizations andfor people living with HIV.Raúl Boyle succeeded Tallarico as UNAIDS Country Coordinator, serving fromJanuary 2003 until August 2005. In his opinion, though Haiti was an incredibly