UNAIDS: The First 10 Years

UNAIDS The First 10 Years252challenges they face. Groups and networks of positive people want to be included indecision-making and implementation, but often lack the support and capacity to do so.“[Often] we’re not [given] enough time and space to be able to communicate amongstourselves or to caucus prior to a meeting we’re expected to attend … sometimes networksare expected to be more participatory in meetings but don’t have the capacity to do that”.She also highlights the problem of sustainable finances; most funders support periodicprojects or those of their own interest, but not core funding.Mary Balikungeri of the Rwanda Women’s Network is also a member of the PCB. Shecommented: “I assure you, this is an empowering tool for civil society. The processaddresses the challenges of the ‘disconnect’ between global and local levels. The civilsociety model of participating in the high-level meeting was also important because it isthe only channel to bring issues of communities to the table”.At a global level, UNAIDS is working closely with the Office of the High Commissioner forHuman Rights to help integrate the issue of HIV stigma and discrimination into the workof national human rights institutions and the UN human rights treaty bodies and specialprocedures. UNAIDS has always worked with governments to establish and/or improvelegislation and to ensure that their AIDS response has a clear human rights perspective.However, 10 years on, human rights frameworks are either non-existent or extremely weakin many countries 15 . As the UN Secretary-General’s 2007 report revealed, half the countriesreporting noted existing policies that prevent stigmatized groups such as sex workers andinjecting drug users from accessing prevention programmes 16 . UNAIDS has intensified itssupport to countries to address the vulnerability of these specific groups.Another ofUNAIDS’ keypriorities hasbeen to work inpartnership witha wide rangeof players inrecognition of thefact that AIDSis more than justa health problem.UNAIDS advocacy led to Panama enacting legislation to eradicate the sexual andcommercial exploitation of children and adolescents, Cambodia’s official adoption ofharm-reduction programmes for drug users and formal steps by Ukraine to increasethe access of drug users to antiretroviral treatment. The United Nations DevelopmentProgramme has formulated draft model legislation for countries in West Africa to protectand promote the rights of people living with HIV.15UNAIDS (2005). Executive Director’s Report to the 17th Meeting of the UNAIDS PCB, June. Geneva, UNAIDS.16UNAIDS (2007). UN Secretary-General’s Report, 2007. Geneva, UNAIDS.