Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

The main objective of this annual contribution under our ongoing 5-year Public International Organization (PIO) grant (2008-2012) is to increase significantly UNAIDS' effort to scale up the global response to HIV/AIDS with particular emphasis at the country level. This global response seeks to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS, provide care and support, reduce individual and community vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and mitigate the impact of the epidemic. To achieve these goals, UNAIDS implements activities that:

• Catalyze action and strengthen capacity at the country level, including monitoring and evaluation, resource mobilization, technical assistance and interventions related to security, stability and humanitarian responses.
• Improve the scope and quality of UN support to national partners, through strengthened UN Theme Groups on AIDS, better coordination at the regional level, increasing staff capacity in key areas, and development of more coordinated UN programs in line with national priorities and objectives.
• Increase the accountability of UNAIDS at the country level through support for country-level reviews of national HIV/AIDS responses, and development of joint UN programs to support countries' responses.
• Strengthen the capacity of countries to gather, analyze and use strategic information related to the epidemic and, in particular, on progress in achieving the goals and targets of the Declaration of Commitment.
• Expand the response of the development sector to HIV/AIDS, particularly with respect to human capacity, food security, governance, OVC, and gender issues.
• Sustain leadership on HIV/AIDS at all levels.
• Forge partnerships with political and social leaders to ensure full implementation of the Declaration of Commitment and to realize the related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

UNAIDS priorities for action as expressed in its 2009-2011 Outcome Framework will contribute to achieving critical PEPFAR goals and targets: through FY 2013 in its bilateral programs, PEPFAR plans to work in partnership to support increased persons receiving ART by the same percentage that the average United States Government cost per patient of providing treatment in countries receiving bilateral HIV/AIDS assistance has decreased compared with FY 2008; prevention of 12 million new infections; and care for 12 million people, including 5 million OVCs. To meet these goals and build sustainable local capacity, PEPFAR will help support training of at least 140,000 new health care workers consistent with the goals and objectives of the Reauthorization legislation.

UNAIDS programs are increasingly focused on placing the HIV/AIDS response in the context of broader health and development challenges. Especially with a renewed focus on the MDGs and how work on MDG 6 (infectious diseases) can impact the other health-related MDGs, strong partnership with UNAIDS is essential. HIV/AIDS programs expand health systems and workforce, contributing to the achievement of the health-related MDGs by addressing the demands and impact of HIV/AIDS on health workers and providing a platform for the expansion of overall health systems.