Publications

The overly broad application of criminal law to HIV non-disclosure, exposure and transmission raises serious human rights and public health concerns. Because of these concerns, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) urges States to (i) concentrate their efforts on expanding the use of proven and successful evidence-informed and rights-based public health approaches to HIV prevention, treatment and care, and (ii) limit any application of criminal law to truly blameworthy cases where it is needed to achieve justice. States should strengthen HIV programmes that enable people to know how to protect themselves from HIV and to avoid transmitting it, and they should help people access the services and commodities they need for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

The Panel came together with a sense of optimism and a deep respect for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The 13 years since the millennium have seen the fastest reduction in poverty in human history: there are half a billion fewer people living below an international poverty line of $1.25 a day. Child death rates have fallen by more than 30%, with about three million children’s lives saved each year compared to 2000. Deaths from malaria have fallen by one quarter. This unprecedented progress has been driven by a combination of economic growth, better policies, and the global commitment to the MDGs, which set out an inspirational rallying cry for the whole world.

This study has shown that there is a high level of general HIV Knowledge among three out of four populations studied. Use of Intravenous drugs appears to be very low, and this was observed for all population studied. Of particular interest is the results obtained as part of this study showing between 1-13% reported IDU users in a study carried out in 2009 which is different to that found in this study. Whether that is truly the case or not will be evident in future studies and possible youth focused KABP studies.

A cross-sectional survey was administered among 1,022 female sex workers (FSW) recruited from 9 different types of commercial sex venues in Southwest China. Partner violence scales were adapted from WHO’s Women’s Health and Domestic Violence scale and psychosocial distress was measured by five indicators, including alcohol intoxication, drug use, suicidal behavior, depression, and loneliness. This study is one of the first to examine the association between partner violence and psychosocial distress among FSW in China. The high prevalence of violence experience and distress in this population suggests urgency for intervention. The public health programs targeting FSW should go beyond the focus on HIV/STI prevention and care for the fundamental health and human rights of millions of FSW in China.

With this new Strategy 2013-2016, UNITAID enters what could be called the third stage of its development. UNITAID's mission has remained constant over the years. It increases access to treatment for HIV/ AIDS, TB and malaria for people in developing countries by leveraging price reductions of quality drugs and diagnostics, which currently are unaffordable for most developing countries, and to accelerate the pace at which they are made available. The UNITAID Strategy 2013-2016 provides an excellent vision that will guide new investments. It identifies the tools needed to implement the Strategy, of which many are already under development, tried and tested. UNITAID remains creative in its approach, and is ready and able to develop new tools or engage in new partnerships that will ensure its objectives are met. UNITAID’s innovative source of income will continue to be well invested, and UNITAID will strive to increase its funding capacity through new and existing donors.

The Global Fund has approved over $22.9 billion in grants for HIV, TB and malaria programmes since 2002. Nearly 40% of the money has gone towards procurement, making the Global Fund a major player in the market for commodities. With such leverage, the Fund is always looking to influence prices.

This round of the National AIDS Spending Assessment (NASA IV) follows the same methodological approach which has been applied in the NASA III and described in the NASA III report. NASA team always aims to collect expenditure data from all actors of the response. These organizations – actors of the HIV response – are playing different roles in different transactions, either financial or in-kind. The organization acts as a Financing Source when it makes money available for the country’s HIV response. It transfers funds to the other organizations who decide what should be implemented and who will be implementing. This role is a role of a Financing.

The main finding from this assessment is that the Global Fund program me has contributed towards significant coverage of the population and has provided an opportunity for Malaysian NGOs to design and work towards delivering a comprehensive package of services for the sex worker population in the last one and half years. In all sites visited, there was strong evidence of the impact of the intervention in the SW community, the high commitment of the SRs to the project, and evidence of greater community understanding and acceptance of the importance of HIV prevention in the project sites.

The Selected Districts of Papua Province Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) was carried out in 2011 by Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) under the leadership of the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Financial and technical support was provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). MICS is an international household survey programme developed by UNICEF. The Selected Districts of Papua Province MICS was conducted as part of the fourth global round of MICS surveys (MICS4). MICS provides up-to-date information on the situation of children and women, and measures key indicators that allow countries to monitor progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed upon commitments.

The Selected Districts of West Papua Province Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) was carried out in 2011 by Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) under the leadership of the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Financial and technical support was provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). MICS is an international household survey programme developed by UNICEF. The Selected Districts of West Papua Province MICS was conducted as part of the fourthglobal round of MICS surveys (MICS4). MICS provides up-to-date information on the situation of children and women, and measures key indicators that allow countries to monitor progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed upon commitments.