Publications

This reference document provides a detailed analysis of transactional sex and discusses policy options and principles of engagement around transactional sex in the context of HIV prevention. Although transactional sex is practiced by men and women in all regions of the world, this document focuses specifically on the determinants and consequences of adolescent girls’ and young women’s engagement in transactional sex in sub-Saharan Africa. We focus on this population because of the potential importance of transactional sex for young women’s HIV risk in this region. The document will not address men who have sex with men or gay men and transgender people and the engagement around transactional sex.

Year on year, millions of women and adolescents in 155 countries and territories have been progressively able to exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights. This is in no small measure as a result of UNFPA programmes and activities. The UNFPA strategic plan for 2014-2017 set ambitious targets for increasing access to sexual and reproductive health services. These services have empowered millions of women to make their own decisions about whether, when or how often to become pregnant. They have enabled millions of teenagers to avoid unplanned pregnancy and to make safe and healthy transitions to adulthood. And they have slowed the unnecessary and cruel tide of maternal death.

Supported by infographics, the 2017 illustrated annual report sums up the evaluation function’s performance in the areas of corporate and decentralized evaluations and provides an overview of the measures undertaken to strengthen UN Women’s contribution to UN system-wide coordination and national capacity development for gender-responsive evaluation.

SHIFT has created country-specific snapshots of its 2017 National Situational Assessment report on HIV Financing in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. The National Situational Assessment Report assesses the availability and sufficiency of HIV financing resources, as well as how resources are equitably and efficiently allocated across these four countries. The country snapshot provides an executive summary of the four countries as well as an in-depth review for each country. By providing a current snapshot on HIV financing in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, the assessment outlines HIV expenditure against HIV epidemiology, identifies national HIV  financing mechanisms, and describes national budget cycles and processes where available.

This is the first in a series of rapid case studies examining ‘person-centred’ aspects of community-led HIV prevention, treatment and care programmes in different contexts. Person-centred approaches are founded on principles such as empowering and informing beneficiaries to enable them to participate in joint decision making; tailoring services to suit their context; respecting their preferences; and adapting and linking services to ensure that all their needs (physical, emotional and psychological) are met over their life course. The case studies provide practical examples of what person-centred HIV programmes look like, and promote learning from the experiences and perspectives of the beneficiaries of these programmes.

WHO has published a global TB report every year since 1997. The main aim of the report is to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic, and of progress in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease at global, regional and country levels. This is done in the context of recommended global TB strategies and targets endorsed by WHO’s Member States and broader development goals set by the United Nations.

Human Development Indices and Indicators: 2018 Statistical update is being released to ensure consistency in reporting on key human development indices and statistics. With its comprehensive statistical annex, our data gives an overview of the state of development across the world, looking at long-term trends in human development indicators across multiple dimensions and for every nation, the 2018 Update highlights the considerable progress, but also the persistent deprivations and disparities.

Community voices and leadership in governance, implementation and oversight of Global Fund-supported programs is essential to achieving lasting impact. Lessons from the Ebola response and the transition to the Sustainable Development Goals, with the specific target of achieving universal health coverage, have spurred the Global Fund to reflect on how people access health services and how countries respond to health crises. Rethinking our approaches to building resilient and sustainable systems for health will be essential in order to maximize equitable access and impact on HIV, TB and malaria.

This report by UNDP, ICRW and APCOM Foundation explores the links between violence, mental health and HIV risk among men who have sex with men and transwomen in seven South Asian countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is based on focus group discussions in 12 sites in 7 countries with men who have sex with men and transwomen who have direct experience of violence, as well as interviews with key informants from community-based organizations, health, law, and government. The report provides concrete recommendations to stakeholders across many sectors to mitigate and minimize the effects of violence on mental health and HIV vulnerabilities through programme and policy efforts.

The Framework will guide the H6 in shaping a more effective, results-based partnership. With little more than 30 months to achieve the 2020 milestones, the time for implementation is now.