UNAIDS

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Thematic Focus
• Strategy
• Achievements

Overview

UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) is the lead multilateral organization coordinating the global response to HIV/AIDS. Its mandate is to prevent the transmission of the virus, provide treatment and care for people living with the disease, reduce the vulnerability of individuals and communities to the virus, and lower the disease's worldwide impact.

UNAIDS is a network of ten United Nations organizations and a secretariat contributing their efforts and resources to the AIDS response. The organizations, or cosponsors, are:

• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• International Labour Organization (ILO)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• World Food Programme (WFP)
• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• The World Bank

UNAIDS works through these organizations in HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support at the country level, promotes global advocacy and guides technical support.

Canada is an active member of UNAIDS through the Programme Coordinating Board. Involvement on this board allows Canada to influence the policy development of the organization while contributing to the global dialogue on HIV/AIDS.

CIDA has been a strong supporter of UNAIDS since its establishment in 1996.

Thematic Focus

The mandate of UNAIDS aligns closely with two of CIDA's priority themes: securing the future of children and youth and stimulating sustainable economic growth.

Canada's support to UNAIDS is part of the global effort toward achieving Millennium Development Goal 6: combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Canada's support to UNAIDS helps to maximize the reach of CIDA's investments and enables CIDA to influence the development and implementation of global HIV-related policies and practices that are aligned with Canadian priorities.

Children and youth

UNAIDS' focus on the need to give increased attention to children and youth in the fight against HIV/AIDS makes it a key multilateral partner for CIDA. Young people aged 15 to 24 represent an estimated 45 percent of new HIV infections worldwide, with most in sub-Saharan Africa. Adolescent girls are especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

Economic growth

HIV/AIDS slows economic growth by reducing the workforce, and causes financial strain on affected households and communities. Preventing the further spread of HIV/AIDS and providing care and treatment for affected individuals will enable families and communities to participate in, and benefit from, economic growth.

CIDA's Strategy for Working with UNAIDS

CIDA's work with UNAIDS focuses on three strategic objectives:

1. Enhancing the capacity of UNAIDS to better harmonize and coordinate the HIV/AIDS response at the country level. This includes:
   • Harmonizing monitoring and evaluation systems at the country level
   • Increasing collaboration with cosponsors, donors, civil society, governments, implementing partners, and other important players
2. Supporting the efforts of UNAIDS to respond to the gender dimensions of the epidemic
3. Strengthening institutional effectiveness in the context of United Nations reform to improve the ability of UNAIDS to deliver on results

Achievements

In 2010, with the support of CIDA and other donors, UNAIDS:

• Analyzed data from 182 countries to produce the 2010 edition of the UNAIDS Global report on the AIDS epidemic (PDF, 30 MB, 364 pages)
• Launched Treatment 2.0 (PDF, 129.6 KB, 4 pages) to catalyze the next phase of HIV treatment, care and support
• Supported 41 countries in the development of national strategic plans
• Reached almost 2 million beneficiaries in 34 countries with food and nutrition support for care and treatment programmes
• Launched the Agenda for Accelerated Country Action for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV (PDF, 798.9 KB, 34 pages), an operational plan supporting the implementation of the UNAIDS action framework for addressing women, girls, gender equality and HIV1 in over 60 countries
• Supported 42 countries to integrate and implement HIV and AIDS policies and programmes for populations affected by humanitarian crisis
• Provided 14,700 days of technical assistance in 67 countries in five regions
• Distributed more than 50 million female condoms―6.2 million in sub-Saharan Africa
• Supported 27 countries in designing, implementing or evaluating programmes specifically designed to empower women and girls
• Supported prevention of mother-to-child transmission program scale-up in 38 countries
• Supported 30 countries in addressing stigma, discrimination and social determinants of vulnerability of key populations in their national strategies or plans
• Integrated reproductive health services and strengthened linkages with HIV prevention and gender-based violence programmes in 85 countries

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