UNESCO New Strategy on HIV and AIDS

• © UNESCO/C. Castle
• Ms. Jan Beagle, Deputy Executive Director, UNAIDS with Mr. Mark Richmond, UNESCO Global Coordinator for HIV and AIDS, just after the Information Meeting for UNESCO Permanent Delegates and Observers on 10 October 2011.

PARIS –The revised UNESCO Strategy on HIV and AIDS was launched at an information meeting on HIV and AIDS for all permanent delegates and observers to UNESCO on Monday, 10 October 2011. The new strategy builds on UNESCO’s existing strategy to promote HIV prevention education and a comprehensive HIV and AIDS response around the world. UNESCO is a co-sponsoring organization of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, and leads the promotion of comprehensive education sector responses to HIV.

The new strategy for HIV and AIDS articulates UNESCO’s contribution to the UNAIDS objectives outlined in the strategy Getting to Zero, and calls for the need to accelerate universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. It acknowledges that the global AIDS epidemic is changing; treatment is helping people live longer and healthier lives with HIV, and now is the time for context-specific, targeted approaches based on evidence and good practice.

The Organization will be placing greater emphasis on HIV prevention in the context of wider health promotion to ensure that all girls and boys, and young women and men, have access to comprehensive HIV education. The Strategy continues on UNESCO’s existing work and outlines three priority areas:
• Building country capacity for effective and sustainable education responses to HIV;
• Strengthening comprehensive HIV and sexuality education;
• Advancing gender equality and protecting human rights.

The Strategy is available in English , French , Chinese and Arabic. It will be available shortly in Spanish, Russian and Portuguese.

• 11-10-2011