Training was organized by UNESCO Office in Tashkent within UNAIDS Unified Budget and Work plan (UBW) for 2010-2011 activities and supported by UNAIDS Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Training aimed at chief-editors and leading journalists of the National Association of Electronic Mass Media of Uzbekistan.

The team of the national trainers led by the UNESCO regional master-trainer shared with the training participants modern trends and international experience on media coverage of the HIV issues based on UNESCO/UNAIDS recommendations.

Wide range of topics were covered through presentations and sessions such as: “Genres of the HIV coverage”, “Correct vocabulary in coverage of the HIV issues”, “Review of the legislation on HIV and AIDS in Uzbekistan”, “The legal basis of the HIV and AIDS coverage in the media”, “Social advertising and its possibilities. Health communication”, “Ethical aspects of the HIV coverage and motivation of journalists”, “The role and value of the media campaigns: Experience and lessons learned”, and also “The obstacles in development of the health promotion projects on the radio”. Certain sessions have been lead by the invited experts from other UN agencies and international organizations.

Field visit to the Republican AIDS Centre included introduction of the Centre daily activities and presentation on the state of HIV epidemics and modern trends by the Director of the Centre. Participants had the chance to get professional consultations and recommendations from experts of the Centre throughout the training.

Journalists and the head-editors had an opportunity to jointly develop the work-plans on coverage of the HIV topic till the end of 2010 and to discuss them with colleagues and experts, which could be a basis for the national media campaign devoted to the World AIDS Day 2010.

It was first ever training for chief-editors held in Central Asian countries. It aimed to raise awareness, create understanding of the HIV and AIDS issues by chief-editors and establish a commitment to develop HIV preventive media content according international journalism and professional ethics standards.

Strengthening the capacity of the national media on HIV and AIDS reporting within Communication and Information sector activities is a part of the UNESCO’s response to the HIV epidemics in Uzbekistan, which is being implemented together with Joint Team on AIDS in support of the “Strategic Programme on Response to HIV and AIDS epidemic in the Republic of Uzbekistan” for 2007-2011.