The Nairobi Declaration: An African Appeal for an HIV Vaccine

4. Facilitation of trials through capacity building"
* Establish an inventory of existing resources, identifying strengths and weaknesses,
and plan for training and capacity building.
* Identify and strengthen infrastructures essential for the conduct of HIV vaccine
trials (e.g., national and regional centres of excellence; scientific, legal and ethical
frameworks for protocol review).
* Ensure at least one vaccine evaluation site per region.
* Establish/strengthen laboratory facilities to a GLP (Good Laboratory Practices)
level: virology; immunology; specimen repositories; specimen handling, transport,
storage and management.
* Establish/strengthen clinical facilities to GCP (Good Clinical Practices) level:
Phase I-III trials training.
* Establish/strengthen epidemiological capacity, including cohort development and
data management (Biostatistics, Quality Assurance, Data Analysis).
* Establish/strengthen legal framework and ethical and scientific review
mechanisms.
* Develop capacity to conduct vaccine-related social behavioural research (e.g.,
monitoring behaviour among trial participants, informed consent and counselling,
willingness to participate and acceptability of trials, social risk factors, social
implications of trial participation).
* Establish Data and Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMB).
* Provide training on writing grant applications and scientific papers.
* Build general management capacity, including expertise to negotiate technology
transfer agreements, to understand intellectual property and licensing issues, and
to deal with the economic aspect of trial and post-trial costs.
* Develop meaningful community support and participation through advocacy and
lobbying and by the establishment of appropriate Community Advisory Boards, to
serve as links between community/potential volunteers and scientists.
5. Future access:
* Develop plans and strategies on how to use future vaccines.
* Explore mechanisms to finance future vaccine procurement, including
partnerships with governments and vaccine manufacturers.
* Take steps to ensure vaccine access at the completion of trials, in conformity with
the ethical principle of distributive justice.
* Consider mechanisms to ensure the contribution of African Governments to a
future vaccine purchase fund.
H. Next steps:
1. July 2000: Discuss the outline of the African Strategy for an HIV Vaccine at the
XIII International AIDS Conference (Durban, South Africa, 9-14 July 2000).
' Capacity building is the sum of efforts needed to nurture, enhance and utilise the skills and
capabilities of people and institutions at all levels, so that they can better progress towards sustainable
development. At the basic conceptual level, building capacity is about empowering people and

organisations to solve their problems, rather than attempting to fix those problems directly. When
capacity building is successful, the result is more effective people and institutions better able to provide
products and services on a sustainable basis (UNDP).