The Nairobi Declaration: An African Appeal for an HIV Vaccine

Pretoria, March 20th - 21st 2000

How can NGOs work to improve communication with African AIDS researchers, and to bridge
communication gaps between researchers and communities, especially using existing research and
communication networks?
How will NGOs throughout Africa communicate regularly with each other for information, analysis,
and advocacy about HIV vaccine research?
How will African AIDS NGOs develop ability to understand the complex issues of HIV vaccine
research, develop comprehensive advocacy strategies, and participate in African HIV vaccine
development as full partners in the process?
In countries where HIV vaccine research is being planned, what actions will be needed to ensure
adequate legal and ethical review and protection?
How can NGOs work to overcome resistance from conservative groups to all AIDS prevention,
including research for an HIV vaccine?
How will NGOs increase overall community understanding of HIV vaccine development, and help
increase involvement of all stakeholders into the process?
How can NGOs join strategic partnerships with UNAIDS, WHO and others, and form networks for
information, analysis, and advocacy to address issues of access and availability to vaccines in Africa?
What role can NGOs play in assessing current capacity and build new capacity for access to vaccines in
Africa?
7. Recommendations
The following four recommendations were made:
Assessment
Each NGO will try to assess, in their own country, the current state of overall awareness and commitment
regarding prevention, treatment and research of HIV/AIDS,
and then the current level of awareness and commitment about HIV vaccine development. This will include
becoming knowledgeable about planned HIV vaccine research, in-country HIV vaccine researchers and potential
research capacity, as it fits within the broader context of the country's AIDS and public health efforts.
Collaboration
Each NGO will work with AfriCASO and UNAIDS to link with HIV vaccine researchers and other stakeholders
(AIDS community, government, other NGOs) to enhance communication and to form the basis for greater NGO
involvement in HIV vaccine development. Some NGOs will seek to work within country-wide AIDS-related
and public health NGO coalitions to consult, educate, and build analysis and advocacy skills about HIV vaccine
research.
Information Sharing
NGOs will disseminate information gained at this meeting through personal communication, meetings, e-mail
networks, NGO publications, and local media. NGOs will work to regularly incorporate HIV vaccine
development information into existing IEC (information, education, counseling) messages, in NGO publications,
and in other outreach tools.
Coordination
The group of NGOs at this meeting will seek to coordinate information and efforts through AfriCASO,
UNAIDS, meetings at Durban, and through other communication networks. A follow-up meeting at Durban was
suggested as a way to report on progress on all of the above.
Annex I

7
AfriCASO - WHO/UNAIDS Vaccine Team Collaborative Process