Fact Sheet: UNAIDS

22/05 '96 WED 10:32 FAX [phone]

UNAIDS

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Guiding princioles of UNAIDS
* Long-term response: HIVIAIDS requires a long-term sustainable response, including coping
capacity on the part of individuals and communities. UNAIDS helps to strengthen national
capacity for action ranging from prevention and care to impact alleviation.
* Technical soundness: Action in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic must be not only
expanded but also improved in quality through the identification and use of technically sound
policies, strategies, tools and approaches.
* Focus on vulnerability: An effective response requires societal and structural change to
reduce the vulnerability of women, young people, migrants, drug users, sexual and ethnic
minorities and other population groups.
* Support, not coercion: A supportive social, political and legal environment helps individuals
exercise their responsibilities to protect themselves and others from HIV infection.
* Human rights: People are entitled to enjoy all human rights without discrimination, including
discrimination based on HIV infection status. These include the right to health, travel and
privacy, the right to freedom from sexual violence and coercion, and the right to the
information and means to prevent infection.
* Participation and partnership: A multisectoral response to HIV/AIDS can best be achieved
through partnership.
* National autonomy: It is a national responsibility to design, implement and coordinate the
response to HIVIAIDS at the country level. The role of external partners, including UNAIDS, is i
to support and build on national action.
* Complementanity: Rather than undertaking itself what can be or is already being done by
others, UNAIDS attempts to facilitate these efforts and to fill gaps in action and research.
Global and local iroact
At the global level, UNAIDS is the AIDS programme of the six cosponsors, carrying out the roles
of policy development and research, technical support, advocacy, and coordination. At the same
time, the six cosponsoring organizations integrate HIVIAIDS-related issues and UNAIDS policies
and strategies into their ongoing work.
At the country level, UNAIDS can best be seen as the sum of AIDS-related activities carried out
by its six cosponsors with the hacking of UNAIDS techni.l guidance and resources. In countries
where some or all of the cosponsors are present, their representatives meet regularly in a special
"Theme Group" to jointly plan, programme and evaluate their AIDS-related activities.
In addition, UNAIDS has staff known as Country Programme Advisers posted in selected
countries to support the Theme Groups on HIVIAIDS. to strengthen cooperation with national
partners, and to provide technical support.
Important partners in national AIDS activities include governments (through both political
ieadership and the relevant ministries); community-based organizations; nongovernmental
arganizations (NGOs); the private sector; academic and research institutes; religious and other;ocial and cultural institutions; and people living with HIVIAIDS.
3oveance
JNAIDS is the first programme of the United Nations system to have NGO representation on its
toveming body. The Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) is comprised of representatives of 22

4ember States of the UN system, (including both donor and recipient countries), of the six
osponsors, of NGOs, and of people living with HIV/AIDS.