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aidsfocus news
March 2016

Mar 15, 2016

ELECTORNIC BULLETIN OF THE SWISS PLATFORM ON HIV/AIDS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Switzerland and the Global Fund

Dear aidsfocus readers

Since last year, MMS/aidsfocus.ch has been a part of the Swiss delegation within the Canadian and Australian "constituency" to the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. We are tasked with bringing in the voices, concerns and wishes of civil society in order to bridge the gap between the donor, meaning Switzerland, and the implementers and final beneficiaries. The Board is the Global Fund's highest body – the aim is to collectively shoulder responsibility and a strong commitment is expected from all those involved.

The more insight I gain into the structures of the Global Fund, the more impressed I become. It is fighting on every level to achieve its vision of a world free from HIV, TB and malaria. The Global Fund has an annual turnover of four billion dollars. But the question constantly arises: is the ambitious goal promoted by the Sustainable Development Goals, and also by the Global Fund, of "Ending AIDS by 2030" now within our grasp? I am sceptical – money alone is not enough... There are many challenges which millions of dollars alone cannot solve. It requires a change in both the thinking and behaviour of the populations and governments in every country which has a high rate of HIV, particularly in respect of human rights, access to universal healthcare and the state's responsibility to enact laws which are non-discriminatory. The credo of "leaving no one behind" is more important than ever.

And this is exactly what the three NGO delegations to the Board of the Global Fund are championing. They tirelessly point out in every instance that access to high-quality preventative measures, treatment and care, and the support of people who are affected by these three diseases, must be ensured, following the principles of equity and human rights.

The topic of the month addresses the current issues concerning the development of the Global Fund and looks at which themes civil society is focussing on. Read more here...

Carine Weiss

Coordinator, aidsfocus.ch

Project Leader, Medicus Mundi Switzerland

cweiss@medicusmundi.ch


Topic of the month

MMS/aidsfocus.ch in the Swiss Delegation to the Global Fund Board

MMS/aidsfocus.ch - Since last year MMS/aidsfocus.ch has been part of the Swiss delegation to the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund). The Swiss are part of the Canadian and Australian constituency. The three countries combined have one voting seat and aim to contribute to and influence Global Fund policies and practices. MMS/aidsfocus.ch’s role is to represent the civil society perspective related to the work of the Global Fund within the Swiss delegation.

read more...

Information from the Swiss community of practice

Conference 2016: Applying Human Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health - A reality for all?

MMS/aidsfocus.ch - At this year’s MMS/aidsfocus.ch conference we will be addressing the issues of Human Rights to sexual and reproductive health, how a human rights based approach to programming can be applied, how to address gender inequalities which infringe human rights and we will be talking about the importance of advocacy.

read more...

International news

With Increased Commitment, Europe Demonstrates Leadership in Global Health

The Global Fund - "With today’s announcement that it is supporting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with a €470 million contribution for the next three years – an increase of 27 percent – the European Commission is strengthening a partnership that is saving millions of lives and transforming communities.

read more...

AHF Blasts Global Fund for Lowering Fundraising Targets to Combat Epidemics

Business Wire, Los Angeles - "AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) the World’s largest AIDS organization calls on Global Fund to intensify efforts to increase contributions from donors. AHF today denounced the $13 billion fundraising goal recently announced by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) for the Fifth Replenishment round spanning 2017-2019 as lacking in ambition and low in expectations.

read more...

UNAIDS & GHWA action plan for zero discrimination in health care settings

UNAIDS - “UNAIDS and the World Health Organization’s Global Health Workforce Alliance are initiating an agenda for action towards the elimination of discrimination in health-care settings. The agenda aims to create a world in which everyone, everywhere, enjoys health services without discrimination, and where the health workforce is empowered to provide discrimination-free health care.

read more...

Botswana close to reaching the 90-90-90 testing and treatment targets

aidsmap.com - "Botswana is already close to reaching the 90-90-90 target for testing, treatment and viral suppression, and is ahead of the United States and most European countries in its efforts to improve treatment coverage, Tendani Gaolathe of the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership reported at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston on Wednesday.

read more...

Improving the care cascade in African countries

aidsmap.com - With advances in HIV testing, treatment and care, some countries are making great progress towards the UNAIDS 90-90-90 target.

read more...

2016 High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS

UNAIDS - "Ending AIDS by 2030 is an integral part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were unanimously adopted by United Nations Member States in 2015.

read more...

Call to Action to Support Civil Society

AIDS 2016 - "The fight against HIV began with individual citizens around the world standing together to demand action against the greatest public health threat of our time. This alliance of civil society sparked a revolution and more than three decades into the AIDS epidemic, it remains our greatest strength. (...)

read more...

Hope and Change

AIDS 2016 - "Ugandan youth speak of change and hope at the AIDS 2016 Youth Dialogue event. AIDS is the primary killer of adolescents in Africa and the second cause of death in adolescents worldwide. This sobering fact is all the more reason why it is imperative for youth to be at the centre of the HIV response.

read more...

20 billion condoms by 2020 - a new UNAIDS target

www.avert.org - "Significant disparities in condom use between countries has led UNAIDS to establish a new global target to make 20 billion condoms available by 2020.

read more...

Reports and Studies

First do no harm

Asia Catalyst - "Discrimination in health care settings is one of the foremost barriers preventing people living with HIV and key populations from accessing critical health services. For people living with HIV, disclosure can mean they are denied surgery or treatment.

read more...

More access better quality

Stop AIDS Now - Reflections of a Regional Linking and Learning Expert meeting with a hundred people, from 18 different countries. With all kinds of backgrounds and expertise, but working with and for young people and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and HIV prevention.

read more...

Advancing the sexual and reproductive health and human rights of women living with HIV

Journal of the International AIDS Society - "The contributions in this Supplement from researchers, clinicians, programme managers, policy makers, and women living with HIV demands an important appreciation that the field of sexual and reproductive health and human rights for women living with HIV is complex on many levels, and women living with HIV form a very diverse community.

read more...

UNAIDS: On the Fast-Track to end AIDS by 2030: Focus on location and population

UNAIDS - Within the pages of this World AIDS Day report, Focus on location and population, are more than 50 examples of how countries are getting on the Fast-Track.

read more...

Consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection: what’s new

World Health Organisation (WHO) - "The 2015 guidelines includes 10 new recommendations to improve the quality and efficiency of services to people living with HIV. Implementation of the recommendations in these guidelines on universal eligibility for ART will mean that more people will start ART earlier.

read more...

Events

Bern - Capital of World Malaria Day

Swiss Malaria Group, 25 April 2016 - On the afternoon of Monday, 25 April, the spotlight will be on Bern – Capital of World Malaria Day 2016.

read more...

Conference 2016: Applying Human Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health - A reality for all?

MMS/aidsfocus.ch - At this year’s MMS/aidsfocus.ch conference we will be addressing the issues of Human Rights to sexual and reproductive health, how a human rights based approach to programming can be applied, how to address gender inequalities which infringe human rights and we will be talking about the importance of advocacy.

read more...

21st International AIDS Conference

International AIDS Society, 17 July 2016 - It is with pleasure that we invite you to take part in the 21st International AIDS Conference, on 17-22 July 2016 in Durban, South Africa. The biennial International AIDS Conference truly is the premier meeting where science, leadership and community meet for advancing all facets of our collective efforts to treat and prevent HIV.

read more...

aidsfocus.ch is a project of the Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland.