THE ELECTRONIC BULLETIN OF THE SWISS PLATFORM HIV/AIDS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION March / April 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Reader

aidsfocus.ch lives of the active collaboration of its partner organisations, that is how it is expressed in its principles. And the Swiss platform HIV/Aids and international cooperation is indeed alive. Just consult the calendar of events to see the truth of it:

The aidsfocus conference of April 21, 2006 on the issue „The Right to Know and the Will to Act. Youth and HIV/AIDS Prevention“ will soon take place. We expect international guests, and various partners of aidsfocus.ch have been involved in the preparation work for the conference.

At short notice and upon the initiative of one partner organisation, we will invite to a Meeting Point on Switzerland and the Global Fund to Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on April 7, 2006. Representatives from the SDC, the Swiss Tropical Institute and the Bethlehem Mission Immensee will participate. The increase of the Swiss contribution to the fund was also discussed in the Council of States who took up the demands of the aid agencies in this respect.

The peer coaching as to Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS will start in June, with the concrete experiences of World Vision Switzerland. The working group „HIV/Aids-affected children“ undertakes a fresh start with public meetings and new issues such as property rights of orphans, economic versus psychosocial needs, etc.

In addition, some exciting events will be hosted by our partner organisations, such as for example the film tour „Life at the limit“, organised by mediCuba-suisse. It is a thrilling film, accompanied by an equally thrilling lady director – not to be missed!

Oh yes, I know the feeling, while hearing a sigh you say „Oh dear, there are so many things to be done!“, „I am flooded with information!“, „It is all so interesting and extremely relevant, but where do I take the time?“…

The events within the aidsfocus.ch framework are not simply of informational nature to extend one’s knowledge, much rather, they are venues to exchange views among likeminded people and to motivate and inspire all actors. The events should serve as places where you can charge your batteries with new ideas, but also where you are fuelled with new energy to continue your work. This is at least the effect the events have on me.

Helena Zweifel aidsfocus.ch

NEWS FROM THE SWISS COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE - PEER COACHING MAINSTREAMING HIV/AIDS - THE TAKE OFF! - GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA: STÄNDERAT NIMMT FORDERUNG DER HILFSWERKE AUF

INTERNATIONAL NEWS - GLOBAL ACCESS TO HIV THERAPY TRIPLED IN PAST TWO YEARS, BUT SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES REMAIN - PLUSNEWS TREATMENT MAP - THE GLOBAL FUND AT THREE YEARS – FLYING IN CROWDED AIR SPACE - FIGHTING TB ON THE FRONT LINES - LATEST ADOLESCENCE EDUCATION NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE ONLINE - YOUTH INFONET NO. 22 - ECONOMIC SECURITY FOR WOMEN KEY TO HIV PREVENTION - WOMEN AS DECISION-MAKERS NEED TO TRANSFORM THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS

EVENTS (IN ENGLISH) 07.04.2006 | AIDSFOCUS.CH MEETING POINT: SWITZERLAND AND THE GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA

1. 04.2006 | AIDSFOCUS.CH CONFERENCE: THE RIGHT TO KNOW AND THE WILL TO ACT - YOUTH AND HIV/AIDS PREVENTION – REGISTER NOW!
2. 06.2006 | SDC: MAINSTREAMING HIV/AIDS IN PRACTICE
3. 08.2006 | XVI INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE

Many have participated in the SDC training module on the topic of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS, had a glance at the toolkit and started to introduce mainstreaming of HIV and AIDS into their own organisation.

In everyday life things are not that simple: often we encounter unforeseen challenges, but at the same time are surprised by encouraging and unexpected small success stories. In this process we can best learn from each other. How do others do it? Where in the process are they? Which are the open questions, the challenges, the successes, the lessons learned? Have there been any results yet?

All these are questions that we would like to look at in more depth during twice yearly meetings. A first event will take place in June 2005. If you are interested, please contact Claudia.kessler@unibas.ch. Additional information:

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

Der Ständerat befürwortet eine Motion, die vom Bund mehr Geld für den globalen Kampf gegen Aids, Tuberkulose und Malaria verlangt. Damit stellt er sich hinter eine zentrale Forderung der Kampagne "Afrika braucht Medikamente - jetzt!" von Bethlehem Mission Immensee und HEKS.

Zur Motion: „Der Bundesrat verpflichtet sich, den Globalen Fonds zur Bekämpfung von HIV/Aids, Tuberkulose und Malaria langfristig mitzutragen…Für 2006 soll der Schweizer Beitrag von 5 auf 25 Millionen erhöht und in den Folgejahren weiter angepasst werden. Dieser Beitrag erfolgt zusätzlich zur bestehenden Entwicklungszusammenarbeit.“

http://www.parlament.ch

Geneva, 28 March 2006 - A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) shows that the number of people on HIV antiretroviral treatment (ART) in low- and middle-income countries more than tripled to 1.3 million in December 2005 from 400 000 in December 2003. Charting the final progress of the "3 by 5" strategy to expand access to HIV therapy in the developing world, the report also says that the lessons learned in the last two years provide a foundation for global efforts now underway to provide universal access to HIV treatment by 2010.

http://www.who.int

The PlusNews Treatment Map monitors the rollout of antiretroviral therapy in Africa, providing data for each country on the total number of people on treatment, the drug regimens used, and latest funding provided by the Global Fund, World Bank and PEPFAR. PlusNews is pleased to announce the latest updates for the following countries: Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Chad, Eritrea, Lesotho, Central African Republic, Mozambique and Senegal.

http://www.plusnews.org

"Better donor coordination needed on AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria". The Tropical Medicine and International Health editorial outlines the issues surrounding the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) between 2002 and 2005, and looks at the challenges it will have to face in future. Although the Fund is just one of several mechanisms for channelling money to disease control in developing countries, it has been distinguished from others by its speed, transparency and public visibility. It has encouraged countries to use existing partnerships to form Country Coordinating Mechanisms, which develop proposals to the Fund and oversee implementation. However, some countries have struggled to meet the Fund's reporting requirements, leading to delayed disbursement of funds.

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com

On the occasion of World TB Day 2006, Health and Development Networks is happy to announce the publication of Fighting TB on the frontlines: Highlights and recommendations from the Stop-TB eForum 2005, the first in the new dialogues series of The Correspondent. The people fighting against tuberculosis (TB) are clearly the best-placed to talk about the challenges they face on a daily basis and how to improve the DOTS programmes so that they function at optimum level. They need a louder voice and more visibility - and those working at the health policy level need to learn from them.(March 2006)

http://www.hdnet.org

The December 2005 edition (Vol. 8, No. 2) of Adolescence Education Newsletter (AEN) provides a comprehensive overview of the socio-demographic and reproductive health situation of adolescents including available evidence about the health risks and challenges that young people face in Asia and the Pacific region. Also included is an "EduTools" insert featuring module 3 and 4, excerpted from HIV/AIDS teacher training manual used in the school setting, originally developed by UNESCO Bangkok.

http://www2.unescobkk.org

Youth InfoNet No. 22 features 12 program resources focusing on youth reproductive health and HIV prevention, with some resources available in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. It also includes summaries of 13 peer-reviewed articles featuring research on youth reproductive health and HIV/AIDS from Angola, Columbia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, and Zambia. Youth InfoNet is an electronic source for new publications and information on youth reproductive health and HIV prevention.

http://www.fhi.org

A new paper published by the UNAIDS-led Global Coalition on Women and AIDS (GCWA) shows that when women have an income and a safe place to live, they are much better able to negotiate abstinence, fidelity, and safer sex. Economic security, the paper stresses, is a major factor in enabling women to protect themselves from HIV. Securing property and inheritance rights for women and girls has clear value in HIV prevention. Many promising initiatives are using microfinance and skills training to improve women's access to economic assets, such as land, property and credit, and to reduce their vulnerability to HIV.

http://data.unaids.org

On March 8th, men and women throughout the world commemorate International Women's Day. This year's theme was "Women in Decision-making: Meeting Challenges: Creating Change”. The major barriers to effective participation in leadership and decision making for women include the deeply ingrained cultural and traditional stereotypes around the role of women, institutional cultures and health challenges like HIV and AIDS. Although the impact of HIV/AIDS on women in Africa has been well documented and lamented by global leaders like Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan, little progress has been made in addressing the fundamental drivers of the epidemic which include gender inequality, cultural and traditional practices and economic situations.

http://archives.hst.org.za

Bern | aidsfocus.ch invites to a Meeting Point to share information and experiences on the Global Fund and its functioning as well as on the relationship of Switzerland with the Fund. What are the objectives of the GFATM and how does it achieve them? At what cost? How does the co-operation between the GFATM and the DEZA work? How can Switzerland put its ideas and requests on the agenda? Which are first successes, which the special challenges? The GFATM co-operates directly with local institutions and NGOs. Which are the experiences of the Swiss Tropical Institute as local fund agent in working with the GFATM. Which are first successes, which the special challenges? What is an appropriate contribution? Is a substantial increase of the Swiss amount feasible in view of limited resources for international cooperation?

REGISTER NOW! info@aidsfocus.ch

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

Bern | aidsfocus.ch conference 2006 on Youth and HIV/AIDS Prevention: The present and future of HIV/AIDS is shaped by the action of young people, women and men, girls and boys. Young people between the ages of 15 to 24 are both the most threatened - globally accounting for about half of all new cases of HIV - and the greatest hope for creating a future without AIDS.

Guest Speakers: Farai Mahaso, Batanai HIV/AIDS Support Group, Zimbabwe Marie-Françoise Sprungli, Kallpa, Peru Edna Engelbrecht, mission 21, South Africa/ Switzerland Fred Merkle, consultant, Germany

and Momo Omais, singer/songwriter from Senegal/Switzerland

REGISTER NOW: info@aidsfocus.ch

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

Ausserholligen | The course offered by SDC aims to provide information on and skills in mainstreaming HIV/AIDS. It aims to strengthen participants' motivation and competence to mainstream HIV/AIDS as relevant for their work. At the end of the day, participants should know what is understood by the comprehensive approach and be able to apply the concept of risk/vulnerability reduction and impact mitigation, understand the concept of "mainstreaming HIV/AIDS" and its multisectoral dimension and know the most important elements of the SDC toolkit "mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in practice" and understand how to work with the toolkit..

http://www.deza.ch

Toronto, Canada | AIDS 2006 is the conference for everyone involved in combatting the HIV/AIDS epidemic - researchers, healthcare workers, civil society, governments, UN organisations, activists, donors, industry, the media, and people living with HIV/AIDS. The Conference theme is Time to Deliver, reminding us of past and present commitments for action on HIV/AIDS and demanding accountability for those promises at every level of the response.

http://www.aids2006.org

aidsfocus.ch is a project set up by Medicus Mundi Switzerland. aidsfocus.ch is sponsored and shaped by 30 partner organizations who support the aims and activities of the platform through their financial contributions, expertise and commitment.

Partners: AIDS & Child, Bethlehem Mission Immensee, Caritas Switzerland, cinfo, CO-OPERAID, Déclaration de Berne, Doctors without Borders, FEPA, Fédération Genevoise de Coopération, Gemeinschaft St. Anna-Schwestern, HEKS, IAMANEH Switzerland, International Federation of the Blue Cross, INTERTEAM, medico international Switzerland, mediCuba-Suisse, mission, REPSSI, SolidarMed, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Aids Federation, missio, mission 21, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund, Swiss MIVA, Swiss Red Cross, Swiss Tropical Institute, Tear Fund, Terre des hommes Foundation, terre des hommes - Switzerland, World Vision Switzerland.