http://www.unaids.org.np

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is an innovative joint venture of the UN family. The Programme brings together the efforts and resources of ten UN system organizations to help the world prevent new HIV infections, care for those already infected, and mitigate the impact of the epidemic.

At country level in Nepal, UNAIDS represents the collective action of Cosponsors in support of the national response to HIV/AIDS. It also provides key support to the United Nations Theme Group on HIV/AIDS, the joint HIV/AIDS policy and strategy decision-making body for Cosponsors and other UN system agencies.

The UN Resident Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that an effective UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS is functioning. The joint and collaborative work of Cosponsors is reflected in many countries s in a UN Implementation Support Plan to the national response (new UN-ISP under development in Nepal).

The global mandates of the UNAIDS cosponsoring organizations and the country level programme priorities:

• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stringently implements its protection mandate, of which HIV/AIDS is a crucial component, for refugees and other persons of concern.
  • Coordination: Coordinating HIV/AIDS activities of implementing and collaborative NGO partners, WFP and UNHCR through monthly interagency meetings chaired by UNHCR
  • Protection: prevention and response to sexual and gender based violence inside the camps
  • Health services: Safe blood supply and testing for blood transfusion; provision of condoms; syndromic STI treatment; safe deliveries; universal precautions; referral to VCT centre
  • Education: Formal education and peer education within schools; informal community education via networks of community health volunteers
  
  
  
• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) focuses on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and on care, support and protection for orphans and children in families made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS
  • HIV and AIDS within the education sector through formal education, non-formal education and policy support to the Ministry of Education
  • Youth Friendly Multi Purpose Service Centres for vulnerable urban out of school young people
  • Basic awareness raising programme to reach young people with basic HIV information
  • Prevention of mother to child transmission
  • Care and support for children affected by HIV and AIDS
  • Media based education/entertainment programme
  • Religious leaders programme
  • Research on out-of-school children
  • HIV and AIDS at the workplace
  
  
  
• World Food Programme (WFP) modifies food rations to ensure that people who may be HIV-infected receive adequate kilocalories and nutrition; assists poor AIDS-affected households and individuals to meet their basic nutritional needs
  • HIV/AIDS awareness raising workshops for health workers under the Maternal and Child Health Care project
  • Truck drivers working for WFP are provided with HIV/AIDS training
  • HIV/AIDS workplace training
  
  
  
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) creates an enabling policy, legislative and resource environment for an effective response to HIV/AIDS; promotes action-oriented advocacy and policy dialogue for leadership at all levels
  • Rural urban partnership programme
  • District local governance support programme
  • HIV/AIDS Harm reduction for injecting drug users in Nepal
  
  
  
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) promotes the prevention of HIV infection among young people and works to improve access to male & female condoms and promoting their correct and consistent use
  • Strengthening reproductive health services
  • Adolescent reproductive health education in schools and non-formal education and family life education programme
  • Institutionalisation of reproductive health into the Women Development Programme
  • Provision of RTI/STI and HIV/AIDS services
  • Youth Friendly Services
  
  
  
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) includes HIV/AIDS prevention in its programmes to reduce the demand for illicit drugs
  
  
• International Labour Organization (ILO) encourages the mobilization of governments, employers and workers against HIV/AIDS and facilitates direct access to the world of work, where many possibilities exist for HIV/AIDS prevention as well as for the care and support of affected persons
  • Gender-sensitive training and awareness-raising activities on HIV/AIDS in the world of work
  • Establishment of tripartite plus task force on HIV/AIDS in the world of work, chaired by the Ministry of Labour
  • Capacity strengthening through social dialogue and political commitment of ILO constituents on HIV/AIDS, migration and social protection
  • Development of a project on HIV/AIDS prevention in the world of work
  
  
  
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) focuses on preventive education including: advocacy at all levels, particularly aimed at ministries, agencies and nongovernmental organizations involved in education, science, culture, communication and sports
  • Community-based awareness raising on HIV/AIDS prevention through education as part of UNESCO's integrated Community Learning Centres programme
  • Research-based HIV/AIDS prevention among out-of-school street-based children
  
  
  
• World Health Organization (WHO) provides technical support and builds health sector capacity for a strategic and sustainable response to HIV/AIDS; develops and implements consistent evidence-based strategies and health sector interventions in prevention, treatment and care; delivers antiretrovirals: WHO, UNAIDS and their partners are committed to achieve the '3 by 5' target - getting three million people on antiretrovirals by the end of 2005
  • ARV management of health service providers
  
  
  
• World Bank emphasizes the need for top-level political commitment, systematic health-sector reforms, human rights protection, and a range of multisectoral reforms to help reduce the factors contributing to HIV spread
  • Budget support to the Ministry of Health and to the National Center for AIDS and STD control
  • Partial secondment of a Senior Health, Nutrition and Population specialist to the government for development of appropriate institutional arrangements for HIV/AIDS programme.