Improving the Standard partnerships between UNAIDS and the FaithBased Community

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Improving the Standard - partnerships between
UNAIDS and the Faith-Based Community
Sally Smith Civil Society Partnerships and
Ayoko Bahum- Wilson EHAIA/WCC Presentation to the
Christian Pre-ICASA Symposium
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About UNAIDS

• Set up in 1996, UNAIDS is a joint programme of
  cosponsoring organizations of the United Nations
• Created to provide coordinated UN support to
  countries
• Cosponsoring organizations UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP,
  UNFPA, UNDCP, ILO, UNESCO, WHO, World Bank, WFP

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UNAIDS Cosponsors
UNAIDSSecretariat
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UNAIDS Cosponsors

• UNAIDS Cosponsors work together through the
  UNAIDS Secretariat to expand their outreach and
  form strategic alliances with
• public sector including uniformed services
• private sector
• civil society, especially networks of people
  living with HIV and faith-based organizations

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UNAIDS at country level

• UNAIDS is increasing its staff presence at
  Regional and country level.
• Regional Support teams now established in
  Johannesburg, Dakar, Cairo and Bangkok.
• Increased number of UNAIDS Country Coordinators,
  Partnership and Social Mobilization officers and
  Monitoring and Evaluation officers recruited and
  placed in countries

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Working with FBOs

• Global Regional and National approaches
• Christianity
• Islam
• Hinduism
• Other faiths
• Interfaith approaches, UNICEF WCRP

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Who do we work with?

• ANERELA
• Lutheran World Federation
• World Council of Churches - Ecumenical HIV/ AIDS
  initiative in Africa EHAIA.
• Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
• Roman Catholic Church
• Anglican Communion
• Baptist World Alliance
• Presbyterian
• Orthodox
• Evangelical networks - ACET
• Viva
• Micah

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What are the messages?

• The churches have been at the forefront of the
  response, especially in Africa- providing care
  and support
• Increasingly, churches and their health care
  institutions are getting involved in testing
  counselling and treatment scale-up and support
• Religion has a major role to play in helping
  families and communities cope with the impact of
  HIV in peoples lives
• Churches have a key role to play in stigma
  eradication.

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What are the messages?

• Break the silence
• Advocacy
• Leaders to speak out
• Inreach
• End stigma and discrimination
• End ignorance
• End isolation
• Outreach
• Organize services and support for women, youth
  and children
• Support churches and projects in their response
  to HIV and AIDS
• Collaborate
• Ecumenical
• Interfaith
• International
• National

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Break the silence

• Leaders are already breaking the silence on HIV
• There is still more to be done
• HIV has profoundly changed the world
• A new look at theology and preaching through HIV
  spectacles is needed
• Preaching or teaching on sexuality?
• Is HIV on an organizational priority?
• Is my church a safe place for people to declare
  their HIV status?
• For UNAIDS church leaders are a hard to reach
  group!

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Inreach

• End stigma The assurance of a loving welcome,
  care and support within the church when someone
  declares their HIV status to their brothers and
  sisters in Christ. (This must also apply to HIV
  pastors, UNAIDS works with ANERELA)
• End ignorance Provide accurate information and
  strategies on how to remain abstinent, faithful
  and protect oneself from HIV infection when at
  risk for every church member.
• End isolation A compassionate set of care and
  support services for every family in the church
  living with HIV

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Outreach

• Home based care
• Orphan care
• Care for the carers
• Prevention education and services
• Youth work
• Womens work
• VCT ARV provision

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Join in Global and National level processes which
involve civil society in HIV action

• International HIV and AIDS NGO networks
• Country level partnership forum
• GFTAM Country coordinating mechanism
• National AIDS Council
• UNAIDS country offices
• UN Agencies country offices
• The world AIDS campaign
• Three ones
• UNGASS reporting process
• Global Coalition on Women and AIDS

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Useful contacts

• Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance. EAA
  http//www.e-alliance.ch/
• Contact EAA for information on Toronto
  pre-conference
• Ecumenical HIV AIDS initiative in Africa (WCC)
  http//www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/mission/ehaia-e.ht
  ml
• World Council of Religions and Peace
  http//www.wcrp.org/
• World AIDS Campaign http//worldaidscampaign.info/
  index.php/wac/wac
• UNAIDS http//www.unaids.org/en/default.asp
• GCWA http//womenandaids.unaids.org/

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UNAIDS civil society partnerships unit staff
contact details

• Chief Andy Seale sealea_at_unaids.org
• GIPA Kate Thomson thomsonk_at_unaids.org
• Faith based groups Calle Almedal
  almedalc_at_unaids.org
• Involvement of civil society in UNGASS, Three
  ones, GCWA Sally Smith smiths_at_unaids.org

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• Three Ones
• National response is NOT government response
• Fully representative One Coordinating
  Authority
• Involvement in planning and ME
• Capacity building around role and potential
  of civil society for all national stakeholders

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• UNGASS 2006
• National Reporting
• Global Report civil society chapter
• Shadow Reports
• UNGASS event Resolution
• Recife Meeting and Report

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• Universal Access
• Steering Committee
• Consultation and communication
• UNGASS Meeting

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• Global Coalition on Women and AIDS
• Share partners, values and approaches
• Mutual support around strategy and partnership
  action
• Internal UN advocacy on gender, GIPA and
  human rights

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• How do we Work? Partnership Values
• Clarity, accessibility, transparency and
  multi- way communication
• Coherence in strategic planning and action
• Recognition of the strengths and potential of
  all partners
• Commitment to investing in partnership based
  on shared goals
• Willingness to challenge and to be challenged
  constructively
• Passion, audacity, engagement and activism
• Sharing, learning and leadership
• Respect for diversity for all regardless of
  sex, age, religion, ethnicity, social or
  economic status, sexual orientation or HIV
  status and a respect for a human rights based
  approach

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• How do we work? Partnership Principles
• in-reach before out-reach (UN Positive Staff
  Group example)
• full participation and involvement of people
  living with HIV
• a human rights based and gender sensitive
  approach
• the involvement of all key populations
• partnership based on action
• prioritization of global strategic partnerships
  that can be replicated or have impact at country
  level - learning lessons from the grassroots
  initiatives that can be transferred or applied
  at global level
• optimal use of external partners in applying
  the Three Ones
• long-term commitment to building the strengths
  and capacity of all parties
• the notion that every interaction presents an
  opportunity to learn something new and move the
  response forward

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UNAIDS at country level

• At country level, UNAIDS works through the UN
  Theme Groups on HIV/AIDS
• These help UN agencies coordinate their support
  to national responses
• They are made up of Cosponsors but often include
  host governments, aid agencies, other UN
  agencies, NGOs and people living with HIV