Dear Colleagues,
The Global Prevention Coalition (GPC) would like to share with you some of the exciting updates, engagements, and meetings across partners and countries, that have taken place to jointly accelerate the prevention agenda.
Accelerating HIV Prevention and Preparing for Future Pandemics
On 24 May 2023, the GPC held a ministerial meeting on the occasion of the seventy-sixth World HealthAssembly-how to accelerateHIV Prevention and prepare for future pandemics. Participants included: Ministers of Health and/or their representatives, from GPC countries and Global leaders in HIV prevention policy and implementation which facilitated strategic exchange on how to accelerate HIV Prevention and ensure the global target of less than 370 000 new infections annually is met. You may read the summary of the meeting, story, and watch the recording.
The brochure ‘Now more than ever: Success in preventing HIV is possible but requires anew Push’ summarized findings from the 2022 GPC scorecards. The full detailed scorecards for countries and thematic pillars can be found here.
The event concluded that never has the opportunity to prevent HIV been greater than today. New science on long-acting prevention technology has widened HIV prevention options - the task ahead is to turn the options into choices accessible by all.
Implementation of the HIV Prevention Roadmap Survey
A survey was conducted across 32 GPC countries; the initial twenty-eight and an additional five: Madagascar, Philippines, South Sudan, Colombia and Rwanda. Preliminary results showed some progress made by countries in some actions however, it highlighted the need for all countries to garner efforts towards improving real-time program monitoring, accountability for HIV progress, and HIV Prevention leadership agencies. The results also showed that countries like Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia have developed their HIV Prevention roadmaps; Angola, Botswana,Indonesia, Malawi, Rwanda, United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda are in the progress of developing their country Prevention Roadmaps.
Pan - Prevention Workshop - South to South Learning Network
To advance and support work on the 10 - HIVPrevention Roadmap actions in countries, theSSLN hosted its first Pan-Prevention Workshop in Cape Town, South Africa, in May 2023. The workshop brought together over 180 champions from 15 African countries. You may read more here.
Generating Political Leadership for HIV Prevention - NAC Directors’ meeting
On 30 May 2023, the National AIDS Commissions’ Director Generals’ Forum held a quarterly virtual meeting to facilitate strategic discussions on their role in generating political leadership for HIV Prevention. You may read more here.
Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) Symposium at the 15th AIDS Impact Conference
On 14 June 2023, the VMMC symposium was held in Stockholm, Sweden; the objective of the symposium was to provide an opportunity to discuss the evolution of the VMMC program with a focus on the lessons it can provide to new and emerging HIV prevention interventions. Participants included; AVAC, WHO, UNAIDS, and PEPFAR. You can access the presentations here.
UNODC trainings on stimulant drugs and Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT)
Between April -June 2023, UNODC conducted face-to-face training on OAT in Kenya and India for national stakeholders and service providers, and two virtual training of trainers - to equip the participants with the knowledge and skills to effectively train relevant audiences on how to establish and deliver evidence-based, good quality, effective OAT services using the OAT Implementing tool and the HIV prevention, treatment and care and support for people who use stimulant drugs Technical guide. Following this, UNODC conducted two faces to face trainings inMalaysia and in the Philippines to build the capacity of governmental and community representatives.
Launch of the United for Prevention program
In June 2023, Frontline AIDS launched a new program “United for Prevention” funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to support community and civil society-led accountability efforts, advocate for policy change, and monitor implementation of the national targets. This work will be done in seven high HIV prevalence countries across Africa: Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. You may read more here.
Upcoming events
- Invitation to Webinar: Survey Response Analysis and Preliminary Results of the 2020 Road Map Baseline Survey, 6 July 2023 View Event
- Global Prevention Working Group meeting, October 2023 View Event
- National AIDS Commissions Directors’ meeting, 29 August 2023 View Event
- The Global Men and HIV Technical Working Group (MENHT) Webinar Series -Episode #8, 21 September 2023
Kind regards,
The Global HIV Prevention Secretariat Geneva,
30 June 2023