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APLF support is used to catalyse , initiate, and maintain work to engage different leaders in the HIV and AIDS response in the following countries:
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, the UNAIDS Asia Pacific Leadership Forum activities for 2008 covered a number of fields including advocacy forums, mass media campaigns, engagement with local leaders and activities related to World AIDS Day. Much of the activities undertaken under the APLF program this year occurred in conjunction with our corporate partner for advocacy, Grameen Phone.
In summary, the following APLF outcomes were achieved for 2008:
- New APLF Champions: Two new APLF Champions for Bangladesh were signed on to the campaign. Dr. Mohammad Zafar Iqbal, a leader in the education field, and Mr. Mamun Rashid, a leader from the business sector, both became new APLF Champions and were involved in WAD media activities.
- APLF Billboards: A series of billboards featuring the APLF Champions and HIV awareness messages were installed in strategic locations throughout Dhaka and Bangladesh for WAD
- Press Ads: Six separate newspaper advertisements featuring the APLF Champions were featured in the days leading up to WAD. On the day each of these newspaper advertisements, statements from the corresponding APLF Champions were also featured on radio broadcasts.
- Television Talkshow: In the lead up to WAD, an interactive television talkshow featuring students, teachers, government representatives, HIV specialists and representatives from sex worker and transgender organizations discussed issues to do with HIV/AIDS.
- Community Commitment: The efforts of over 90 local community leaders working in the HIV/AIDS field were recognized through interviewing them and publishing a book of their motivations. These volunteers, from all over Bangladesh, were invited to a presentation ceremony in Dhaka where they were officially recognized by government and the UN and presented with certificates.
- National HIV Media Forum: A three day forum was held to educate members of the media on HIV and AIDS, and their responsibilities for reporting accurately and sensitively. The forum was very well attended and follow up activities are planned.
- National Women’s Forum on AIDS: A national forum of leading Bangladeshi women has been meeting to plan a fashion event raising awareness of issues related to HIV and women. This event will take place in early 2009.
.Cambodia
Political commitment at the highest level in the Royal Government of Cambodia is recognized to be an important factor in Cambodia’s success in creating a supportive legal and policy environment and building a strong national response to HIV. The new estimates show that HIV prevalence among adults aged 15 to 49 decreased to 0.9% in 2006 from a revised estimate of 1.2% in 2003.
There is significant progress on leadership and commitments of parliamentarians, First Lady and the National AIDS Authority, business leaders, civil society leaders, faith based leaders and positive women through catalytic support of APLF. For example, a) APLF National Champion, the First Lady stepped up her AIDS advocacy, presiding over and lending her presence in key events to promote more visible support for HIV and AIDS related issues, b) the Cambodian Human Rights and HIV/AIDS Network and the Cambodian Community of Positive Women participated in a policy dialogue on prevention of mother to child transmission, c) faith based leaders through two Muslim organizations, Cambodia Islamic Youth Association and Islamic Local Development Organization carried out an anti-stigma and discrimination campaign for HIV positive members among the Moslem community.
China
The political commitment on AIDS from the Chinese Government has shifted from medium level in 2001 to high level in 2006 according to a background study on Leadership in the Region by APLF.
APLF’s catalytic support in 2005-2006 for developing the gender and HIV curriculum in the GuangdongPartySchool and capacity building workshops at the CentralPartySchool continued to contribute to strengthening the leadership action on AIDS in China and leveraged more support from the Chinese Government and international organizations. The AIDS prevention and awareness raising was extended nationally through the Schools’ long distance education network broadcast in 2006-2007 which covered 100,000 political and government leaders in local Party Schools. Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director and APLF Steering Committee member visited China once a year to keep up his advocacy for continued and sustained leadership and commitment at central and provincial levels. Through these initiatives, leaders’ awareness of the priority and the urgency of the response to AIDS have been enhanced. Some Ministries and sectors, and each province developed their own 5-year action or implementation plans for 2006-2010. The Central Government and local financial commitments showed a corresponding increase. For more information on leadership and advocacy for HIV and AIDS in China, seehttp://www.unchina.org/unaids/index.html
India
Advocacy activities in India were focused towards informing leadership towards a sustaining a broad based AIDS response at different levels. APLF and UNAIDS Secretariat continued to engage with people’s representatives through the Parliamentarians Forum on AIDS (PFA) and Legislators Forums on AIDS (LFA) by providing secretariat support to these forums in order to converting it into a viable and functional model. APLF and UNAIDS constantly coordinated and advocated with members to build their commitment, expand the membership base and systematize their efforts towards self-sustainability.Click here to read more on country activities.
Indonesia
A new Presidential Regulation was enacted in July 2006 that sets the National AIDS Commission as a true lead entity in coordinating the response to AIDS in Indonesia. The Commission reports to the President every three months on the status of the AIDS situation.
APLF is supporting the work of documenting efforts to mobilize leadership on HIV and AIDS within various sectors. Two such country-level efforts were the Indonesian media leader’s movement, sparked off by Indonesian participation in the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI), and the positive women’s movement which was boosted by the Women and AIDS activities of the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV (APN+). The help of Indonesia’s top creative writers was enlisted at the Ubud Writer’s Festival in Bali in October 2005, where positive women shared their experiences and opinions which were portrayed creatively in features and stories in 2006. “Simple Passions” has been published, was a collection of poems and reflections by Suzana Murni, founder of and moving spirit behind the network of people living with HIV in Indonesia.
Nepal
Nepal is a country with concentratedepidemic among most vulnerable populations, including among injecting drug users, female sex workers and labour migrants. Cognizant of these factors, the government of Nepal has identified leadership advocacy as one of its four priorities in its National Strategic Plan for 2006-2011. The government of Nepal recently has established a high level policy regulatory body called “Semi Autonomous Entity for HIV and AIDS” for scaling up the national response to AIDS in the country. The APLF Programme in Nepal was launched in September 2005 and is geared to support the country’s national response to AIDS. Given the conflict and long standing political instability, APLF Nepal continued to strengthen AIDS leadership action and capacities at both central as well as district and community levels through strengthening other leadership streams than the political leaders. APLF Nepal has established Policy Advocacy Panel with eminent Civil Society Leadership, and also established Women, Media and Youth leadership forums on HIV and AIDS in order institutionalize the AIDS advocacy in the country. All of these forums have identified their advocacy actions and moving the agenda forward. APLF advocacy in Nepal has resulted in an initiation of Methadone substation programme for IDUs in the country.
Pacific islands
(Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu)
APLF Pacific efforts are concentrated on 8 ocean states – Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. However, partnerships with regional organizations ensures that advocacy messages including the role of leaders in HIV care and prevention efforts, reaches leaders from other Pacific states.
Our Partners
APLF’s key regional partners are the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Conference of Churches and Pacific office of the World Council of Churches, South Pacific Association of Theological Schools (SPATS), the University of the South Pacific (USP), the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), the Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation (PIAF) and the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC).
APLF Pacific facilitates partnerships to develop leadership and HIV-related programmes in the 5 key sectors – Political, FBOs, Business Media and Women with youth, positive people and the sport community being cross cutting.
Developing Leaders
APLF identifies opportunities to introduce and/or strengthen HIV-related issues into existing leadership programmes (USP) (SPC). While discussing possibilities, APLF advocates for Transformational Leadership Development principles (as developed by UNDP) to be incorporated into the leadership programmes being conducted and/or developed. Over the last three years, UNAIDS APLF has conducted TLDP to over 70 identified leaders from ten Pacific Island countries who are considered to be “movers and shakers” in their communities.
The Challenge
The major challenge is to work together with members of the UN AIDS team, regional organizations, civil society, NGOs and development partners at the country level to strengthen the national response.
Papua New Guinea
With an HIV prevalence rate of around 2.5% of the adult population, Papua New Guinea faces perhaps the greatest HIV/AIDS challenges in the region. In recognition of this, the National AIDS Commission has recently been relocated to the Prime Minister’s Office and a Minister for HIV/AIDS appointed, while resources are being slowly increased. APLF has supported the development of this new sense of urgency and reinforced the emerging leadership, beginning with the organisation of a Shared Learning workshop in October 2003. The hosting of the APLF’s Steering Committee in February 2005 was an important milestone, as Steering Committee members were paired up to visit with different government Ministers to advocate for a scaled up response and offer peer support. Also at this time, Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director was honoured to be invited to Launch IGAT Hope, PNG’s first network of people living with HIV, with Members of Parliament and the media in attendance. APLF will be supporting the development of an advocacy agenda for PNG in the run-up to its first national conference, tentatively scheduled for March 2006.
Leadership PNG
APLF helped the start the Leadership PNG programme by sending the CEO of the Leadership Fiji programme to PNG. The programme provides leadership training to mid to upper level executives in the business sector and NGOs. The training programme which is conducted over a period of nine months, is a Forum that brings together future leaders to network, establish relationships, discuss social and development problems and to develop a sense of community service. HIV and AIDS related issues are woven into the programme. Funds to start the Leadership PNG programme was provided by Robert Igara CEO of the Sustainable Development Co.
Pakistan
Pakistan reports low prevalence on HIV but gradually moving to nascent concentrated epidemicamong most vulnerable groups. Vulnerabilities for the rapid spread of HIV exist and may rapidly transform the country’s situation into a generalized epidemic. The country has set up a strong base for advocacy with political leaders through active participation in the “Sub Regional Parliamentary Seminar on HIV/AIDS in South Asia” organized by Parliamentarians For Global Action (PGA) in January 2005. Following this, a Multi Party Parliamentarians’ Forum on HIV/AIDS has been very active in guiding leadership advocacy at the federal as well as provincial levels, with financial support from OPEC Fund. APLF Pakistan has also mobilized other leadership streams by establishing women and media leaders HIV and AIDS forums in Sindh and Punjab provinces and will be gradually moving to other provinces.
Philippines
The Philippines had a promising start on its campaign against AIDS, led by Secretary of Health in the 90s and active civil society that galvanized action even up to the highest level, i.e. by the President. With changes in national leadership, the visible government response to AIDS declined. A coordinated, strategic campaign to engage the country’s leaders in the response to HIV was initiated by UNAIDS Philippines in late 2004, with support from the OPEC Fund for International development. The strategies for leadership development were harmonized with the framework used by APLF. APLF provides technical support for the leadership work with the objective of mobilizing and empowering private, public and civil society partnership toward an expanded national response to AIDS.
Leadership development, which entails identifying leaders who have the potential to become AIDS champions, engaging them in the response to AIDS, and building their capacity to become effective advocates has been adopted as the main approach. These leaders come from any of the following key sectors: politics, business, media, and religious. The visits of Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director and APLF Steering Committee member, in February 2005, and Msgr. Robert Vitillo in DATE, gave a boost to the leadership development campaign of UNAIDS in the country.
Sri Lanka
Still reporting low HIV prevalence, the country nevertheless recognized the challenge of breaking the silence around AIDS and address issues related to stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV. On 22 June 2005, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga broke the silence on AIDS for the first time with her pledge of commitment to address issues of stigma, discrimination and access to treatment in a high level meeting attended by senior cabinet ministers, provincial and local political leaders, the military, religious leaders and the media. APLF in Sri Lanka is being closely guided and supported by the APLF Advisory Group, which includes high-level advocates of various profiles, who bring with them expertise, commitment and access to informal or formal networks to mobilize leadership on HIV and AIDS. For more recent developments, see Advocacy event in Sri Lanka;
APLF champion in Sri Lanka APLF Sri Lanka has played a key role in the organization of ICAAP 2007 and number of APLF leadership sessions in the conference including launching of the book Portraits of Commitment for South Asia, a Photo exhibition in collaboration with World Bank.
Thailand
The UN Theme Group in Thailand facilitates the implementation of several critical initiatives to empower and mobilize key Thai leaders to reenergize the national response to HIV and AIDS. One initiative involves capacity development of the national and provincial offices of the Thai Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (TNP+) to enable their members to become more effective advocates and representatives of PLHIV concerns. A second initiative focuses on services for HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment in juvenile detention and correctional settings. A third initiative supports advocacy for the promotion of compulsory life-skills and sexual education for youth in all Thai public schools. Fourthly, a training manual is being developed for labour leaders to support their advocacy for implementation of the Thai National Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS in the Workplace. All these initiatives are supported by the OPEC Fund and carried out in collaboration with government, UN and civil society partners.
Viet Nam
Viet Nam was one of the first countries in the region to engage strongly with the APLF. Outcomes and impacts of this early work in 2003-2004 are now becoming clear. The national Law on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control passed by the National Assembly in 20 June 2006 took effect in January 2007. Pursuant to the Law, the Decree No 108/2007/ND-CP detailingthe implementation of a number of articles contained in the 2006 law was issued in 26 June 2007.
To further implementation of Party directives, Viet Nam broke ground with new partners as well as continued to strengthen ongoing work with other senior leaders, i.e., Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, senior women leaders, Deputy-Prime Minister, Chairmen of HIV National Committee, Central Party Secretariat member, Vice –chairperson of National Assembly. The leadership provided by the Party, National Assembly, Government and local authorities at all levels of the country AIDS response is one of the noticeable examples as best practice in the 2008 Country UNGASS report. For more information on leadership and advocacy for HIV and AIDS in Viet Nam, seeFor more information on leadership and advocacy for HIV and AIDS in Viet Nam, see http://www.unaids.org.vn/about/cosponsor/aplf.htm
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