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The
United Nations Country Team in India launches “SOLUTION
EXCHANGE for the AIDS Community of Practice” on 19 July
2005, with an e-Consultation on phase 3 of the “National AIDS
Control Programme (NACPIII),” in partnership with the National
AIDS Control Organisation, NACO.
The National AIDS Control
Organization (NACO) is responsible for managing the Government
of India's response to the AIDS epidemic through a
nation-wide National AIDS Control programme. The first phase,
NACP-I, started in 1992. The second phase of the Programme (NACP-II)
was launched in 1999 with the objective of reducing the spread
of HIV infection, and strengthening the capacity of Central
and State Governments, civil society and the private sector to
respond to AIDS on a long-term basis. This second phase will
come to an end on 31 March 2006.
NACO initiated planning for
the third phase of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP-III)
in late 2004. It was decided that this process would be
spearheaded by a planning team of senior programme
specialists. The team is now in place and NACP-III formulation
has begun. A number of working groups have been established to
discuss programmatic and management issues. To support this
design process, a public e-Consultation is being carried out
under the Solution Exchange initiative of the United Nations
Country Team in India to seek inputs from all relevant
stakeholders and interested citizens.
What is the
NACPIII e-Consultation?
The NACPIII e-Consultation is
an electronic discussion forum to obtain views and suggestions
from the wider public to support the formulation of NACP-III.
Participation is free and open to anyone who would like to
share experiences and contribute ideas.
This e-Consultation is part
of a new service being provided to the ‘AIDS-professional'
community in India under the Solution Exchange initiative of
the UN Country Team. Solution Exchange has been set up
to connect professionals in India who share common interests
and concerns, strengthening their identity as a “Community of
Practice” and offering a forum to benefit from each other's
knowledge and experience. Solution Exchange for the AIDS
Community in India is designed to help all professionals
addressing the AIDS epidemic – from Government, civil society,
donors, academia and the private sector – to increase the
effectiveness of their individual efforts. Solution
Exchange for the AIDS Community is facilitated and hosted
by the UNAIDS Secretariat.
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What are
some of the issues to be covered by this e-Consultation?
The NACP-III e-Consultation
will be organized around selected topics linked to
the themes of the working groups that have been set
up to aid in the development of NACP III.
Topics that the e-Consultation
takes up will include, among others:
- Targeted interventions:
Interventions for persons who are at a higher risk
of HIV infection, such as sex workers, intravenous
drug users, men who have sex with men, long distance
truckers, etc., that are customized to their specific
circumstances and needs, to ultimately achieve protective
behaviour.
- Access to treatment,
care and support: Increasing availability of
treatment for people living with HIV and removing
obstacles that prevent access due to stigma, discrimination,
lack or unavailability of resources, social norms,
etc.
- Communication
and advocacy: Using information, education and
communication (IEC) tools to prevent the spread
of HIV and inter-personal behavorial change communication
(BCC) to modify behaviour from high risk to low
or no risk, and advocate for protecting as well
as promoting the rights of people infected and affected
by HIV
- Condom programming:
Increasing condom availability and usage through
forecasting, need recognition and condom use skills
building
- Mainstreaming:
Addressing the causes and effects of HIV in an effective
and sustained manner, both within the workplace
and from a wider, multi-sectoral development perspective
- Epidemiological
surveillance: Monitoring trends and estimating
the percentage of HIV-infected people infected among
the various target groups and in various parts of
the country
- Institutional
Arrangements and Coordination: Coordinating
the efforts of all partners in the AIDS response,
by an AIDS authority with a broad-based multi-sector
mandate, around an agreed framework of action and
with a common monitoring and evaluation framework,
at district, state and national levels.
When the consultation
begins, all the topics will be considered from the
following three perspectives:
- In your view, what have been the significant achievements and failures of NACP II?
- Could you share the success stories you know?
- What would you recommend to NACO for the national policy on AIDS, for the next five years?
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What is the
e-Consultation's time frame?
The e-Consultation
was launched on 19 July 2005. Each round of consulatation
will last one week.
For all the list topics
Click
here>>
Who should participate
in this e-Consultation?
Anyone who wants to make a
difference in the lives of millions affected by HIV and AIDS
should join this e-Consultation and share their views and
experiences, including:
- People living with HIV
- Elected
Representatives/Leaders
- Staff of government
agencies at all levels,
- Staff of Non Governmental
Organizations (NGOs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs)
and Community Service Organisations
- Community health workers
- Public and private sector
physicians, nurses and other health professionals
- Social services providers
- Researchers. scientist and
academics
- Other professionals in the
AIDS field
- All interested members of
the general public
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How to
participate?
Participants contribute to
the e-Consultation through e-mail or via the web. The
consultation will be moderated – contributions
will be approved before they are posted to ensure a
free-flowing, constructive discussion.
Participants contribute in
one of two ways:
• By subscribing to the
Solution Exchange mailgroup. This will enable you to
contribute and receive messages through your regular e-mail.
Your contributions will be posted in your name. To subscribe,
go to the Solution Exchange sign-up page at
www.solutionexchange-un.net.in and click on the “sign-up”
link for the AIDS Community. You can subscribe at any time
before or during the e-Consultation.
• By contributing
anonymously. Once the consultation begins, you can submit
contributions directly from the
e-Consultation's public website and the moderator will
post your messages anonymously. If you are not an e-mail
subscriber you will not be able to follow the discussions from
your e-mail.
All contributions, from
subscribers and non-subscribers, will be posted by the
moderator on the e-Consultation's public website.
Contributors to the NACP-III
e-Consultation should adhere to the
Rules
for participation. Please review these carefully.
To get details on how to send
and read messages,
click here.
To go directly to the discussion
site,
click here.
For resource materials
related to the discussion – NACP documentation and progress
reports, background papers, relevant links, etc. –
click here. Additional useful
material, including FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and
information on HIV and AIDS, is available on NACO's web site
at
http://www.nacoonline.org/
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What are other features
of Solution Exchange for the AIDS Community?
The AIDS Community
of Practice in India has a range of networks and websites
through which professionals stay connected and informed about
issues of concern, notably the Yahoo Groups networks of
AIDS-INDIA and
SAATHII . Solution Exchange offers this Community a
new service that can also link to these sites and make them
more valuable to users. When you come across a challenge and
would like to have ideas from your colleagues, put your query
in an e-mail and the Solution Exchange moderator will post it
to all Community members. Your colleagues will offer advice,
experiences, contacts or other suggestions to help you out. In
about 5-8 days the moderator will post a synopsis of
responses to the mailgroup, including the original
contributions, as well as additional helpful resources and
links. You will have a quick, comprehensive response and a
range of solutions to adapt to your local context.
To find out more about
Solution Exchange log on to
http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/
For further information about
the NACPIII e-Consultation, or about the AIDS Community,
contact:
Dr. E. Mohamed Rafique
Resource Person & Moderator,
AIDS Community
UNAIDS India
Tel: (+91) 11 24628877 Extn: 453
Mobile: (+91) 93127 27021
E-mail:
emohamed.rafique at undp.org
“Every
individual's knowledge adds a new dimension and offers a fresh
perspective on development challenges. Your contribution
matters in ushering in ‘the change'.“
Best regards,
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Dr.
S. Y. Quraishi
Special Secretary
and Director General
National AIDS Control Organisation,
Government of India |
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Dr.
Denis Broun
Country Coordinator
UNAIDS India |
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