Joint United Nations

Programme on HIV/AIDS

 

History of Agency in the World and Iran

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, brings together the efforts and strengths of 10 UN system organizations to the global AIDS response. The co-sponsors of UNAIDS are: UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank.

Based in Geneva, the UNAIDS Secretariat works in more than 75 countries worldwide under the overall supervision of UN HIV/AIDS Theme Groups. UNAIDS Iran was established in 2005 and is covered by the Regional Support Team for the Middle East and North Africa which is located in Cairo, Egypt.

Established in 1994 by a resolution of the UN Economic and Social Council and launched in January 1996, UNAIDS is guided by a Programme Coordination Board (PCB) with 22 government representatives from all geographical regions, the UNAIDS co-sponsors, and five representatives of non-governmental organizations, including associations of people living with HIV. In 2008, Iran was elected to PCB for three years.

 

Priorities Globally and in Iran

• By bringing together the efforts and resources of its co-sponsors, UNAIDS supports increasing intervention for HIV prevention, care and treatment of those infected and epidemic impact reduction activities worldwide.

• The objective of UNAIDS is to have global support for an exceptional response in tackling this epidemic.

• 2001 was a very important year in the history of HIV and AIDS, when Heads of State and Government from 189 nations, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, met at the first ever UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS and adopted the declaration of commitments on HIV/AIDS.

 

Main projects/activities in Iran

• To stop AIDS, UNAIDS supports strategic information and better profiling of the epidemiologic situation of the country in order to enhance design and implementation of interventions for different groups of population. The most-at-risk groups which UNAIDS is concerned about include, injecting drug users, prisoners, sex workers and men who have sex with men;

• UNAIDS sensitizes the policy-makers through an evidence-informed advocacy strategy;

• UNAIDS supports National AIDS Commission as the one and only national AIDS coordinating body and aims for fulfillment of “the Three Ones” principle; “One” national multi-sectoral AIDS authority, “One” national strategic framework for action and “One” national comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan;

• UNAIDS coordinates UN response and harmonizes UN actions based on a jointly identified key-result matrix and an agreed technical support division of labour;

• UNAIDS supports people living with and affected by HIV and tries to reduce stigma and discrimination against them towards universal access to care, support, treatment and positive prevention interventions, and

• UNAIDS makes partnership with civil society and non-governmental sectors to promote their role in a more comprehensive response.

 

Address: United Nations Building No. 8, Shahrzad Blvd., Darrous, Tehran, Iran

P.O.Box: 15875/4557

Tel: (98-21) 2286 0691-4/2286 0925 - 8/2285 8950/22858950         E-mail: iran@unaids.org

Facsimile: (98-21) 2285 8951                                                              website: www.unaids.ir