Improving the capacity of Government and Civil Society to design better HIV/AIDS policies and programmes

Project name: ARM1R209 Joint Programme on "Capacity building in HIV/AIDS prevention"

Budget: USD 130,045

Timeline: October 2004 - December 2005

What's the situation?

Armenia belongs to a region within which HIV/AIDS is spreading fast. From 1988 to March 1, 2005, 317 HIV carriers were registered in the Republic of Armenia and of these, 301 are citizens of the Republic of Armenia. Armenia is endangered by the fact that it has close migration ties with countries with dangerously high growth rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS. The majority causes of the registered HIV transmission are injected drug usage and heterosexual practices. In recent decades, an increase in STIs has also been observed in Armenia.

Over the last 5 years, the government has improved its institutional capacity to address HIV/AIDS by building a management and coordination mechanism at regional and national levels, putting a surveillance system, and working towards the establishment of a national HIV/AIDS monitoring and evaluation system.

Despite these positive developments, the key elements of a successful strategy to curb the infection remain rather weak. These factors include:

• Extremely low allocations of state resources towards the National Programme on HIV/AIDS Prevention in Armenia
• A lack of coordination of activities and preventive programmes at the national and sub-national levels
• Limited recognition by decision-makers of the multi-dimensional effort needed to address HIV/AIDS
• In many instances HIV/AIDS is still regarded by the government and civil society in Armenia as purely a medical problem or a problem concerning risk groups such as Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs), Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs).
• Stigmatization and possible discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS ( PLWHA ), leads to their social exclusion and violation of their human rights.

What's our mission?

This programme aims to strengthen the capacity of the government at all levels especially at regional and local levels to ensure the coordination of HIV/AIDS related programmes and activities by the respective governmental institutions. It aims to enhance the effectiveness of institutional responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Furthermore it aims to ensure respect and protection for the human rights of those people who are living with HIV/AIDS and allow their integration into their communities without stigmatization or discrimination.

How is UNFPA doing this?

This programme pools the resources of four UN Agencies, namely UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNDP and UNICEF, where UNFPA acts as a Managing Agent. This joint project focuses on:

• Improving the knowledge and skills of officials and technical staff of the line ministries, district community authorities in Yerevan and 100 communities of 10 marzes or regions of Armenia to integrate HIV/AIDS activities into community development plans and to implement activities that are rights-based, participatory and promote access to HIV/AIDS information and services
• Improving the knowledge and skills of selected NGOs working in the areas of community development, human rights, gender, education, health, and social services to bring HIV/AIDS prominently into their projects and to participate in the design and implementation of community-based HIV/AIDS activities
• Improving the knowledge and skills of selected NGOs working in the areas of community development, human rights, gender, education, health, and social services to bring HIV/AIDS prominently into their projects and to participate in the design and implementation of community-based HIV/AIDS activities

Who are our partners?

In the course of implementing this programme, UNFPA is working in partnership with other UN Agencies, NGOs and the National Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention.

How will Armenia benefit?

This programme will help strengthen the capacity of civil society in Armenia to participate in bringing a response to HIV/AIDS prominently into community-based activity by increasing their awareness about HIV/AIDS; building their skills and by providing tools for giving HIV/AIDS a prominent role in policy formulation and in public consciousness. It will also help to create an enabling environment that promotes a community-based HIV/AIDS response. It will help to implement policies and programmes that will ensure an effective and coordinated response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic by improving awareness of government representatives and decision-makers on HIV/AIDS issues, including the human rights of people affected by HIV/AIDS. It will also help by building the skills of the concerned government officials to coordinate HIV/AIDS programmes and to facilitate the integration of People living with HIV/AIDS into their communities without discrimination.

Project Documents:

Contact Details:

Mr. Garik Hayrapetyan
UNFPA Assistant Representative
garik@unfpa.am