Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

Coordinating a shared HIV response

Based in Geneva, UNAIDS provides strategic direction and technical support for action on HIV across countries and institutions. Its work addresses the connections between prevention, treatment, rights and the policies that shape access to services. People living with HIV and affected communities are central participants in the approach described by the programme.

The joint programme brings together UN cosponsors with different responsibilities, including health, children, refugees, education and development. WHO, UNICEF and UNHCR are among the organizations listed as cosponsors. Their distinct mandates help connect HIV priorities with wider systems and services; UNAIDS provides a forum for this shared work.

Sources: [1], [2], [5].

Information for policy and programme decisions

UNAIDS works with countries to collect and analyse information on HIV epidemiology, programme coverage and financing. This evidence is used to examine patterns of infection, understand service gaps and assess progress toward agreed targets. The organization also supports countries’ ability to produce and use strategic information.

Public resources include AIDSinfo, the Key Populations Atlas, guidance on data methods, country progress reports and analyses of laws, policies and financial resources. These tools serve different purposes: population estimates, service coverage and spending information answer related but separate questions. Bringing them together helps policymakers and communities examine whether resources and services are reaching people who need them.

Sources: [3].

Governance and institutional history

The UN Economic and Social Council established UNAIDS in 1994, and the programme was launched in January 1996. Its Programme Coordinating Board includes government representatives, the cosponsoring organizations and nongovernmental representatives, including associations of people living with HIV.

The Board sets broad priorities, reviews plans and budgets and considers reports on the programme’s progress. Its structure gives civil society a formal place in deliberations, alongside the governments and UN organizations involved in the response. The participation arrangements distinguish discussion and representation from voting rights.

A UN Global Mobility member page carrying a 2013 copyright notice also lists UNAIDS, documenting an earlier staff-mobility programme connection.

Sources: [4], [6].

Sources

1. UNAIDS: mandate and approach
2. United Nations: UNAIDS institutional identity and headquarters
3. UNAIDS: HIV data and strategic information
4. UNAIDS: Programme Coordinating Board
5. UNAIDS: cosponsoring organizations
6. UN Global Mobility: historical member list, page carrying a 2013 copyright notice