Netherland Grant to Support UNAIDS Efforts in India

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UN Foundation Announces Partnership with Netherlands Embassy in New

Delhi: Grant to Support UNAIDS Efforts in India

(For Immediate Release)For further information, contact the UNF.

March 8, 2002

Washington, DC – In response to the need for increased resources and

investments in HIV/AIDS prevention, the United Nations Foundation

announced a new partnership with the Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi

and the UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to fight the pandemic

in India. The " Coordinated HIV/AIDS/STD Response through Capacity-

Building and Awareness " project, or CHARCA, will receive a multi-

year, $2.8 million grant from the United Nations Foundation with a

$2.8 million matching contribution from the Netherlands to reduce the

risk of HIV infection among the most vulnerable Indian populations,

particularly adolescent girls.

" This project serves as a model for the new public-private

partnerships -- between NGOs, governments and the UN system -- that

are needed to meet the world's biggest challenges, " said E.

Wirth, President of the UN Foundation. " Currently, India is

spending more than $250 million to combat HIV/AIDS over the next few

years. Given the growing magnitude of the problem in India,

additional resources are needed to make a real difference. We are

pleased to partner with the Netherlands Embassy on this project, and

welcome others to join in the UN-led fight against HIV/AIDS. "

Mr. P. Koch, the Netherlands Ambassador in New Delhi said, " Combating

HIV/AIDS has been set as a priority in the Dutch development policy

and my Embassy is committed to put this priority into practice. The

CHARCA project will make use of existing institutions and work with

several UN agencies with a focus on young women. In this way the

CHARCA project will contribute substantially to effectively combat

the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India. "

The CHARCA project is part of UNAIDS' Partnership Menus Initiative,

developed in collaboration with the UN Foundation and the World

Economic Forum to serve as an advocacy and fundraising tool to engage

the private sector and other global actors in addressing the HIV/AIDS

challenge. The partnership menu model is currently operational for

UNAIDS projects in India, Brazil and Zambia, and will expand to other

regions this year.

" We welcome the financial contribution made by the United Nations

Foundation and the Netherlands Embassy to reduce the spread of HIV

among young women and girls in India, " said Piot, UNAIDS

Executive Director. " Given that gender inequalities are a major

driving force behind the AIDS epidemic, investing in prevention

programmes for young women will not only empower them to make more

informed decisions about their sexual relations and protect

themselves against HIV, but will help stem the AIDS epidemic in

India. "

According to government figures, 3.86 million people are infected

with HIV throughout India, with women constituting 21% of reported

HIV/AIDS cases in the country. Because girls and women are more

vulnerable to HIV/AIDS for a number of social, cultural and economic

reasons, the CHARCA project will work in six districts throughout

India to reduce their risk of HIV infection. The selected districts

are Guntur, Kishanganj, Bellary, Aizwal, Jaipur and Kanpur Nagar.

The CHARCA project will focus on women ranging in age from 13-25, and

will reach girls and women in both urban and rural settings. Project

objectives include: raising girls' and women's awareness of their

reproductive health and rights; empowering girls and women to

negotiate sexual relations and to protect themselves against unwanted

and unsafe sexual encounters; increasing access to and improving the

quality of reproductive health services and information; and creating

an enabling environment to foster equality and ensure justice for

women and girls.

An investment of only US $50,000 could help CHARCA project

implementers reach 10,000 young Indian women with the information and

services needed to protect themselves from HIV infection

The UN Foundation, which was established to oversee administration of

businessman and philanthropist R.E. 's historic gift in support

of the United Nations and its causes, has awarded more than $446

million for UN projects to date.

http://www.unfoundation.org/unfnews/press/2002/03/08/pr_24374.asp

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