UNAIDS and NACO launch an e-consultation on NACP III

[Guest guest]

The United Nations Country Team in India launches

" SOLUTION EXCHANGE for the AIDS Community of Practice " on 19th 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 HIV/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[1].

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 community of

AIDS professionals 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.

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. Each topic will be addressed for a fixed time period (about ten

days), announced in advance.

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; mobile and migrant populations, etc., that are

customized to their specific circumstances and needs, to ultimately achieve

protective behaviours and environments.

· 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, each of these topics will be considered from the

following three perspectives:

In your view, have the efforts addressing this topic under NACPII been adequate

and productive?

Do you have any success stories to share with the Working Groups?

What issues should be taken into account when designing a strategy for this

topic in NACPIII?

When will the e-Consultation be launched?

This is an announcement only. The actual e-Consultation will be launched on 19th

July 2005 with the first topic, Targeted Interventions. The discussion on this

topic will last for ten days, until 30th July 2005.

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:

a. People living with HIV

b. Elected Representatives/Leaders

c. Staff of government agencies at all levels,

d. Staff of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Community Based Organizations

(CBOs) and Community Service Organisations

e. Community health workers

f. Public and private sector physicians, nurses and other health professionals

g. Social services providers

h. Researchers. scientist and academics

i. Other professionals in the AIDS field

j. All interested members of the general public

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:

a.. 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 or to the UNAIDS India website www.unaids.org.in or NACO website

http://www.nacoonline.org and click on the [sUBSCRIBE] link. Subscription will

be possible from July 1st, 2005

a.. By contributing anonymously. You can submit contributions through the

e-Consultation's public website, accessible through the UNAIDS website at

http://www.unaids.org.in/nacp3discussion. Your messages will be posted

anonymously by the moderator. If you are not an e-mail subscriber you will not

be able to follow the discussions from your e-mail. This feature will only be

possible after the launch on 19th July 2005.

All contributions will be posted by the moderator on the e-Consultation's public

website, where you can also find resource materials related to the discussion -

NACP documentation and progress reports, background papers, relevant links, etc.

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

All contributors to the NACP-III e-Consultation should adhere to the rules for

participation. Please review these carefully via the [RULES] link.

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 networks of e FORUM

/ and SAATHI

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@...

" 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,

Dr. S. Y. Quraishi

Special Secretary and Director General National AIDS Control Organisation, NACO,

Government of India

Dr. Denis Broun Country Coordinator

UNAIDS India

__________________________________

NACPIII e-Consultation

RULES FOR PARTICIPATION

The purpose of this e-consultation is to seek inputs from all relevant

stakeholders and interested citizens in formulating the next phase of the

National AIDS Control Programme (NACPIII). Joining the e-Consultations is free,

voluntary and open to anyone who would like to share experiences and contribute

ideas.

When you contribute to this e-Consultation, either as a subscriber to the

mailgroup or anonymously through the website, you agree to follow these seven

basic rules:

1. The e-Consultation is interested in obtaining views of individuals. In

submitting a contribution, you are representing your personal views and not the

position of the organization you are associated with.

2. Your contributions should be offered in a positive and constructive manner,

and not to defame or discredit any particular individual or group.

3. Your contributions to the e-Consultation become public property and are

freely available for others to cite or use as they choose, although

acknowledgment of the original contributor is encouraged, as a courtesy.

4. To ensure adherence to the above rules, messages sent to this e-Consultation

go first to the moderator, who is responsible for reviewing and approving

messages to be posted. In carrying out these functions, the moderator reserves

the right to edit and/or withhold messages that are found not to be appropriate

for posting. Before a message is withheld or heavily edited, the moderator will

notify and/or consult with the contributor.

5. In posting edited and unedited messages or incorporating these messages into

synthesized responses, the UN accepts no responsibility for their veracity or

authenticity.

6. The synthesis of the discussions in the e-Consultation will be provided to

the working groups and the NACPIII planning team. There is no guarantee that

your contributions and suggestions will be included in the final NACPIII design.

7. You also agree to adhere to the legal terms and conditions governing the use

of this Solution Exchange mailgroup forum and e-Consultation website and the

material contained therein. These terms and conditions can be viewed at this

link: Terms and Conditions of Use. You are also encouraged to view the Privacy

Statement, describing how the information that you provide to the mailgroup or

the website is used.

-------------------------------------------

[1] Refer to Annexes A, B and C on the National AIDS Control Programme phases 1,

2 and 3.

____________________

Dr. E. Mohamed Rafique

Resource Person and Moderator

AIDS Community, UNAIDS India

C/o UNDP, 55 Lodi Estate,

New Delhi, India

Tel: +91 11 24628877 Extn: 453

Mobile: +91 9312727021

Fax: +91 1124649895

e-mail: emohamed.rafique@...

Website: www.unaids.org.in

--------------------------------