All Summary Bulletins

The NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin for the 53rd UNAIDS PCB Meeting contains the following sections: Report of the Executive Director; Report by the NGO Representative; Leadership in the AIDS Response; Follow-up to the thematic segment from the 52nd PCB meeting; Follow-up actions to the 2024-2025 Budget and Workplan (UBRAF); Evaluation, Annual Report, and UNAIDS Management Response; Consultation on the follow-up to the 2023 ECOSOC Resolution; Next PCB Meetings; Election of Officers, concluding with the Thematic Segment.

The NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin for the 52nd UNAIDS PCB Meeting reflects the engagement of the NGO Delegation on all agenda items of that meeting. It’s made available in all 6 official UN languages. Here you can also watch the recordings of the report back to civil society webinars with interpretation in French, Spanish and Russian.

The NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin for the 51st UNAIDS PCB Meeting reflects the engagement of the NGO Delegation on all agenda items amongst which: Report by the NGO Representative; Final Report on community-led AIDS responses based on the recommendations of the Multistakeholder Task Team to the UNAIDS 51st PCB and the Thematic Segment.

The NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin for the 50th UNAIDS PCB Meeting reflects the engagement of the NGO Delegation on all agenda items amongst which: Indicator matrix for the 2022-2026 UBRAF and indicators, milestones, targets and data sources for the 2022-2023 Workplan and Budget, Follow-up to the thematic segment from the 49th PCB meeting, and Thematic Segment – “Positive Learning: harnessing the power of education to end HIV-related stigma and discrimination, empower young people, and provide a comprehensive HIV response”

The NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin for the 49th UNAIDS PCB Meeting reflects the engagement of the NGO Delegation on all agenda items amongst which: Report by the NGO Representative, HIV in prisons and other closed settings, and Thematic Segment – “What do the regional and country-level data tell us, are we listening and how can we leverage those data and related technology to meet our 2025 and 2030 goals?” 

The NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin for the 48th UNAIDS PCB Meeting is already out. The Communique contains the following sections: Report of the Executive Director; Report by the Chair of the CCO; Organizational Oversight Reports; Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework (UBRAF) 2016-2021; Statement by the Representative of the UNAIDS Staff Association; Follow-up to the thematic segment of theContinue reading “NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin”

The Communique contains the following sections: Report of the Executive Director; Report by the NGO Representative; Annual Progress Report on HIV Prevention 2020; Evaluation; UNAIDS Strategy beyond 2021; Statement by the Representative of the UNAIDS Staff Association; COVID-19 and HIV; Report of the PCB Working Group on the Joint Inspection Unit Management and Administration Review ofContinue reading “NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin”

The NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin for the 46th UNAIDS PCB Meeting reflects the engagement of the NGO Delegation on all agenda items amongst which: Progress report on establishment of the Task Team on Community-led responses, and Report of the working group on the Joint Inspection Unit management and administration review of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

The NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin for the 45th UNAIDS PCB Meeting reflects the engagement of the NGO Delegation on all agenda items amongst which: Report by the NGO representative; Annual progress report on HIV prevention 2020; and Report on progress on actions to reduce stigma and discrimination in all its forms

The NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin for the 44th UNAIDS PCB Meeting reflects the engagement of the NGO Delegation on all agenda items amongst which: Report of the PCB working group to strengthen monitoring and evaluation role on zero tolerance against harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and abuse of power at the UNAIDS secretariat, and the Nomination of the next Executive Director of UNAIDS

As decided at the 43rdUNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) Meeting last December 12-14, 2018, a Special Session was held on March 28, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. The NGO Delegation was in full attendance and participated actively in the deliberations and negotiations. There were two main agenda items in the meeting: 1) Update on the prevention of and response to harassment, including sexual harassment; bullying and abuse of power at UNAIDS Secretariat; and, 2) Selection process of the next Executive Director of UNAIDS.

The NGO Delegation’s Summary Bulletin for the 43rd UNAIDS PCB Meeting reflects the engagement of the NGO Delegation on all agenda items amongst which: the NGO Report “People on the Move the Key to Ending AIDS”, and Thematic Segment on mental health

The UNAIDS 42nd Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) Meeting took place in Geneva, Switzerland on June 26-28, 2018, under the leadership of its new chair, the Honorable Anne Wechsberg, Director, Policy Division, Department for International Development, United Kingdom. This PCB had a very full agenda and provided for updates on governance, administrative matters, and human resources, including the establishment of an Independent Expert Panel to examine past and current practices to address issues of unethical workplace behavior including bullying, abuse of power and sexual harassment.

The UNAIDS 41st Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) took place in Geneva, Switzerland December 12-14, 2017, under the leadership of Honorable Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, Health Minister of Ghana. This PCB provided for updates on governance and administrative matters, including decisions taken to continue the implementation of recommendations from the Spring 2017 Global Review Panel (GRP) Joint Programme action plan and development of the strategic resource mobilization plan. Many of us in the NGO Delegation openly challenged and encouraged the Joint Programme, Cosponsors and Members States, that doing ‘business as usual’ was not enough. We maintained our position that the UNAIDS we need needs to do things differently, at headquarters and in the field.

#TheUNAIDSWeNeed is embracing the new realities of the global HIV architecture, is adjusting to new ideas and is facing the challenges of change.  This was evident at the 40th UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland, June 27-June 29, 2017, under the chairpersonship of Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Minister of Health for Ghana.  

With the statement, “It is the best of times, and the worst of times,” UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe opened the 39th PCB Meeting, highlighting that while countries are getting on the fast-track to end AIDS and affirming the role and value of NGOs and the NGO Delegation in the PCB, the Joint Programme is in the midst of an ongoing struggle to address its budget shortfalls.

The 39th PCB was also pivotal in plotting the next steps of the PCB and the Joint Programme’s two focus areas: update on the pediatric treatment gap and elimination of stigma and discrimination against children, adolescents, and young people living with HIV; and addressing intellectual property (IP)-related barriers in access to diagnostics and treatment. The NGO Delegation led and worked with Member States and communities and civil society in proposing a number of revised and additional Decision Points (DPs), most of which were eventually adopted.

The UNAIDS PCB held its 38th meeting last June 28-30, 2016. 

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe’s report highlighted the recent milestones in the Joint Programme, including the recently concluded UN High Level Meeting (HLM), as well as the challenges relating to the financial crisis affecting UNAIDS Secretariat and the Joint Programme. Our post-HLM reflections reflect the diverse and mixed reactions of civil society, on what was achieved and not. The exclusion of some key population organizations from participating at the HLM was deemed unacceptable by the NGO Delegation.

Introduction Simran Shaikh, Asia and the Pacific Delegate The focus of 37th UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) Meeting was on the ambitious language of the UNAIDS Updated Strategy (2016-2021), which was adopted after a contentious discussion among PCB members about sexual and reproductive health rights, and after months of consultations and negotiations. Throughout the strategy process,Continue reading “NGO Delegation’s PCB Summary Bulletin”

The 35th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) took place 9- 11 December 2014 (meeting agenda). The NGO Delegation and our civil society colleagues had anticipated that this PCB meeting would be eventful but we underestimated the extent to which this would be true. Intense negotiations with Member States started the weekend before the meeting and continued until early in the evening on December 11th. A highlight of the meeting for civil society was the Executive Director’s (ED) pledge to lead by example to meet the three-fold increase in funding that is needed for civil society to effectively conduct HIV advocacy and service work (read and download the fast-tracking report here).

The NGO Delegation made several lively interventions during this PCB. Among others, we noted the need to simultaneously pursue the global commitment to ending AIDS, while at the same time ensuring HIV is not lost in the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), many of which also have a target date of 2030. And we re- emphasised the need to describe this process as movement towards universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support.

The 33rd Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) meeting agenda covered items on the coordination of technical support, as well as the strategic use of antiretroviral medications for treatment and prevention of HIV. Discussions on the post-2015 agenda were also prominent throughout the Board meeting. Through collaborating with other Civil Society groups globally in a call for a High Level Meeting (HLM), the Delegation was able to lead on negotiations that successfully resulted in the PCB inviting the United Nations General Assembly to consider convening a High Level Meeting on HIV at an appropriate time after 2015, to help ensure accountability towards the achievement of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in the post-2015 era. A one day thematic session focussed on HIV, Youth and Adolescents was also held.

Priority agenda items at the 32ndBoard meeting included AIDS in the Post 2015 Development Agenda, the UNAIDS United Budget, Accountability and Results Framework (UBRAF), the Executive Director’s report, and follow-up to the Non-Discrimination Thematic presented at the 31st PCB.  The Delegation’s strong engagement and advocacy around the Post 2015 Development agenda was evident in its interventions. The Delegation maintains a clear position thatContinue reading “NGO Delegation’s PCB Summary Bulletin”

The 31st board meeting agenda covered themes of civil society participation, investment in the HIV response and the issues of gender and non-discrimination. Discussions on the post-2015 agenda were also prominent with UNAIDS committing to engage further in the global conversation.  The NGO Delegation’s role and value at the PCB was front and centre at this meetingContinue reading “NGO Delegation’s PCB Summary Bulletin”

The 30th board meeting agenda included a wide variety of issues – from financial updates to a closer look at strategic investment. Discussions over decision points arising from this meeting were again dominated by the difficulty of some governments speaking about key populations, sexual and reproductive health rights, intellectual property and trade related agreements and criminalization issues. This was especially evident in the agenda items that dealt with civil society (NGO report) and legal issues (follow up to the last board meeting’s thematic session on HIV and the law). At one point in the meeting, the refusal of a minority of countries to support the right to justice of key populations caused the NGO Delegation and civil society Observers to stand in solidarity as the incoming Africa Delegate took the floor. He reminded the board that key populations exist in all regions of the world and that they remain essential partners in an effective and ethical HIV response.

The main focus of the 29th board meeting of UNAIDS was: 1. financial sustainability of the HIV response; 2. HIV and legal environments; and 3. how UNAIDS has addressed the recommendations made in the Second Independent Evaluation (SIE), which evaluated the work of UNAIDS between 2004 and 2009.

The main focus of this board meeting was the Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework (UBRAF), which was passed by the board. The UBRAF is the new UNAIDS budget, which aims to include a simplified accountability and monitoring framework, showing how the Secretariat and Cosponsors carry out the agreed UNAIDS strategy at the global, regional and country levels. The UBRAF will be the place to monitor all areas of work, so it is very important that it is clear and complete, and that indicators are appropriate to measure results. Civil society will need to look for opportunities to participate in the revision of indicators and the development of work plans to finalize the UBRAF over the next six months.

The board adopted the new UNAIDS Strategy with the support of the NGO Delegation. Despite the removal of the word criminalization from the last version of the document, the strategy addresses the removal of punitive laws and upholds strong human rights language. As well, the board reviewed UNAIDS’ progress in implementing the recommendations of the Second Independent Evaluation (SIE) of UNAIDS. The NGO Delegation, as well as other board members, asked UNAIDS to more fully respond to several aspects of the evaluation recommendations, looking for more impact rather than simply a report back on activities. The board reviewed the progress report on the Agenda for Action for Women and Girls, which has been found to be lacking in detail on country level roll out, and ensured that future activities and costing would be reflected in the next UNAIDS budget (called the Unified Budget and Accountability Framework or UBAF). The universal access agenda item did not include the analytical discussions that the NGO Delegation had requested and rather focused on the process of getting to the review meeting in June.

The overwhelming presence of civil society at the meeting allowed the NGO Delegation more consultation and more influence in its negotiations, especially in the drafting room (where the wording of the decisions are discussed and agreed). In the end, the key decision points passed, notably the decision point on the agenda item “Reducing HIV transmission among men who have sex with men and transgender people.” This decision took note of the update report from UNAIDS on Reducing HIV transmission among men who have sex with men and transgender people, and “calls on UNAIDS and all partners to intensify efforts to meet the health needs of men who have sex with men and transgender people in the context of HIV and to ensure non-discrimination,” and to increase their “direct participation in national, regional and global HIV policy and programming.” Iran disassociated itself from this decision point at the end of the meeting.

During the 25th PCB Meeting, the UNAIDS PCB NGO Delegation, supported by observers from broader civil society, discussed an agenda that focused on the Second Independent Evaluation (SIE) of UNAIDS. Besides reviewing the evaluation, the agenda included a report from the Executive Director, which covered an update on the Operational plan for UNAIDS Action Framework: Addressing Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV, promoted the rights of men who have sex with men and transgender persons and discussed a renewed focus on prevention for UNAIDS. The board also discussed a report on the impacts of the global financial and economic crisis on the AIDS response.

The UNAIDS PCB NGO Delegation, supported by a record number of civil society observers, influenced numerous important agenda items including: prevention among drug users, the gender-sensitivity of the AIDS response, people on the move and a new support facility for African Member States. Building on this year’s NGO report, the NGO Delegation also focused on stigma and discrimination as a key barrier to achieving universal access and has succeeded in bringing this issue as an agenda item for a 2010 board meeting, as well as establishing non-discrimination as a core principle of UNAIDS. Below is an overview of the main outcomes of the meeting.

The UNAIDS PCB NGO Delegation, supported by a record number of civil society observers, influenced numerous important agenda items including: prevention among drug users, the gender-sensitivity of the AIDS response, people on the move and a new support facility for African Member States. Building on this year’s NGO report, the NGO Delegation also focused on stigma and discrimination as a key barrier to achieving universal access and has succeeded in bringing this issue as an agenda item for a 2010 board meeting, as well as establishing non-discrimination as a core principle of UNAIDS. Below is an overview of the main outcomes of the meeting.

After the thematic session, the PCB passed several decision points in the record of the meeting, which recognized the need to address the urgent threat that tuberculosis, particularly drug-resistant TB, poses to people living with HIV, and called upon Member States to mobilize community involvement, including faith-based organizations and affected communities, in addressing the prevention and treatment of TB in people living with HIV .