Yesterday, March 1, was Zero Discrimination Day. But what does zero discrimination really mean? Can it be achieved in a world full of military conflicts, gender-based violence and racism, to name but a few of the issues that our societies are currently experiencing?

Well, we, the NGO Delegation representing the communities most at risk and affected by HIV, are not clairvoyants. We cannot look into 2030 and see whether the AIDS pandemic has ended or not. However, we are pretty sure about what actions should be taken in order for such an AIDS-free world to become a reality:

There is equitable and equal access to HIV services and solutions for EVERYONE;

There are no barriers to achieving HIV outcomes;

Efficient HIV responses are fully resourced, sustained and integrated into systems for health, social protection, humanitarian settings and pandemic responses.

Sounds familiar? These are the main strategic priorities of the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026. We are almost two years into its implementation but are we any closer to ending AIDS as a public health threat? Or are we going to develop the Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2030 and call it “Starting from scratch: How to end AIDS by 2050”?

March 1 comes and goes. Inequalities stay. Criminalisation stays. Discrimination stays. We love the statements organisations and politicians make every year but we love it even more when they take actions.

Take action.

- NGO Delegation to the PCB of UNAIDS

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Africa

Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Alliance Uganda - represented by Martha Clara Nakato

Martha Clara Nakato is a Health Rights Advocate who is skilled in program management, Policy Advocacy and youth movement building in the fields of HIV/AIDS, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Gender programming. She works with the SRHR Alliance Uganda as the Community of Action Facilitator for the WE LEAD program in Uganda.

Martha Clara is experienced in national and global HIV prevention and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) advocacy with emphasis on the promotion of young people’s leadership in HIV prevention, access to SRHR and policy development. She has developed a strong national and regional reputation for championing community rights and needs in the HIV/AIDS response with her consistent efforts in fighting HIV inequalities like stigma and discrimination and advocating for progress in the implementation of innovative approaches that ensure adolescents, as well as key and marginalised populations have access to appropriate, responsive, quality HIV and SRHR services.

She is one of the Global Faces of the fight for the sixth Global Fund Replenishment and contributor to the “People’s Voice” for PEPFAR COP20. She continues to actively engage in the Global Fund and PEPFAR COP processes in her country to ensure young people’s needs are incorporated in these decision making platforms. She is also a former HIV Epidemic Response (HER Voice Fund) Ambassador and has engaged in various policy and advocacy decision making spaces both nationally and internationally.

Before taking up her role at SRHR Alliance, Martha worked as the Policy and Advocacy Officer at the Ugandan Network of Young People Living with HIV. (UNYPA).

The Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Alliance Uganda is a consortium of organisations that stand for and promote young people’s SRHR. Each organisation has a strong niche, expertise, and experience in key aspects of Policy and Advocacy, SRHR programming for vulnerable and marginalised groups of adolescents and young people at grassroots and national level.

The SRHR Alliance is comprised of Eight (8) founding members and over 40 affiliate community based, youth-led and women led organisations. The founding members are; Reproductive Health Uganda, Reach A Hand Uganda, Straight Talk Foundation, Family Life Education Program, Center for Health Human Rights & Development, Uganda Network of Young People Living with HIV and AIDS, Restless Development, and the National Forum of People Living with HIV and AIDS Networks in Uganda.

The SRHR Alliance and all its members work towards strengthening youth leadership and ensuring that all young people in their diversity have access to high quality, responsive and youth friendly SRHR information and services within a supportive social and legal environment.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) - represented by Xavier Biggs

Xavier Biggs is the Monitoring & Evaluation Manager at Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL). He has been working in Civil Society (CSO) for the last 12 years. He is credited for transforming monitoring, evaluation and learning at JASL and the wider HIV CSO response in Jamaica by establishing standardised tools and knowledge products that are hailed as best practices by partners and have been adapted and adopted locally and across the Caribbean. He also provides technical support to the Strategic Information Unit of the Ministry of Health and Wellness through his participation in a series of technical working groups. Xavier is passionate about data-driven intervention and tries to ensure that the programs designed for PLHIV and other Key Populations (i.e., MSM, Transgender and SW) are grounded in the correct context. His experience includes the management of donor projects including those facilitated by USAID/PEPFAR and the Global FUND. His training includes Knowledge Management for Global Health Professionals at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a First Degree in Social Policy and Development from the University of the West Indies and he is currently pursuing a Master's in Epidemiology. Xavier is also a car lover, enjoys road trips and listens to a wide range of music.

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The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) was the first United Nations program to have formal civil society representation on its governing body. It is guided by the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) with rotating representation from 22-member state governments, the 11 cosponsoring UN agencies of UNAIDS, and an NGO Delegation of 10 civil society representatives. The NGO Delegation has two representatives per UN region (one main delegate and one alternate delegate). The PCB holds the Joint Programme accountable and ensures that the needs of communities affected by the HIV response are addressed in strategy and programming.

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The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) was the first United Nations program to have formal civil society representation on its governing body. It is guided by the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) with rotating representation from 22-member state governments, the 11 cosponsoring UN agencies of UNAIDS, and an NGO Delegation of 10 civil society representatives. The NGO Delegation has two representatives per UN region (one main delegate and one alternate delegate). The PCB holds the Joint Programme accountable and ensures that the needs of communities affected by the HIV response are addressed in strategy and programming.

The UNAIDS PCB is the key global forum for HIV and AIDS policy, and the NGO Delegation is integral to the active inclusion of community voices and representation of communities and civil society, including people living with HIV. Being a member of the PCB presents a unique opportunity for committed activists and advocates to make a difference in HIV and AIDS policy development, monitoring, and evaluation in their respective regions.

The NGO Delegation to the UNAIDS PCB has vacancies for a full two-year term (2023 - 2024) and is now recruiting for:

• 1 Delegate for Africa (apply)
• 1 Delegate for Latin America and the Caribbean (apply)

The NGO Delegation upholds the principle of community engagement and ownership of the response. Applications from people living with HIV, gay men and men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who use drugs, transgender people, young people, women living with/affected by HIV, indigenous people, migrants and other key populations are preferred. We also encourage applications from non-binary, gender non-conforming, and intersex persons.

The NGO Delegation is keenly aware of the importance of having balanced representation from each region. Therefore, geographic region and representation from various key populations or constituencies will factor in the decision-making processes. In addition, previous NGO Delegates and their organizations may not serve more than one term consecutively, and can only serve for a maximum of two terms total.

IMPORTANT: Please read the NGO Delegation’s terms of reference, mission/vision/principles, as well as the call for applications.

DEADLINE: Friday, 16 September 2022, 23:59 GMT

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Dear Colleagues,

The NGO Delegation to the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) produces an annual NGO report that is presented during one of the biannual PCB meetings. The NGO Delegation decides by consensus on the topic of the report. The highest priority is given to a topic that is relevant and requires urgent action at the global level.

This year, the NGO report will focus on U=U: Undetectable = Untransmittable and will be presented at the 51^stmeeting of the UNAIDS PCB in December 2022. The working title for the report is “U=U: A foundational, community-led, global HIV/AIDS health equity strategy”. We are seeking examples of good practices at country, regional and global levels where community-led U=U has demonstrated increased and more equitable access to and improved uptake in treatment and care services within diverse communities across low, middle and high-income settings. Examples could include:

• Documented evidence of effective and innovative U=U interventions, such as:
  • Examples of community-driven collaboratives (e.g., involving multiple stakeholders including community, civil society, health care providers, researchers, the private sector and government)
  • Examples of U=U initiatives that work with other sectors across the SDGs to address the socioeconomic and structural drivers of HIV
  • Address the gender disparities in risk of HIV and access to prevention, treatment, and care
  • Others
• Examples and documented evidence of how U=U has contributed to facility-based and community health systems strengthening:
  • result in improved access to and retention in treatment and care
  • result in increased demand for and access to information, technology, treatment and care for people living with HIV in diverse and marginalized communities
  • HIV care cascade: community case finding with early case detection and linkage and retention in care
  • work in other sectors to reduce the impact of HIV e.g., education, comprehensive sexuality education, food security, etc.
  • address the legal environment for HIV to reduce the barriers to prevention, treatment and care
  • protect and promote human rights, the right to health and universal health coverage
  • Others
• Effective U=U advocacy strategies and information, education and communication campaigns that:
  • address stigma and discrimination as barriers to accessing diagnosis, treatment and care
  • meaningful community and civil society engagement and advocacy
  • address the legal environment for HIV to reduce the barriers to prevention, treatment and care
  • Others

The submissions must be made using the online submission form by COB Friday August 26, 2022.

The English version of the submission form can be accessed here: https://forms.gle/CQTNWzK7zTcwr9px6

For any questions, please contact: Robin Montgomery at robin.k.montgomery@gmail.com.

Thank you for your time, consideration and response.

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