The Ministerial Meeting on an “Urgent Response to the HIV/AIDS epidemics in the CIS”
The Ministerial Meeting on an “Urgent Response to the HIV/AIDS epidemics in the Commonwealth of Independent States” will take place on Thursday 31 March, and Friday 1 April in Moscow, Russia. The purpose of the meeting is to raise awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Commonwealth of Independent States; to clarify policy and programmatic responses; to demonstrate national political commitment vis-a-vis the epidemic; and to explore options for improved programme delivery addressing HIV/AIDS in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The meeting is being hosted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Chair of the UNAIDS Committee on Cosponsoring Organizations. Both UNODC Executive Director, Antonio Maria Costa, and UNAIDS Executive Director, Peter Piot, will be speaking at the event. After a brief review of the epidemics and their impact on development in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the meeting will address HIV/AIDS policies and programmatic issues related to young people and injecting drug use and prison settings. Both of these themes will address issues of prevention, treatment, care, support and governance.
UNODC is also organizing a meeting of Global AIDS Coordinators on 30 March, 2005; a private meeting of UNAIDS cosponsors Heads of Agencies on 2 April 2005; and a meeting of the Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations on 2 April 2005.
Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director, UNAIDS, will also address the media at a press briefing on Friday, April 1.
