GLOBAL: IRIN/PlusNews Weekly Issue 495, 23 July 2010
JOHANNESBURG, 23 July 2010 (PlusNews) - CONTENTS:
Blog: The female condom – you’ve got to sell it right
GLOBAL: Hunting for a "cure" for HIV
GLOBAL: Criminalization of HIV on trial
AFRICA: Cash in hand keeps HIV at bay
GLOBAL: Seven strategies for smarter HIV programmes
GLOBAL: Microbicides - from results to reality
AFRICA: Better prevention needed for HIV-exposed babies
GLOBAL: MTV drama brings cool to HIV prevention
GLOBAL: Finally, positive results from a microbicide trial
Blog: Bursting my AIDS 2010 bubble
AFRICA: The dilemma of discordance
AFRICA: Six challenges to delivering treatment as prevention
Blog: African governments also need to dig deep for AIDS treatment
GLOBAL: Funding pall hangs over AIDS 2010 conference
ZIMBABWE: New treatment guidelines yet to be implemented
EVENTS/RESOURCES
1. Call for Facilitators - Youth Coalition
2. Improving Research Quality: How good is the literature on the impact of education on HIV and AIDS? - Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
VACANCIES
1. Chief of Party, Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVCs), CARE – East Africa
2. Institutional Development Adviser, UNAIDS – Geneva, Switzerland
Blog: The female condom – you’ve got to sell it right
I’m so used to, and bored by, the bland white packaging that carries the underused female condom that at this year’s International AIDS Conference, I walked past several press releases and demonstrations of it without much interest. So it was with some surprise that I came upon a stand at the Global Village where a young woman was demonstrating the use of not one, but two versions of the female condom I had never seen before.
full report
GLOBAL: Hunting for a "cure" for HIV
A successful microbicide trial and the promise of HIV treatment as prevention have dominated the scientific breakthroughs making headlines at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, but scientists working on a cure for HIV say they are making slow but significant headway in finding a permanent solution to the epidemic.
full report
GLOBAL: Criminalization of HIV on trial
There is a tug-of-war going on with governments trying to criminalize the transmission of HIV on one side, and activists who say such laws are not only ineffective as a deterrent but are also harming the fight against AIDS, on the other.
full report
AFRICA: Cash in hand keeps HIV at bay
Giving young women small, regular cash payments can reduce their dependence on sexual relationships with older men, which also lowers their HIV risk, according to a new study by the World Bank.
full report
GLOBAL: Seven strategies for smarter HIV programmes
Speaking at the International AIDS Conference earlier this week, former US President Bill Clinton told delegates that the credit crunch meant HIV programmes would need to work “faster, better and cheaper”.
full report
GLOBAL: Microbicides - from results to reality
The dust has barely settled after the announcement of the first positive results from a microbicide trial, but scientists and policy makers are already asking themselves, 'What's next?'
full report
AFRICA: Better prevention needed for HIV-exposed babies
About half the babies exposed to HIV may not be getting the antiretroviral (ARV) drugs they need to be born HIV-free and stay that way, say the findings of a four-country study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
full report
GLOBAL: MTV drama brings cool to HIV prevention
It's a story of sexy young guys and girls having a good time in the big city, of friendships pushed to the edge, and families struggling to survive, but underneath all the drama, MTV's "Shuga" is a story about HIV.
full report
GLOBAL: Finally, positive results from a microbicide trial
The HIV prevention world is abuzz with excitement following news of the first clinical evidence that a vaginal gel - known as a microbicide- can help to prevent sexual transmission of HIV infection.
full report
Blog: Bursting my AIDS 2010 bubble
This is my second International AIDS Conference and now I know for sure, Mexico wasn’t a fluke – I really do love these gatherings. I love the passion of the speakers, the excitement the boffins create around their new research and the “let’s all get behind this” spirit the activists bring.
full report
AFRICA: The dilemma of discordance
Discordant couples, in which one partner is HIV-positive and the other HIV-negative, are increasingly common in African countries with high prevalence, but there is often little support to help them navigate the complexities that the virus adds to a relationship.
full report
AFRICA: Six challenges to delivering treatment as prevention
Using HIV treatment to drastically reduce transmission of the virus is the big issue at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna; scientists and health workers are optimistic but recognize that scaling up treatment will not be easy, especially for poor countries.
full report
Blog: African governments also need to dig deep for AIDS treatment
Ahead of the AIDS 2010 conference in Vienna, Austria, the international medical charity, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has launched "The Ten Consequences of AIDS Treatment Delayed, Deferred, or Denied", another damning indictment of international donors back-pedalling on promises of HIV funding.
full report
GLOBAL: Funding pall hangs over AIDS 2010 conference
A chaotic protest against reduced funding for HIV delayed the opening of the International AIDS Conference, where money, or the lack of it, is likely to dominate proceedings. Dozens of activists stormed the stage of Vienna's Reed Messe Centre, holding a giant banner reading "No Retreat, Fund AIDS".
full report
ZIMBABWE: New treatment guidelines yet to be implemented
Zimbabwe's government has adopted new guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for treating people living with HIV, but there may not be enough money to implement them.
full report
EVENTS/RESOURCES
1. Call for Facilitators - Youth Coalition
The Youth Coalition is an international organization of young people between 15 and 29 years committed to promoting the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents and youths. The organization is looking for youth facilitators to attend a training session on global health issues, including HIV/AIDS, during the body’s upcoming annual meeting in Mexico City. The application deadline is 30 July 2010.
For more information and to apply, go to: www.youthcoalition.org
2. Improving Research Quality: How good is the literature on the impact of education on HIV and AIDS? - Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
Commissioned by UNAIDS, the background paper reviews the research on HIV and AIDS responses within the educational sector in order to identify gaps. The paper recommends that international organizations reach a consensus on the research agenda regarding HIV/AIDS within the sector and then systematically improve the quality of relevant research.
To download the paper, go to: www.odi.org.uk
VACANCIES
1. Chief of Party, Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVCs), CARE – East Africa
Responsibilities:
- Supervise projects relating to OVCs
- Coordinate reporting activities and ensure that project information is disseminated
- Liaise with representatives from government, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector to increase access to and quality of OVC services
- Manage project finances and personnel, providing administrative oversight when needed
- Analyse and implement strategies to ensure gender-sensitive management practices, and programme assessment and implementation within OVC services
Qualifications:
- Masters degree in public health, social sciences or a similar discipline, or equivalent experience
- Previous chief of party experience for a USAID-funded project
- Experience in developing programme work plans and budgets, as well as managing a large staff
- Proven history of managing OVC service provision and community-based mobilisation projects
- Solid monitoring and evaluation skills, preferably in respect to HIV and AIDS, livelihoods and economic empowerment programmes
- Fluency in written and spoken English
Application deadline: Rolling
Please note that all positions are pending donor approval. For more information and to apply, go to https://tbe.taleo.net/
2. Institutional Development Adviser, UNAIDS – Geneva, Switzerland
Responsibilities:
- Advocate and promote the development of technical support plans for national AIDS strategies, submitting related grant proposals to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
- Oversee the development of evidence-based approaches to strategic planning, and provide policy and technical advice to regional UNAIDS offices, governments and partners
- Elaborate strategies and mechanisms for building the capacity of civil society organizations and networks of people living with HIV
- Establish, test and implement strategies for engaging in policy dialogue with institutions such national AIDS councils and Global Fund country coordinating mechanisms in response to government demand
- Widely disseminate best practice and lessons learned
- Perform other related responsibilities as assigned
Qualifications:
- Advanced university degree in public health, development or related fields, a specialization in HIV, health policies or international development cooperation is desired
- At least 11 years experience in technical support planning and management, including at least 10 years building partnerships in the HIV/AIDS sector in low and middle income countries
- Knowledge of development issues and multi-sectoral approaches to meet developing country needs
- A sound understanding of the political dimensions of UNAIDS work vis-à-vis national AIDS authorities, civil society and the international community
- Experience in the United Nations system, and with major funding mechanisms
- Excellent knowledge of either English or French with a good working knowledge of the other language, knowledge of another UN official language an asset
Application deadline: 13 August
To apply and for more information, go to: https://erecruit.unaids.org
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