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The theme of the World AIDS Campaign 2002-03 is "Live and let live" and focuses on eliminating HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination – key obstacles to effective HIV prevention and AIDS care.

World AIDS Day has been commemorated globally on 1 December since 1988. Around the world a number of activities are again planned for World AIDS Day this year. Many events are summarised on the UNAIDS website. All events on the site include links or contact details.
www.unaids.org

UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot answered questions about the state of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic on Kaisernetwork.org's live "Ask the Experts" programme on 18 November 2003. The 30-minute archived webcast of this programme is now available. During this webcast, Peter Piot also addressed recent efforts to expand access to treatment, lower drug costs and step up prevention activities.
www.kaisernetwork.org

The programme is a new Kaisernetwork.org feature that invites the public to call in and pose health policy-related questions to guest panellists.

The new Gateway Cross-Topic Special "HIV/AIDS: The Social and Economic Impact of a Pandemic," - launched to coincide with World AIDS Day on 1 December - looks at the epidemic through the perspective of 12 topic pages.

Resources on diminished workforce, reduced household income, strained government health budgets and weakened healthcare delivery systems are presented, as well as the impact of the disease on vulnerable groups such as orphans, farm workers, women, youth, and people living in post-conflict societies. A key resource in the special is an article by UNAIDS Advisor for the Greater Involvement of People Living with or affected by HIV and AIDS (GIPA), Salvator Niyonzima, who defines HIV-related stigma and its manifestations and proposes actions to address it.
www.developmentgateway.org

Health and Development Networks (HDN) are working together with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+) and UNAIDS on the 3-year IFRC Global Campaign against HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination 'The truth About AIDS. Pass it on...'.

As part of this project, the Stigma-AIDS eForum is currently hosting a series of structured discussions on various issues around stigma and HIV/AIDS. The first discussion on stigma, HIV/AIDS and drug use has already been completed (summary of these discussions: http://archives.healthdev.net/)

The second discussion will focus on aspects of internal or self-stigma and HIV/AIDS and will run through World AIDS Day. Key Resource People will provide invited contributions to launch, frame and inform the discussion, and background papers will be made available to support the discussion.

Following each discussion, a document capturing the highlights will be published in hard copy and on the web. To join this forum, send an email to: or visit the website at:
www.hdnet.org.

The Sixth International Home and Community Care Conference for People living with HIV/AIDS will be held in Dakar, Senegal from 8 to 11 December 2003. A series of activities will take place in Dakar just before the conference:

- 2 - 6 December: Thematic workshops of African Network 2000/AIDS International
- 5 - 6 December: Meeting of African jurists working on HIV/AIDS texts
- 6 - 7 December: Meeting on Sex-Work - organised by the UNAIDS
Inter-country Team
- 7 December: Official launch of the Bush Initiative for Africa
- 7 December: March against stigma and discrimination organised by the Society of Women Against AIDS

To date in excess of 1,000 registrations have been received. Further registrations are welcome. Registration prices:

• International Participant US $500
• Local Participants US $250
• Accompanying Persons US $150

Media registration is free of charge. Scholarship applications are currently being screened. Details of the process will soon be posted on the conference website. www.dakarvih2003.sn

For more information, email: or or

The Southern African Development Community (SADC), with support from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), is inviting capable regional organisations and institutions to submit proposals for implementing a regional HIV/AIDS/STI pilot project targeting selected High Transmission Areas (HTAs), in particular, Cross Border Sites and High Transit Sites (CBS/HTS) in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland (BLNS countries), as part of the implementation of the SADC/DFID Regional HIV/AIDS/STI project. Implementation period will be for two and half years ending 30 June 2006.

Interested applicants may apply, as single organisations/institutions or in partnership, for one or both of the following project outputs which are available for tender:

• Syndromic management of STIs & increased use of quality STI services in the selected CBS/HTS
• Youth-centred, gender-sensitive, behaviour change communication interventions established or enhanced in the selected CBS/HTS.

The following project outputs are also part of the overall SADC/DFID Regional HIV and AIDS/STI project:

• Socially Marketed Condom programmes established or enhanced in BLNS (including the selected CBS/HTS)
• Competencies, systems, equipment increased within BLNS National AIDS Programmes and selected CBS/HTS
• Improved capability and service delivery for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA)

The closing date for submission of proposals is 15 January 2004 at 14:00 hours. Documents and guidelines for the request for proposals can be obtained from the SADC HIV/AIDS Projects Office in Pretoria. To obtain these documents, contact Manasa Dzirikure:

HIV and AIDS Project Manager (DFID)
SADC HIV and AIDS Project
839 Hallmark Building
Corner Andries and Proes Streets
Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 312-0365
Fax: +27 12 312-3150
Email:
www.thefundingsite.co.za