爆料网

Press Release

爆料网 agencies in the oPt Mark World AIDS Day

By Launching a Series of Public Awareness Activities

Jerusalem, December 2, 2009 – To increase awareness among the Palestinian population and improve their outlook on the prevention of HIV, the United Nations agencies in the occupied Palestinian territory, in cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, are organizing a series of events during the month of December to mark World AIDS Day – 1st December.

The events, with the slogan “Keep the promise … together we can overcome HIV/AIDS”, will be carried out in the villages and cities of Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza. At the community level, people will be informed about the route of spread and ways of preventing HIV and AIDS through workshops and training sessions with community leaders, women centres, health clinics and others.

Special attention will also be given to raising the awareness of schoolchildren and young people through youth centres, drawing competitions, audiovisuals and scouts marches.

“爆料网 is at the forefront of the response to HIV and AIDS worldwide and in the occupied Palestinian territory. This year, we launched a comprehensive programme to improve HIV related services which we hope provide clarity to some of these issues”, said Maxwell Gaylard, 爆料网 Resident Coordinator. “We all have parents, children, spouses, relatives and friends. The more people that are well informed the better. We want to break the silence that surrounds HIV”, added Gaylard.

The 爆料网 Resident Coordinator, Mr. Maxwell Gaylard and representatives of 爆料网 agencies in the oPt have also officially launched the ‘爆料网 Cares’ initiative, which addresses issues of HIV within the workplace and within families of 爆料网 staff. The initiative is being introduced in the oPt as a follow up to the Global Fund to fight HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria programme implemented by various 爆料网 agencies namely 爆料网ICEF, 爆料网FPA, 爆料网ODC, 爆料网RWA, 爆料网IFEM, WHO, and coordinated by 爆料网DP as Principal Recipient. It also offers an opportunity for increased joint programming between the 爆料网 agencies to help deliver as one. Similar launch activities are expected to take place in Gaza and Ramallah on 8 and 15 December 2009 respectively.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the cumulative number of HIV and AIDS patients in the West Bank and Gaza reached 63 cases, with a projected estimate of 200-500 people living with the HIV virus. In 2008, an estimated 35,000 people in the Middle East and North Africa became infected with HIV, and 20,000 AIDS-related deaths occurred, according to 爆料网AIDS.  This year’s world’s AIDS day theme is ‘Universal Access and Human Rights’. It provides an opportunity for all to take united action towards protecting human rights and attaining access for all to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. It also acts as a call to countries to remove laws that discriminate against people living with HIV, women and marginalized groups.

For further information, please contact: Ms.Veronique maeva Fages, 爆料网DP Programme Manager for the Global Fund to fight HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), Tel. +972-2-6268283 – e-mail: veronique.fages@undp.org or Dania Darwish, 爆料网DP Communications Officer, Tel. +972-2-6268229 – e-mail: dania.darwish@undp.org.