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| "Universal Access and Human Rights" |
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There are over 41 million people are living with HIV and AIDS globally. According to World Health Organization (WHO), 90 % of the new HIV positive cases are reported in developing countries. AIDS remains one of the leading causes of premature death globally. To combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases is one of the Millennium Development Goals which all 191 United Nations Member States have pledged to meet by the year 2015.
The World AIDS Day is observed every year on 1st December all over the world since 1988. The Day is celebrated to make commitments for the yearlong activities of Information, Education and Behavior Change Communication for prevention of HIV & AIDS. The theme for World AIDS Day 2010 is “Universal Access and Human Rights”. This theme has been chosen to address the critical need to protect human rights and attain access for all to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
In Pakistan, World AIDS Day is celebrated every year with a pledge to commit ourselves to efforts all year round to halt, control and prevent the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the country. Pakistan is the second largest country in South Asia that stands only a few steps behind India and Nepal in terms of HIV epidemic. Until recently Pakistan was classified as a 'low prevalence high risk' country but now Pakistan is in a 'concentrated phase' of the epidemic with HIV prevalence of more than 5% among injecting drug users (IDUs) in at least eight major cities. However, the country still has a window of opportunity as the current estimates, using the various latest prevalence estimation models indicate that the HIV prevalence among general adult population is still below .1%. According to the latest national HIV estimates there are approximately 97,400 cases of HIV and AIDS in Pakistan.
The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) has come a long way since 1986 to develop into a comprehensive and effective response to the threat of HIV and AIDS epidemic in Pakistan. The Programme initiated an enhanced multi-sectoral response to the epidemic in 2003 with the help of the international donors and other partners. The first phase of this response concluded in December 2009. The next 5-year phase envisages consolidation of achievements made to-date and scaling up of services to include wider geographical coverage of services.
The National AIDS Control Program, Ministry of Health under its Behavior Change Communication component launching the World AIDS Day Campaign on 29th November 2010 through an Advocacy Seminar with Health & Education reporters. This WAD specific mass awareness campaign will last till December 15, 2010. The campaign is adopting a multi-sectoral approach and is targeting people from different walks of life. However, the main focus of the campaign is youth, which is one of the most important vulnerable groups.
The campaign recognizes that the media has a pivotal role to play in the HIV & AIDS response. Public understanding of how HIV is prevented and treated is mixed and basic awareness about HIV and AIDS and its impact is sorely lacking particularly among women and young people in Pakistan.
The campaign while using different channels of communication including Interpersonal Communication and print and electronic media and outdoors aims to advocate with policy makers and opinion leaders, stimulate community dialogue, create awareness and increase knowledge of the general population, promote preventive and care seeking behaviors and reduce stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV & AIDS (PLHIV).
On this World AIDS Day a number of activities including advocacy seminars with local government officials, sports events, posters and story competitions on HIV & AIDS at national level, interactive street theatres, stage shows, musical concerts, youth theatre performances, and a youth conference on sexual and reproductive health and rights will be organized during the campaign. In order to create awareness at mass level and to target a large number of audience, electronic and print media activities like talk shows, scrolls, Infomercials, articles and press ads in leading newspapers will also be delivered.
The campaign also includes outdoor activities like branding of prominent places, in Islamabad containing messages on HIV & AIDS with respect to the on going activity. Information, Education & Communication (IEC) material will also be distributed at mass level throughout the awareness drive on WAD.
To organize the Day, all the UN agencies including UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNESCO, UNODC and INGOs i.e. Plan International Pakistan and Pakistan Red Crescent Society are partners in this campaign. The NACP has planned the following specific activates in connection with the World AIDS Day 2010 campaign.
Orientation session with media health reporters
Branding of prominent places with banners in Islamabad.
Mega event to celebrate WAD 2010
Production & distribution of info leaflet/brochures at main roads/squires through ITP/NGOs
Speech Competition
Workshop under “Youth at Risk” awareness Programme (students from Quaid-e-Azam & Fatima Jinnah University)
Production and distribution of planers, table calendar, ball points and Red Ribbons, mobile pouches, etc.
Advocacy Seminar with Parliamentarians
Orientation session with Religious Leaders
Orientation session with School teachers
Orientation session with Youth
Production of Posters (17 x 22)
Dissemination of awareness messages on HIV and AIDS through LED, F-10 Markaz Islamabad
Pakistan stands at a crucial point where urgent and definite actions and interventions can make a difference. If any positive steps are to be taken to prevent a widespread epidemic in the country, the time to act is now, when there is presently a low prevalence of the disease in the country. We must therefore join together in our efforts for the prevention and control of the disease.
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