WORLD
HEALTH
ORGANIZATION
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC BUREAU REGIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL REGIONAL COMMITTEE Forty-sixth session WPRlRC46/8 24 July 1995 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
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ORGANISATION UONDIAU!
DELA8.AtfM
Manila 11-15 September 1995 Provisional agenda item 10.2
JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON AIDS
This document is prepared in response to the request of the Regional Committee at its forty-fifth session to report the following year on significant developments relating to the Joint and Cosponsored United Nations Programme on AIDS; to ensure the involvement of the Regional Office of WHO, in accordance with its constitutional role, in the Joint and Cosponsored United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; and to secure a leading technical role for the WHO country offices within the framework of the Joint and Cosponsored United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. The Regional Committee is requested to discuss the report and recommend future directions for WHO in the Joint Programme.
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1. BACKGROUND
On 14 May 1993, the World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA46.37, requesting the Director-General to study the "feasibility and practicability" of establishing a joint and cosponsored United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS, in close collaboration with the executive heads ofUNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank. A report on the study was submitted to the Executive Board in January 1994, after which resolution EB93.R5 was adopted. This resolution requested the governing bodies of all cosponsors to endorse the proposed establishment of a joint and cosponsored United Nations programme on AIDS. In July 1994 the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted resolution 1994/24 endorsing the establishment of the new programme. In January 1995, the Executive Board, through resolution EB95.RI3, requested the Director-General to facilitate full implementation of the programme and provide administrative support for the programme. The World Health Assembly in May 1995, through resolution
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WHA48.30 (see Annex), endorsed the establishment of UNAIDS, with WHO providing the administrative framework. The Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) will officially commence operations on I January 1996. The Executive Director, Dr P. Piot, was appointed by the
Secretary-General of the United Nations with effect from I January 1995 to administer the transitional arrangements.
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2. PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
The development of the UNAIDS programme is described in ECOSOC resolution 1994/24, which endorsed the establishment of the programme. The principal components of this resolution were outlined by the Regional Director to the Regional Committee at its forty-fifth session in 1994.' In May 1995, the World Health Assembly considered the resolution, which was included in document
I See the Report of the Regional Committee. Summary Records of the Plenary Meetings, 1994, pp.160·161.
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A48/34, and took note of it in its resolution WHA48.30.
In the annex to ECOSOC resolution
1994/24, the programme's structure, responsibilities, funding, etc., are outlined. Extracts from this resolution are reproduced below.
EXTRACTS FROM: RESOLUTION 1994124 OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL (ANNEX)
"Co-sponsorship
The programme will draw upon the experience and strengths of the six cosponsors to develop its strategies and policies, which will be incorporated in turn into their programmes and activities. The co-sponsors will share responsibility for the development of the programme, contribute equally to its strategic direction and receive from it policy and technical guidance relating to the implementation of their HIV/AIDS activities. In this way, the programme will also serve to harmonize the HIV/AIDS activities of the co-sponsors. The programme will be managed by a director, who will focus on the programme's overall strategy, technical guidance, research and development, and the global budget. The co-sponsors will contribute to the resource needs of the The World Health Organization will be
programme at levels to be determined.
responsible for the administration in support of the programme .... Functional responsibilities
The programme will build on the capacities and comparative advantages of the co-sponsors. At the global level, the programme will provide support in policy formulation, strategic planning, technical guidance, research and development, advocacy and external relations. .•. At the country level, the programme will provide support to the resident coordinator system. Co-sponsors will incorporate the normative work undertaken at the global level on policy, strategy and technical matters into their illY/AIDS
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activities, consistent with national plans and priorities. An important function of the programme will be to strengthen national capacities to plan, coordinate, implement and monitor the overall response to HIV/AIDS .••. This will strengthen intersectoral coordination of HIV 1AIDS activities and will facilitate further incorporation of these activities in national programme and planning processes. While the programme will not have a uniform regional structure, it will support intercountry or regional activities that may be required in response to the epidemic, utilizing regional mechanisms of the co-sponsors where appropriate.
Flow of programme funds Funds for programme activities at the global level will be obtained through appropriate common global means. Contributions to the programme will be
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channelled in accordance with the global budget and work plan. Funding for country-level activities will be obtained primarily through the existing fund-raising mechanisms of the co-sponsors. These funds will be channelled through the disbursement mechanisms and procedures of each organization.
Field-level coordination It is recognized that national Governments have the ultimate responsibility
for the coordination of HIV/AIDS issues at the country level.
To this end, the
arrangements of the programme for coordinating HIV/AIDS activities will complement and support national development planning. The coordination of field-level activities will be undertaken through the United Nations resident coordinator system within the framework of General Assembly resolutions 441211 and 47/199. This will involve a theme group on
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HIV/AIDS established by the resident coordinator and comprising representatives of the six co-sponsors and other United Nations system organizations. The chairperson of the theme group will be selected by consensus from among the United Nations system representatives. It is intended that the theme group will help the United Nations system integrate more effectively its efforts with national coordination
mechanisms.
To support the coordination process, in a number of countries the
programme will recruit a country staff member, who will assist the chairperson of the theme group in carrying out his or her functions.
Organizational strueture A programme director will be appointed by the Secretary-General upon the recommendation of the co-sponsors. ••• The director will report directly to the
programme coordinating board, which will serve as the governance structure for the
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programme.
... In exercising its governance role, the board will have ultimate
responsibility for all policy and budgetary matters. It will also review and decide upon the planning and execution of the programme .... The programme will also have a committee of co-sponsoring organizations, which will serve as a standing committee of the board. representative from each of the co-sponsors .... "
It will comprise one
3. MATTERS FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE REGIONAL COMMITTEE
The Regional Committee is invited to comment on the issues raised by the report. The Committee may wish to pay particular attention to the nature of the Region's involvement in the new programme, and the mechanisms by which the Regional Office would collaborate in national AIDS programmes.
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ANNEX
FORTY-EIGHTH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY Agenda item 32.2
WHA48.30 12 May 1995
Establishment of the joint and cosponsored United Nations programme on HIV/AIOS ("UNAIOS") The Forty-eighth World Health Assembly, Stressing the increasingly grave implications of the mV/AIDS epidemic for health and the provision of adequate and appropriate health services, as well as for many other economic and social sectors; Recalling that resolution EB93.R5 recommends the development and establishment of a joint and cosponsored United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS ("UNAIDS") administered by WHO, in keeping with the consensus option as presented in the report of the Director-General on this issue; Further recalling that resolution EB95.R13 requests the Director-General to pursue efforts towards establishing the programme; Having examined the report of the Director-General on progress to this end; Welcoming the endorsement of the programme's establishment by the governing bodies of the other cosponsoring organizations; Taking note of resolution 1994/24 adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its July 1994 session; Considering the support given to the programme in the Declaration of the Paris AIDS Summit; Taking note of the report of the Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations to the Economic and Social Council; Welcoming the appointment of an Executive Director for the programme, with effect from I January 1995;
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Annex
WHA48.30
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Aware of the urgent need to proceed with the e5lablishment of the prolflmme in order to ensure that it is fully operational by I January 1996; Considering that the programme must play a central normative and coordinatinl role in the development, at national and global levels, of common strategies whose activities concerning HIV/AIDS will be supported by the cosponsoring organizations; Recognizing that substantial capacity has been built up within WHO to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, primarily through its Global Programme on AIDS; Reaffirming the importance of the role or the national authorities as principal coordinators of national response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic; Stressing that an important function of the programme will be to strengthen national capacities to plan, coordinate, implement and monitor the overall response to mV/AIDS; Welcoming the progress made towards establishing the joint United Nations programme on mV/AIDS,
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t. ENDORSES the establishment of UNAIDS, to which WHO will provide the administrative framework as described in the report of the Director-General; I 2. ENCOURAGES UNAIDS to promote the development of the basic elements of a common message for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and health education which considers the different social and cultural contexts of Member States; 3. URGES Member States elected to the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) of UNA IDS to consider the importance of maintaining public health experience and expertise on HIVfAIDS/STD when selecting their representatives to PCB; 4. URGES Member States to pursue in the respective governing bodies of cosponsoring organizations the provision to the programme of financial support from their regularfcore budget, as well as staff support in accordance with the requirements of the programme; 5. REQUESTS the Director-General: (I) to facilitate implementation of the programme in accordance with resolutions EB93.R5 and EB95.RI3, taking into ae<:Ount the report of the Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations to the Economic and Social Council; (2) to provide administrative support to the Executive Director ofthe programme and his staff during the transition period and to arrange for WHO to meet the administrative needs of the programme once it is operational, in the light of the Organization's role as administering agency;
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Annex
WHA4B.30
(3) to provide the programme with financial support from the regular budget of WHO and with staff support; (4) to give the WHO Representatives the necessary instructions to ensure close collaboration at country level with the other cosponsoring organizations: (5) to ensure continuation of the work of the Global Programme on AIDS during the period of transition until the joint programme is fully operational; (6)
to ensure that strategies are developed, in close collaboration with UNA IDS, for integrating HIV/AIDS/STD into the work of WHO:
(7) to report on progress made towards establishment of the programme to the Forty-ninth World Health Assembly in May 1996. Twelfth plenary meeting, 12 May 1995 A48NRlI2
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Document A48/34.
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