Foreword

This document describes the findings and recommendations of consultations on ways to make HIV/AIDS communication considerably more effective in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

AIDS affects every county in the world, but it is in the developing countries that it poses the greatest threat to life and development. In sub-Saharan Africa, a conservative estimate shows that 150 million people, one quarter of the population, has been affected. Over 22 million Africans are currently living with HIV/AIDS and at least 9 million Africans have already died of AIDS. In South and South-East Asia, over 6.7 million people are living with HIV/AIDS and in Latin America, the figure is 1.4 million people. These numbers continue to rise, with 16,000 new infections occurring every day.

The collaboration, mainly between the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and The Pennsylvania State University in the USA and several Cosponsors of UNAIDS, that resulted in the production of this document is noteworthy. It was developed through involvement of practitioners and researchers, 80 percent of whom are from developing countries where they work in lead UN agencies and non-governmental organizations on communications and HIV/AIDS.

The joint consultations have shown that a new direction is warranted on how communication programmes for HIV/AIDS are designed and implemented. The new approach presented in this document shows a way to combine interpersonal communication and mass media in key areas of prevention and care to reduce the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

We hope that national partners will adapt the Communications

Framework and include it as an integral part of their strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support.