UNDP in Ukraine

Objective of the Governance of HIV/AIDS project is to facilitate multi-sectoral partnership between central and local governments with business, academia and civil society in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention and care.

Address: 8/15, Anischenko, Office 24,  Kyiv, Ukraine Phones: Tel./fax + 380 44 280 20 11 e-mail: vladimir.gordeiko@undp.org; hiv-gov@undp.org.ua Project Manager: Vladimir Gordeiko UNDP Programme Manager: Kateryna Rybalchenko

Duration: 01.01.2005 - 31.12.2009

WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE?

The 6th Millennium Development Goal identified by the UN Millennium Declaration and the 5th Ukrainian Millennium Development Goal are dealing with halting the further spread of HIV/AIDS.

Despite efforts undertaken so far the HIV infection in Ukraine continues to spread rapidly. The country is experiencing the fastest growth of the epidemics and is the most affected country in Europe. Unlike Western countries, the majority of those infected are people under the age of 30. This reflects insufficiency of the response to the epidemic in the years after first its outburst in Ukraine.

As of 1 July, 2007 according to Ukrainian AIDS centre 76 772 people were officially registered as living with HIV (164 for each 100 000). While 8 000 have AIDS diagnosis (17,4 for each 100 000). The highest HIV-infection spread is noted in Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Donetsk, Mykolaiv regions, Sevastopol and Crimea.

The recent pattern of contracting HIV (July, 2007) was the following: drug injection – 41.8%, sex – 37,4% (mostly heterosexual), from mother to child – 18,4%, unknown – 2,2%. HIV-infected mothers gave birth to 15 754 children, 636 have HIV transferred to AIDS, 228 children died of AIDS. According to the recent estimated data, as many as 490,000 Ukrainians live now with HIV/AIDS.

UNDP defines governance as the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in the management of a country’s affairs at all levels.

Governance comprises the complex mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, mediate their differences and exercise their legal rights and obligations. Good governance has many attributes. It is participatory, transparent and accountable. It is effective in making the best use of resources. It is equitable, and it promotes rule of law.

The effective governance of HIV/AIDS strategies is contingent on large-scale multi-sectoral planning, which provides the necessary frameworks for a coordinated response of a diverse range of partners.

UNDP supports harmonization and alignment of UN system and donor assistance to national AIDS authorities, and provides implementation support for the “three ones” principles for Coordination of national AIDS responses. UNDP builds capacity for the development and implementation of HIV/AIDS strategies, and through the Resident Coordinator system, supports the integration of HIV/AIDS into UN Country Team common country programming processes, to increase effectiveness of programmes and minimize transactions costs.

In spite of visible progress in realization of pilot programmes on HIV/AIDS prevention, support and treatment, so far there was no effective national strategy in Ukraine. The new National Council (NC) on HIV/AIDS and TB is called to reconsider the National Programme of fight with HIV/AIDS and create the national system of monitoring and evaluation.

Setting up a special Committee to counteract HIV/AIDS, TB and other socially dangerous diseases within the Ministry of Health is a step forward in consolidating all players in their response to the epidemic.

It is necessary to enhance its possibilities, to help it in better structuring of the actions of all stakeholders, in particular, through assistance in preparation of the new all-state programme to fight HIV/AIDS and in monitoring of currently implemented activities at the regional and local level.

THE PROJECT’S MISSION:

UNDP has a mandate to promote democratic governance, and from here stems its natural convocation to assist country partners in building the most effective response to the epidemic.

Learning from the experience of the past 20 years, successful response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic requires a cross-sectional and multi-institutional approach, strong leadership, application of human rights, dynamic interaction between government and civil society, involvement of local governance, the meaningful inclusion of women, responsible business attitude and society-wide mobilisation behind a common effort of HIV/AIDS prevention and care.

The project’s objective is to provide advice and support to the governmental institutions involved into the national AIDS response through creation of the framework for better governance of the HIV/AIDS issues at all levels and encouraging multi-sectoral partnership and coordination.

PROJECT’S ACTIVITIES:

Governance of HIV/AIDS project includes 3 main outputs:

1. Increased capacities of the selected governmental agencies in designing and implementing strategies on HIV/AIDS for a better response to the epidemic.

The main activities include enhancing capacity of governmental agencies for strategic planning and management of AIDS response, technical assistance to preparation of the nation-wide programme on HIV/AIDS and support to executive agencies on mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in different sectors, in particular in the sphere of labour and tourism.The Project’s efforts in the sphere of labour is primarily aimed at the institutionalization of HIV-prevention and non-discrimination issues in activities of the State Labour Inspectorate and the State Employment Centre, the Ukrainian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.

In the sphere of tourismthe Project promotes practical activities of tourism providers in HIV-prevention of tourists (including hotel clients) and protection of human rights of workers in this sector.

2. Developed capacities of the regional authorities at the oblast, rayon and municipal level and local communities to address the HIV/AIDS epidemics at the local level in the most affected regions is created (AR Crimea, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk). This is expected to be reached by building up capacity of the local authorities in counteraction to HIV/AIDS and raising of HIV competence of the local communities

3. Support in development of a system for monitoring of human rights of people affected by HIV (through formalization of the system of monitoring of HIV related human rights violations from an idea until and capacity development of the network members)

OUR PARTNERS:

Ministry of Family, Youth and Sport,

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy,

Ministry of Culture and Tourism,

Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine,

Public Employment Service,

Verkhovna Rada [Parliament] of Ukraine,

Local Councils and Administrations,

Social Services for Youth,

National and regional HIV/AIDS Centres,

HIV/AIDS-Service NGOs (Network of PLWH of Ukraine, International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine, Harm Reduction Association of Ukraine, Coalition of HIV-service organizations, Penitentiary Network of Ukraine, Kherson Region Centre for Charity and Health, Youth Organization “New Names”, Odessa, Odessa Regional Charitable Fund “For Future without AIDS”), including grassroots groups,

universities (National University Kyiv Mohyla Academy),

business organizations, and mass-media.

Donors: SIDA, UNAIDS

Project’s geographic scope: AR Crimea, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk (output 2), Chernihiv, AR Crimea (output 1), Mykolayiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Chernihiv (output 3).