News:

AIDS Action Europe NGO Forum 2008 – don’t miss it!
The Open Forum on AIDS Action in Europe in March 2004 was a first public event to launch AIDS Action Europe. 100 NGOs came together in Brussels to support the foundation of a Pan European partnership on HIV and AIDS and to set the priority lines of action for such a partnership. Since then, AIDS Action Europe has grown rapidly - currently uniting more than 200 members and partners in Europe and Central Asia.

Four years after our launch, we believe it is time to bring together our members and partners at an Open Forum that we are planning to organize in 2008. Universal Access to HIV prevention treatment, care and support will be the central theme of this event. By organizing this forum we want to look back on our activities and accomplishments that were made since our launch. We also plan to take the opportunity to set our future goals and strategies together with our members. Moreover, we believe that meeting each other face to face is essential to any network. In order to make this event valuable for all important stakeholders, the working language of the forum will be both English and Russian.

The exact date and location of the forum still need to be decided. We are aiming for October 2008. An Open Forum Organizing Committee is currently being set up. More information will follow soon so keep track of our website www.aidsactioneurope.org to stay updated. Make sure you don’t miss this event!

Martine van der Meulen – AIDS Action Europe

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Poll - How about you?

New poll: AIDS Action Europe should play a leading role in achieving
Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

Let us know by voting on our poll at www.aidsactioneurope.org!

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Clearinghouse Download Top 10
A relatively new item in our e-news will be the Clearinghouse Download Top 10. This list shows the 10 publications that count the most downloads from the AIDS Action Europe information clearinghouse on HIV/AIDS.

1. Mobilios paslaugos ypac ZIV/AIDS pazeidziamam jaunimui (Mobile services for youth highly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS)
2. BOLETIM ABRAÇO, Ano 10 - III/2006
3. 8th European Migrants Meeting Report
4. Синдром выгорания: профилактика и управление/ Пособие для сотрудников, работающих в программах снижения вреда (Burnout syndrome: prevention and management/ Guide for staff of harm reduction programs)
5. The Lisbon Agenda for Prisons
6. Recommendations on universal access to HIV services for migrants and ethnic groups in the European Region
7. Quick Reference - travel and residence regulations for people with HIV and AIDS
8. European Expert Meeting on Positive Prevention
9. Community intervention in prison
10. Basispakket soa/hiv-bestrijding voor medische opvang asielzoekers
Statistics generated on 6 November 2007

From 2008 onwards the clearinghouse will get its own digital newsletter. This so-called “clearinghouse update” will include the download top 10 but also a list of latest added items to this Pan-European database on HIV and AIDS. Everyone with a clearinghouse account will automatically receive this clearinghouse update that we plan to distribute once every two months.

Your help is needed to accelerate the exchange of lessons learned across Europe. We call upon all of you to visit www.hivaidsclearinghouse.eu and upload your best practice material. Hopefully we can list your best practices in the download top 10 of the first clearinghouse update!

Martine van der Meulen, AIDS Action Europe

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Progress on the Dublin Declaration Progress report
In February 2004 the Dublin Declaration on Partnership to fight HIV/AIDS in Europe and Central Asia was signed. A commitment was also made to closely monitor and evaluate the implementation of the actions outlined in the declaration and to assess progress at regional level every second year, beginning in 2006.

UNAIDS is currently producing a report looking into progress towards implementing Dublin Declaration and how to monitor it. The process which includes input from more than 50 UNAIDS cosponsors, government representatives from European Region Member States, the EU and its relevant agencies, non-governmental organizations and community-based organisations is coordinated by Sexually Transmitted Infections/HIV/AIDS programme (SHA) of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The report will contain thematic chapters, country reports and statistics. AIDS Action Europe will inform its members once the report is ready.

Coordinating with communities guidelines
The guidelines have been developed with the aim of strengthening the active and meaningful involvement of the community sector in the development, implementation and monitoring of coordinated national AIDS responses. They provide practical options – including standards, structures, processes and methods – from which stakeholders can select those most appropriate and useful to their own contexts. They were developed by the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), the African Council of AIDS Service Organizations (AfriCASO) and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance (the Alliance), with funding and support from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Please find the guidelines in the different languages at http://www.icaso.org/cwc.html.

Women, Harm Reduction and HIV
For women who inject drugs, the stigma of injection drug use is added to gendered discrimination; these factors combined can push women into behaviors that increase their risk of HIV, according to this report published by OSI's International Harm Reduction Development Program. The report is available in both English and Russian.

ICASO Annual report 2006 and Strategic Framework 2007-2011
Founded in 1991, the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations mobilizes and supports diverse community organisations to build an effective global response to HIV and AIDS. The ICASO network of networks operates globally, regionally and locally. AIDS Action Europe is the regional secretariat of ICASO on the European continent. Visit www.icaso.org to download the ICASO annual report 2006 and the strategic framework 2007-2011.

It’s necessary to forge respect, not fear: a European Survey on undocumented migrant’s access to health care
Little is known about the situation of undocumented migrants living in Europe. One thing is certain: their social and economic situation is very insecure. Various testimonies also demonstrate the problems they encounter when trying to claim their right to care and benefit from assistance from the local health care system. This publication by the NGO Médecin du monde is the result of a European Survey on undocumented migrants’ access to health care. It includes data on Belgium, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, Germany and The Netherlands. The report can be downloaded from the website of Médecin du monde and is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Greek. 

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The following section is devoted to the members of AIDS Action Europe. This is a space where members are able to present information about their organisation and work they are doing. We hope that this will facilitate our learning about each other and our work, also closer cooperation and understanding!

We invite our members to send us information (about half page) presenting your organisation which could be included into following issues of the E-news. Please forward your input to Western Office at westernoffice@aidsactioneurope.org.

RUBSI is a Non-Governmental/Non-Profit Organisation based in Cyprus. Its mission is to improve the understanding of the processes and mechanisms which influence the health and well-being of the population. RUBSI’s research aims to contribute to the body of knowledge that informs the development of health policy, education and practice in health interventions.

The Unit’s Interests
RUBSI is currently working on various projects and is collaborating with many networks and organizations both in Cyprus and abroad, mainly in the area of Public Health, not excluding other areas of sociological importance, like the migrants, the elderly, youth and other social or minority groups. The main projects that RUBSI is currently involved with (2006-2008) are the following:
• An Educational Campaign on HIV/AIDS Preventive Measures (Funded by the United Nations Aids Action Development Programme)
• The Psychological and Social Needs of People with HIV/AIDS in Cyprus (Funded by the Cyprus Research Council)
• Ethnicity and Race in Contemporary Cyprus (Funded by the Cyprus Research Council)
• The Social Aspects of Ageing in Cyprus Funded by the Cyprus Research Council (Funded by the Cyprus Research Council)
• The Psychological and Social Aspects of Diabetes Mellitus (Funded by the Cyprus Research Council)
• Prevention HIV/AIDS Programmes targeting Men who have Sex with Men (funded by the EU’s Executive Public Health Agency).

Rubsi’s involvement with HIV/AIDS
The Director of RUBSI has been actively engaged in research, training and advocacy on HIV/AIDS since the early 1990s. As mentioned above RUBSI is currently involved in various projects funded by the Cyprus Government on (a) The Social & Psychological Needs of HIV/AIDS people living in Cyprus, (b) Educational Campaign on HIV/AIDS Health Matters targeting the Greek & Turkish Cypriot communities. Furthermore, RUBSI has recently been invited to join the European HIV/AIDS Civil Society Forum, which is comprised of civil society organizations from all over Europe. Additionally, RUBSI is a research partner in a pan-European project called Everywhere: Development of Public Health Programmes on HIV/AIDS among Men having Sex with Men, funded by EU’s PHEA (Public Health Executive Agency). This two year project, coordinated by the Institute of Public Health in Madrid, will start in Jan 2008. For the past 2 years, RUBSI has been organizing the World’s AIDS Day campaign in Cyprus together with the Cyprus Ministry of Health. The campaign aims at raising awareness on the issues of HIV/AIDS as well as preventing the marginalization of people with HIV/AIDS. More information about RUBSI and its activities can be found at www.rubsi.org.

Dr Constantinos Phellas - Rubsi
(Photo’s taken on WAD 2006) 

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Apply to become an AIDS Action Europe Steering committee member now!
Do you have motivation and energy to join hands in the response to HIV/AIDS on the European level and share the vision of AIDS Action Europe? Are you involved in an HIV/AIDS related NGO or community group in Europe or Central Asia? If so, you should consider submitting an application to become a member of the AIDS Action Europe Steering Committee. Three of our steering committee members are approaching the end of their term. The term for a steering committee member is three years. Every representative can be re-elected once, after an open application round. Consequently, some of the Steering Committee members with the ending term might re-apply for the position. However, as it is an open call, they will be in equal competition with the other applicants. The deadline for applications is 3 December 2007. Read the full vacancy now!

AIDS Action Europe Steering Committee meets in Amsterdam – 9-10 October 2007
On 9 and 10 October, the AIDS Action Europe Steering Committee convened in Amsterdam for its biannual meeting. During the meeting the following issues were discussed:

• Advocacy matters: This included the Civil Society Forum, the European Union Think Tank on HIV and AIDS, the upcoming UNGASS meeting, and the possibility of organising an advocacy best practice seminar.

• Communication issues: focused around effective press and communication strategy.

• Open Forum for members and partners: more information about this big networking event that we are planning to organise will follow shortly.

• Community-based Advocacy and Networking to Scale-up HIV Prevention in the Era of Expanded Treatment: There was an update on this 5-year project led by International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) and its Regional Secretariats in 10 countries around the world.

• European Partners in Action on AIDS: The most important discussion was around the follow-up of this project. AIDS Action Europe plans to submit a proposal at the European Commission to continue this project for 2009-2011. During the meeting, the Steering Committee decided that the members should be included in the process of prioritizing the topics that will be addressed in the follow-up proposal. In this light, all our members can expect an invitation to take part in a members’ inventory in the coming months. Together we work towards more effective response!

•Chris Lambrechts from Sensoa Belgium was re-elected to be the chairman for another year as he has taken up this role with a lot of professionalism and devotion.

The list of current AIDS Action Europe Steering Committee members is as follows:

The next Steering Committee meeting will take place February 25-26 in Lisbon, Portugal. Topics to be discussed are AIDS Action Europe NGO Forum in 2008, advocacy strategy, continuation of the project European Partners in Action on AIDS and others.

Please contact us if you would like to propose any issues you would like to see on the agenda at westernoffice@aidsactioneurope.org.

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