Global Fund Fourth Voluntary Replenishment Conference

Last night world leaders gathered in Washington DC for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria replenishment pledging conference. A total of $12bn was raised – three billion shy of the $15bn target. Thanks in no small part to the tireless work of the STOPAIDS network, the UK pledge – £1bn capped at 10% of the total raised – was of course very strong. We now need to maintain the pressure on the rest of the world to ensure the full amount is released from DFID. Read our take on the conference and what must happen now.

World AIDS Day 2013

DFID Minister Lynne Featherstone MP announced a 50% increase in funding for UNAIDS at a STOPAIDS parliamentary panel discussion last Thursday organised in partnership with the All-Party Group on HIV and AIDS to mark World AIDS Day 2013. The event coincided with strong messages of support for the global response to HIV and AIDS from Prime Minister David Cameron and Ed Miliband MP, leader of the opposition and followed a day of action by STOPAIDS and its members which saw 800 ribbons distributed to parliamentarians and their staff and 53 MPs attending a photo opportunity. Our accompanying social media campaign reached over 7.5 million followers and drew support from audiences as diverse as Stephen Fry and Annie Lennox, the Robin Hood Tax Campaign, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Anglo American and DFID, as well as numerous parliamentarians. Read the full report here. 

Student Stop AIDS Campaign World AIDS Day actions

Our eternally dedicated Student Stop AIDSers planned a whole host of activities to mark the 25^th World AIDS Day last Sunday. The students chose to project a united front and decided on a common theme - The Global Fund Replenishment – asking members of the public to paint their fingers red and ‘cross their fingers’ in hope for a successful replenishment. Other highlights included a 50ft AIDS ribbon in Brighton, the Dundee group ‘painting the town red’ with red balloons and The Manchester Stop AIDSers making a video to explore the public’s HIV general knowledge. The prize for most daring activity goes to Rachel Cooper and Callum Wadd, two members of the Edinburgh group who braved the freezing North Sea in a sponsored swim to raise awareness about HIV! More photos can be found here. 

ICASA Conference

The membership of STOPAIDS will be well represented at the ICASA conference which starts in Cape Town this Saturday. Our Advocacy Manager Diarmaid McDonald is attending and will be assisting in the launch of our new HIV and Livelihoods fact sheet produced in collaboration with CAFOD and Tearfund. Click here to download the fact sheet. Diarmaid is helping to coordinate those travelling from the UK, so do get in touch to let him know you are going if you haven’t already. STOPAIDS will be hosting a post-conference webinar on the 19^th December. Please RSVP here in advance so we can send you the details on how to join. 

World AIDS day 2013

World AIDS Day 2013 saw a range of activities from across our membership. AVERT invited us to take a virtual tour around the world to meet people in 8 different countries who have been affected by HIV, and is asking colleagues to share this e-action across their networks to encourage people to get informed about HIV.

AVERT also took part in a joint World AIDS Day action with Terrence Higgins Trust, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, the Institute of Development Studies and the Student Stop AIDS Campaign, among others, including Caroline Lucas MP, unveiling the world's largest AIDS ribbon. View a video from the event here. 

Trocaire released a video on the disproportionate burden of HIV and AIDS  faced by women and girls around the world: Facing AIDS: The Time Is Now. 

Christian Aid released a series of powerful stories about people living with HIV and the burden of stigma, and hosted a number of screenings of Fire in the Blood, a film highlighting the barriers to accessing vital HIV treatment.

News from members

Ace Africa
Ace Africa have launched their Christmas Appeal 2013 and are in vital need of a truck to reach our communities in rural Tanzania. For more information and to support the appeal, click here. 

CAFOD
CAFOD is supporting the global campaign, 16 days of activism against gender violence. This year, they are telling stories and highlighting voices from around the world which examine how we can work to end sexual violence – be it from survivors of violence, the partners who work with them, the journalists who tell their stories, or the activists who publicise our work to end violence against women.  16 days of activism is a chance to examine this important issue through the accounts of inspiring people around the world. The story on World AIDS Day focused on the links between gender based violence and HIV.

International HIV/AIDS Alliance
To mark World AIDS Day, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance have released two films about HIV in Ethiopia in partnership with Link Up, an initiative that aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of more than one million young people living with and affected by HIV. That Time tells the moving story of Momina, a young Ethiopian woman who was diagnosed HIV positive three years ago.  Determined not to be defined by her HIV status, and in the face of great personal heartbreak, she does everything she can as a single mother to provide for her six year old son Rapira. Strictly Beza shows the success of Addis Beza, a dance troupe who draw in crowds and share information on HIV prevention and testing. Addis Beza use their talents for music and dance to communicate serious health messages and to encourage members of the public to know their HIV status.

mothers2mothers
This World AIDS Day, mothers2mothers launched a new campaign around preventing mother to child transmission of HIV: Birth Should Be About Life. Transmission of HIV from mother to child is preventable, and yet AIDS remains a leading cause of maternal death and 260,000 children are born with HIV every year. More information on the campaign can be found here.  

WaterAid
WaterAid highlighted the linkages between HIV and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in a campaign for World AIDS Day 2013. STOPAIDS also worked with WaterAid to produce a fact sheet on WASH and HIV, which was released last month.
 

Meetings & diary dates

STOPAIDS webinar: What happened at ICASA? 
Thursday 19th December - 10am - 11.30am. 

Baroness Warsi: Lecture on LGBT issues and Human Rights (Kaleidoscope Trust)
Tuesday 10th December, 6.45pm, London. Download the flyer for more information. 

Westminster Hall debate: HIV
Tuesday 10th December - 9.30am - 11am. For more information, please contact Ben. 
 

Publications and initiatives

HelpAge International
To mark World AIDS Day 2013, HelpAge International launched a briefing report ‘Including older women and men in HIV data’. The paper highlights:

• how older people have been excluded from data
• why a change in data collection is critical now
• the implications of including older people in national household surveys 
• recommendations for policymakers at national and global level   

It looks explicitly at Demographic and Health Surveys and the influencing needed to change their age focus to include people aged 50 and over. See the news story on the HelpAge website which also highlights the new UNAIDS report on HIV and Ageing. Download the full report here. 

RESULTS UK
RESULTS UK have partnered with the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA), released a new report highlighting the public health threat of TB in South African mines. The report details the role played by gold mining in driving the TB epidemic in Southern Africa, and calls for a step up in political and corporate will for developing a coordinated international response to the disease. Download the full report here. 

UNICEF
A collaborative research project between UNICEF and the International Children's Palliative Care Network has launched a report on children's access to palliative care. The report indicated that less than 1% of children in Kenya and less than 5% of children in South African and Zimbabwe who are in need of palliative care are able to access these services. Download the full report here. 

ONE
ONE have released a report, The Beginning of the End?, with new data suggesting we could begin to see the end of the epidemic as early as 2015, if we focus political will and seize momentum on the progress made to date. Download the report here.

PARLIAMENT CORNER

Westminster Hall Debate on TB
Nick Dakin, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Tuberculosis secured a debate on TB last Wednesday 27^th November – perfectly timed for World AIDS Day activities in Parliament. The debate was an excellent opportunity for MPs to raise concerns about what the Government is doing to tackle TB as well TB and HIV co-infection. A total of 9 MPS raised the issue of co-infection. The various contributions to the debate can be found here.
 
Prime Ministers Questions 
Treasurer to the APPG on HIV and AIDS, Simon Kirby, used his opportunity to address the Prime Minister to ask a question about HIV and current levels of testing here in the UK. David Cameron recognised the importance of testing however he also paid tribute to the importance of tackling HIV on an international scale and praised the work of the Global Fund and UK aid: the full exchange can be found here. Once again, the Labour front bench wore their ribbons for World AIDS Day during the PMQs exchange and sea of red could be seen in the back benches.
 
Photo Opportunities and drop-ins
Wednesday was also a busy day for photo opportunities and meeting with MPs with over 80 MPs attending both the Halve It and STOPAIDS events. A record number of MPs also took HIV tests in advance of World AIDS Day on 1st December.
 
Access to Medicines Inquiry
As Parliament is winding down for Christmas, a call for evidence for the upcoming Access to Medicines enquiry will most likely be in early January: keep your eyes peeled.

Jobs

AIDS Orphan
Job title: Charity Intern, 3 days per week 
Location: Central London
Salary: Voluntary position
How to apply: For more information on the role, please contact Ian

AVERT
Job title: Chief Executive
Contract: Permanent
Location: Horsham, West Sussex
Salary: £45,000 per annum
How to apply: Download the job description and application details here
Application deadline: Midday, Thursday 2nd January

AVERT
Job title: Web Content Writer
Contract: Permanent
Location: Horsham, West Sussex
Salary: £18,500 per annum
How to apply: Download the job description and application details here
Application deadline: Midday, Thursday 2nd January

AVERT
Job title: IT and Digital Media Trustee
Contract: Voluntary position
Location: Horsham, West Sussex
Salary: Voluntary position (expenses)
How to apply: Download the job description and application details here

International HIV/AIDS Alliance
Job title: Senior Adviser: HIV Prevention
Contract: Permanent
Location: Hove
Salary: £45,000 plus benefits of up to 16%
How to apply: Download the job description and application details here
Application deadline: Monday 16th December

International HIV/AIDS Alliance
Job title: Head of Finance
Contract: Permanent
Location: Brighton
Salary: £49,000 plus benefits of up to 16%
How to apply: Download the job description and application details here
Application deadline: Friday 13th December

International HIV/AIDS Alliance
Job title: Head of Legal, Risk and Compliance
Contract: Permanent
Location: Brighton
Salary: £49,000 plus benefits of up to 16%
How to apply: Download the job description and application details here
Application deadline: Friday 13th December

Tackle Africa
Job title: Female Coach Development Officer
Contract: 18 months, ideally beginning January 2014
Location: Kilifi, Kenya, with frequent local travel
Salary: Flights, accommodation, local travel, work-related expenses and a local salary will be provided
How to apply: Download the job description and application details here
Application deadline: Midday, Monday 16th December