Kyiv, 16 October 2008 – To support the scaling up of Ukraine’s AIDS response, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Dr. Peter Piot and Her Royal Highness and UNAIDS Special Representative, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway are visiting Ukraine from 20 to 22 October 2008.
The HIV epidemic in Ukraine remains the most severe in the whole of Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, with an estimated 440,000 people living with HIV. In 2007, the HIV prevalence rate reached a staggering 1.6% among the adult population.
During their joint visit, Dr. Piot and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit will meet with high-level authorities, people living with HIV, various civil society representatives, HIV service providing NGOs, religious confessions, youth activists, representatives from the private sector and the donor community.
Their discussions will focus on strengthening leadership to address the many challenges faced by people living with HIV. They will also focus on the rights and needs of population groups particularly affected by the epidemic, i.e. people who inject drugs, sex workers, men who have sex with men, people in prison settings, women, girls and youth. They will call for the stronger involvement and mobilization of all sectors of society, with primary attention to the Government and its commitment to scaling up the AIDS response; and stress the importance of intensifying HIV prevention to enable an effective and sustainable response to the epidemic in Ukraine.
Media are invited to participate in a press conference and a speaking event at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Details are provided below.
Press conference
Venue UNIAN News Agency, Khreshchatik 4, Kyiv, Ukraine
Date 21 October 2008
Time 14h30 – 15h30
Speakers Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations; and
Her Royal Highness and UNAIDS Special Representative, the Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
Facilitator Dr. Anna Shakarishvili, UNAIDS Country Coordinator in Ukraine
Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
For this event, journalists are required to contact UNIAN to register in advance.
Venue Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Old Academic Building (Library), G Skovorody, 2, Kyiv, Ukraine
Date 21 October 2008
Time 17h30 – 18h00
Speakers Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations; and
Her Royal Highness and UNAIDS Special Representative, the Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
Contact Media accreditation
Ms Victoria Goncharenko, UNIAN | Tel: 8-044-279-33-53 | vika@unian.net
For interviews and additional information
Dr Yuriy Subbotin, UNAIDS Ukraine | Tel: 8-050-351 78 21 | subbotiny@unaids.org
UNAIDS is an innovative joint venture of the United Nations, bringing together the efforts and resources of the UNAIDS Secretariat and ten UN system organizations in the AIDS response. The Secretariat headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland—with staff on the ground in more than 80 countries. Coherent action on AIDS by the UN system is coordinated in countries through UN theme groups, and joint programmes on AIDS. UNAIDS’ Cosponsors include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. Visit the UNAIDS Web site at www.unaids.org
