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World leaders have given new impetus to scaling-up comprehensive HIV prevention and AIDS treatment, care and support with injecting drug users.
We see this through various statements and resolutions such as the
Gleneagles G8 Communiqué, the United Nations General Assembly 2005
World Summit Outcome, and the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the implementation of the
Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, a co-sponsor of
UNAIDS since 1999, focuses
its HIV/AIDS work on three specific and particularly vulnerable populations. These are injecting drug users (IDUs), prisoners and potential and actual victims of human trafficking.
UNODC provides support to governments and civil society organizations in developing, and then implementing, comprehensive and evidence-based HIV/AIDS prevention and care programmes for IDUs. These have been agreed upon by governments in the
UNAIDS Policy Position Paper and in the
Political Declaration of the UN General Assembly of June 2006
UNODC provides similar support with regard to prison settings.
The Office is the custodian of the United Nations
Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and assists governments in implementing international standards and UN resolutions that stipulate that all prisoners have the right to receive health care, including HIV/AIDS prevention and care.
In addition, UNODC, as the custodian of the United Nations
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Girls, which supplements the UN
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, strengthens the capacity of governments to provide potential and actual trafficking victims with essential HIV/AIDS prevention and care services.
Young people and women who are also IDUs and/or in prison settings and/or potential or actual victims of human trafficking are among the most vulnerable groups within UNODC's mandate. Specific evidence-based interventions are being put in place to help protect them from HIV infection.
We believe that partnering with UNAIDS co-sponsors and key partners -- including civil society organizations and organizations of people living with HIV/AIDS within the GIPA context -- is particularly important. We also believe that civil society organizations in particular play a vital role in HIV/AIDS prevention and care among these vulnerable groups.
EVIDENCE FOR ACTION
Through our partnership with UNAIDS and the Wolrd Health Organization, we have tried to contribute to the body of evidence for action in specific areas of relevance to our mandates. The following publications may be consulted in this regard.
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