The Executive Director of Unaids, has commended civil society organisations for their contribution to HIV response in Rwanda. Michel Sidibe was meeting with representatives of civil society organisations involved in HIV response in the country on Tuesday. Participants at the meeting included representatives of the civil society organisations networks/umbrellas and some members of the organisations working in the areas of gender, human rights and sexual and reproductive health. According to a statement released at the end of the meeting, Sidibe said the journey towards zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero Aids-related deaths requires inputs from everybody. “Each partner’s contribution is essential and civil society organisations are expected to play a key role,” he said. Sidibe pointed out that civil society organisations have a major role to play in raising awareness, conducting advocacy for the universal access to HIV prevention and delivery of services at grassroots level. Evidence-informed programming is essential if we are to reach our targets of an Aids free generation, he said. It was mentioned that in various countries HIV prevelance is much higher in certain groups like female sex workers and homosexuals. Pledged commitment In Rwanda, prevalence among female sex workers is estimated at 51 per cent. This calls for action to accelerate prevention and avail services to key populations, officials say. Members of civil society organisations appreciated Unaids support to overall HIV response in Rwanda, including various technical support that Unaids provides to civil society organisations’. They pledged their commitment to use evidence for programming towards achievement of national targets.
