On 27 December 2018, the Government of Flanders approved the renewal of the partnership with UNAIDS for the years 2019 and 2020. A grant of 1.5 million euros for these two years is included to the partnership.
The main focus of the partnership is prevention and vulnerable groups such as sexual minorities and adolescent girls. Geographically, the focus is on Southern Africa, traditionally the concentration region of Flemish development cooperation, which is still the region with by far the highest number of people with HIV and AIDS. "There is a permanent need for prevention, a multisectoral approach and accessible information for all to bring about behavioral change and to reduce the number of infections," said Minister-President Bourgeois.
Flanders has been working with UNAIDS since 2000. In 2006, this cooperation became structural through long term partnerships. This way, UNAIDS has a predictable donor in Flanders and can work more strategically and in the long term. And Flanders confirms its reputation as a reliable and relevant partner for multilateral institutions.
Picture: UNAIDS