UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director visits Belarus
25.09.2017The UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Louis Lures will visit Belarus on 25-27 September 2017.
The visit is a follow up to the agreements reached by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the UNAIDS Executive Director Michele Sidibe at their meeting that took place in April 2017 in Minsk.
During the forthcoming visit the Deputy Executive Director plans to hold a number of meetings, particularly, at the ministries of health and foreign affairs, at some specialized centers, as well as with civil society representatives.
Given Belarus Government’s internationally recognized achievements in combatting HIV/AIDS, one of UNAIDS’ primary objective in Belarus is to assist the Government in its effort to steadily upgrade its policies in the areas of prevention and resource utilization.
Importantly, UNAIDS has acquired unique experience and expertise when it comes to forging partnerships between aid donors and recipient countries. In order to find out to what extent Belarus has such kind of interest, Louis Lures will be accompanied by Lambert Grijnes, Dutch Ambassador for AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
Efficient partnerships between the Government and civil society, in other words, public-private partnerships, may serve the purpose of making the Government’s policy and related services in combatting HIV/AIDS more efficient and effective. Many countries hold fast to such an approach. Furthermore, the latter is a subject of vigorous debate in relevant international institutions.
Private-public partnerships that seek to protect the rights of people living with AIDS will be one of the key features of the 2017 Human Rights Council’s Social Forum. The Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN in Geneva Yury Ambrazevich will co-chair the Forum.
