A Periodic Bulletin Highlighting

Alliance/AMICAALL Events and Activities

Issue No. 4 - May 2003


Summary:
  • AMICAALL PROGRAMME PLANNING MISSION IN TANZANIA
  • E.U. FUNDS VCT SERVICES IN SWAZILAND
  • COMMONWEALTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE ON SERVICE PARTNERSHIPS
  • INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY IN SOUTH AFRICA (IDASA) GOVERNANCE AND AIDS FORUM
  • UN APP INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN USAID TRAINING COURSE
  • ALLIANCE NEWSLETTER VOL. 2 ISSUE 1

AMICAALL PROGRAMME PLANNING MISSION IN TANZANIA
An AMICAALL programme planning mission was conducted in March and April 2003 by a multidisciplinary team which included Tanzanian consultants, the AMICAALL Tanzania National Coordinator, Martin Kitilla and a UN APP Associate. The planning mission developmed a draft action plan that is consistent with national policies and frameworks. It includes activities intended to enhance institutional capacity at the local level to support multi-sectoral responses to HIV/AIDS.


E.U. FUNDS VCT SERVICES IN SWAZILAND
The European Union has agreed to fund Voluntary Councelling and Testing (VCT) services in two towns in Swaziland: Siteki and Piggs Peak. Funding for the Piggs Peak VCT centre will be managed directly by a consortium which will include AMICAALL Swaziland, the AIDS Information Support Centre and the Piggs Peak Town Board.


COMMONWEALTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE ON SERVICE PARTNERSHIPS
The National Coordinator of AMICAALL Swaziland presented a paper on the AMICAALL Swaziland Programme as an example of service delivery through partnerships. The presentation took place at the Commonwealth Local Government Conference on Service Partnerships, held in Tshwane, South Africa in March 2003. AMICAALL was cited, by the participants, as a good example of working through partnerships to address specific HIV/AIDS related social issues at the local level.


UNAPP RETREAT
UNAPP organized a retreat in Windhoek, Namibia in February. The retreat was hosted by the Alliance Secretariat and brought together national AMICAALL Coordinators and Focal Points from 9 countries, representatives from the Alliance Secretariat, the Alliance Coodinating Committee, representatives from UNAIDS, World Bank, UN and other development agencies. The retreat provided an opportunity to review progress, identify constraints and priorities for 2003-2004 workplans for UNAPP and the Alliance Secretariat.

INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY IN SOUTH AFRICA (IDASA) GOVERNANCE AND AIDS FORUM
The UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme (UN APP) was invited to participate in the SADC Regional Governance and AIDS Forum held in Cape Town, South Africa from 2 to 4 April 2003. The Forum, which was attended by delegates representing national governments, SADC, UN Agencies, development partners, academic and research institutions, foundations and civil society organisations, aimed to provide countries from the SADC region with an opportunity to discuss good governance as it relates to regional and national responses to HIV/AIDS. The forum sought to strengthen political commitment for prioritising HIV and AIDS on the development agenda. It provided a platform for the exchange of successes, failures and challenges. UN APP addressed the issue of how local authorities are responding to HIV/AIDS: challenges and opportunities.


UN APP INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN USAID TRAINING COURSE
The UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme was invited to participate in a Development and Cities training course for USAID Programme Officers that was organised by the Urban Institute in Washington DC, USA, in March 2003. A UN APP Associate gave a presentation on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, decentralization and local governance and shared information on what Mayors and Municipal Leaders are doing to address HIV/AIDS at the municipal level in Africa and other regions.


ALLIANCE NEWSLETTER VOL. 2 ISSUE 1
Volume 2 Issue 1 of the Alliance newsletter can be found online at: www.amicaall.org

The Alliance is a network of local government authorities and mayors.  Established in 1998, it was formed to promote an expanded, multi-sectoral response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the local level.  The Alliance works in partnership with government, civil society organizations, the private sector and local communities. National chapters of the Alliance have been launched in nine countries:  Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.  The Alliance Secretariat is located in Windhoek, Namibia.

AMICAALL (Alliance of Mayors’ Initiative for Community Action on AIDS at the Local Level) is the strategy for translating the goals of the Alliance into concrete actions in countries.

The UN-AMICAALL Partnership Programme was established in April 2001 to support development of the Alliance and its country programmes.

For more information, visit AMICAALL website:  www.amicaall.org
Or contact the UN-AMICAALL Partnership Programme Director Mina Mauerstein-Bail:   mina.mauerstein-bail@undp.org

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