Federal Parliamentary Forum on HIV & AIDS launched
By Hina Kiyani

ISLAMABAD—The Federal Parliamentary Forum on HIV and AIDS was establishment at a ceremony held at the Serena Hotel, Islamabad which was attended by some members of the National Parliament and Senate, representatives of National AIDS Control Programme and UNAIDS
The objective of the forum is to provide all necessary guidance, policy and resource support to the comprehensive national response against HIV and AIDS and its socio-economic impact, and also demonstrate leadership and commitment through actively participating in the relevant national/local events on HIV and AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support. During the ceremony, the parliamentarians adopted the TORs and agreed to put together a Workplan for the future course of action.
This forum will provide all the concerned agencies an opportunity to start a dialogue among different stakeholders and representatives of official institutions in Pakistan to counter stigma discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS.
The Forum unanimously agreed to appoint Dr. Syed Javed Hussain as the Chair, Mrs. Yasmeen Rehman as Co-chair and Dr. Donia Aziz as the Coordinator of the Forum.
The UNAIDS/UNDP with OPEC Fund is supporting interventions against HIV and AIDS in Pakistan. The initiative aims at building capacity; strengthening leadership; increasing awareness; and promoting partnerships. The Project is designed to acquire support for the national response to the epidemic at all political levels. The sensitisation of key policy makers and political leaders at national, provincial and district levels would create an enabling environment for different partners working for the prevention and control of HIV & AIDS both in public and private sector.
UNAIDS is a Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, which coordinates the HIV and AIDS work of UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP,UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank.