Proposal for a Regulation on HIV/AIDS-related operations in developing countries
The proposed Regulation aims to assist developing countries in their efforts to combat the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and help them cope with its impact on health and social and economic development. The proposed action will concentrate on: - Promoting an effective policy to prevent HIV/AIDS from being transmitted sexually, perinatally or through the blood; - Breaking the 'poverty-instability-HIV/AIDS' cycle, with particular attention to groups in high-risk environments, such as refugees and migrants; - Reinforcing health and social services to enable them to cope with the growing demands of the spreading epidemic; - Helping governments assess the epidemic's impact on different economic sectors and social groups and prepare strategies to cope with it; - Developing biomedical and sociological knowledge of the epidemic and scientific understanding of the impact measures, with a view to improving their quality. Financial support in the form of grants will be available for activities directed at: - Sexual and reproductive health education especially adapted for target groups, including people in high-risk environments, young people and women; - Preventing the transmission of HIV and sexually-transmitted diseases and treating them; - Strengthening health services, particularly in outlying areas, to expand prevention and care, and improving the safety of blood transfusions; - Helping governments analyze the social and economic impact of the epidemic and prepare suitable strategies to cope with it; - Helping non-governmental organizations to optimize their contribution to prevention and care, in particular by forming networks; - Developing scientific training through better monitoring of programmes based on relevant indicators and strengthening applied medical, sociological and anthropological research; - Promoting respect for human rights and freedom from discrimination and stigma for sufferers, in particular through establishing an appropriate legal framework. The Commission will be responsible for implementing the programme and will be assisted by an advisory committee with representatives from the Member States and from the EDF Committee (for the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries), the MED Committee (for the Mediterranean countries) and the ALA Committee (for the Asian and Latin American countries).