Reversing the Epidemic - Facts and Policy Options: HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States

Published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this 116-page report aims to provide a comprehensive profile of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 28 countries of East and South Eastern Europe, the Baltics and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and provide a platform for the discussion of policy options available to halt the spread of the disease.

The report, entitled "Reversing the Epidemic: Facts and Policy Options", offers HIV/AIDS profiles for the countries of the region, describes high-risk groups and the behaviours that make them vulnerable to infection, and discusses why human rights is an essential ingredient for fighting the epidemic. The report also touches upon the issues of decriminalising injecting drug use and undertaking comprehensive prison reform. According to the UNDP, the inclusion of marginalised groups in policy processes is also considered a key element in the response to HIV/AIDS.

From the Foreword
"This report contains a simple message: without an immediate, accelerated and significantly scaled up response by governments and other actors, HIV/AIDS risks undermining and even reversing human development gains across the countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Mounting such a response will be difficult, but far from impossible. By drawing on experience and knowledge from other parts of the world, and by using new financing mechanisms such as the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, there is every chance we will succeed in stemming the spread of the epidemic and containing its impact in the region. But that will only happen if the countries of the region first take direct action themselves, focusing their own social and economic policies and resources more clearly and explicitly on this growing problem.

In practice that means several things. It means policy makers must put in place new and extensive networks of information: investing in public awareness by educating the public, especially vulnerable groups. It means that governments need to approach the issue in a way that allows all stakeholders - including people living with HIV/AIDS - to participate in decision-making. And above all it means real leadership in confronting the issue. Leadership at all levels and in all structures of society - not just at the central government level, but also with local authorities, in business organisations, civil societies, schools, religious organisations, and in families.

This report does not simply analyse the problems: it offers concrete solutions. Drawing on best practices and on the proven experience of countries and communities where HIV/AIDS prevention and care have produced results, it sets out a series of recommendations for policy makers, government institutions, business and civil society actors on exactly how that can be done."

This report is available in English and Russian.

Table of Contents

• Foreword, Acknowledgements, Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Introduction: HIV/AIDS and Human Development in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
• Chapter I: HIV/AIDS Epidemiological Trends in Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS
• Chapter II: Drivers of the Epidemic: Major Risk Factors, Risk Behaviours, and Groups at Risk
• Chapter III: The Impact of the Epidemic
• Chapter IV: Human Rights and HIV/AIDS in Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS
• Chapter V: Developing an Effective Response to HIV/AIDS
• Chapter VI: Conclusions
• Annex 1: Modelling the Macroeconomic Implications of a Generalised AIDS Epidemic in the Russian Federation
• Annex 2: The National Security Implications of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Russia
• Annexes 3 - 5: The 'Leadership for Results Programme' UNDP's Role in the UN System Response to HIV/AIDS; Glossary; Bibliography

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