Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
UNAIDS Press Release - June 14, 2004
"This is an extremely important development," said Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS. "We know the impact of AIDS on peacekeepers. Therefore, it is imperative to have a comprehensive AIDS prevention programme in place that targets peacekeeping troops and civilian staff."
Given that Haiti still constitutes a danger to international peace and security in the Caribbean region, the United Nations Security Council passed resolution 1542 in April 2004, setting up the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). According to this resolution the Security Council welcomes and encourages every effort by the United Nations to sensitize peacekeeping personnel in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases in all its peacekeeping missions.
"It is very encouraging that the Security Council has placed such importance on the need to address HIV," said Ulf Kristoffersson, Director of the UNAIDS office on AIDS, Security and Humanitarian Response who is heading the mission. "This will not only benefit the mission personnel but also the host community in Haiti which, with a prevalence rate of over five percent, is the most badly affected country outside sub-Saharan Africa. Haiti is extremely vulnerable to HIV."
AIDS poses a particular threat to peacekeeping, which is a pillar of the international security system. In conflict situations armed personnel can be fifty times more at risk than the civilian population.
This joint endeavour to establish an HIV/AIDS programme from the outset of the mission to Haiti will be carried out under the auspices of the Cooperation Framework signed by UNAIDS and DPKO in 2001. Both parties have agreed to work together to respond to the growing AIDS epidemic and to mitigate its impact on international peace and security. website, www.unaids.org, for more information about the programme.
040614
UN040606
Copyright © 2004 - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). All rights reserved. UNAIDS articles, which are not formal publications of UNAIDS, may be freely reviewed, quoted, reproduced or translated, in part or in full, provided the source is acknowledged. The documents may not be sold or used in conjunction with commercial purposes without prior written approval from UNAIDS (contact: UNAIDS Information Centre).
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2004. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .