HIV and AIDS Group

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Jacinta Whelan (second left) of A Partnership with Africa, Chair of the Dóchas HIV and AIDS Working Group joins Minister for Health Leo Varadkar and other representatives to launch Ireland’s first National World AIDS Day (WAD) Campaign -Show Your Solidarity #WADirl

The Dóchas HIV and AIDS Working Group was proud to play an active role in developing  the first ever five-day national World AIDS Day campaign. The Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar launched the campaign on Thursday 26th November 2015. This campaign is developed by NGOs and statutory bodies across Ireland in partnership with the HSE Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme. 

The focus of the Irish campaign is Solidarity with all people living with HIV. The campaign ran for 5 days from 27th November 2015 until World AIDS Day on the 1st December 2015, with the aim of raising awareness about the many issues that present themselves for people living with HIV and those at risk of contracting HIV.

The key messages of HIV Support, HIV Knowledge, HIV Visibility, and HIV Stigma are being promoted through a social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter asking people to show their solidarity with people who are living with HIV. They can do so by wearing a red ribbon, starting a conversation about HIV with friends and family, challenging HIV stigma and discrimination if they encounter it, or learning more about safer sex and getting tested for HIV. The hashtag for the campaign is #WADirl.

Blog update:

On World AIDS DAY - Breda Gahan of Concern Worldwide who is member of the HIV and AIDS Working Group and was named as Dóchas Global Citizen of the Year 2015 gives her thoughts, reflections and hopes on World AIDS Day 2015. Read her blog here. 

Background

The Dóchas HIV and AIDS Working Group is a sub-group of Dóchas. The Group was established in May 2001 in order to respond to the first United National General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV and AIDS draft Declaration of Commitment, and to present shared positions on a number of issues related to HIV and AIDS.

The Group first developed a strategic plan in January 2003. Since that time the HIV and AIDS Group has increasingly become the representative voice of Irish development NGOs in relation to HIV and AIDS.

The Group has continued working together to improve and to share learning and expertise on HIV and AIDS in the Irish development NGO sector and to advocate for increased NGO participation in a co-ordinated Irish response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic

Members

APA, ChildFund Ireland, Concern Worldwide, Goal, Misean Cara, Oxfam Ireland, and Trócaire.

Current focus

• To develop and share knowledge, expertise and best practice to encourage ongoing learning and effectiveness within the Dóchas HIV and AIDS Working Group, the member organisations and beyond.

• To develop agreed advocacy positions and lobbying strategies to promote an effective Irish response to HIV and AIDS

Publications and other work

• Strategic Plan 2013-2015 

2015 Ebola and Lessons from HIV Response Event at Centre for Global Health Trinity College Dublin

• Dóchas HIV and AIDS Working Group Presentation - Overview - at "2015 Ebola and Lessons from HIV Response" event at Trinity College April 2015

• Dochas HIV and AIDS Working Group Presentation On Sierra Leone at "2015 Ebola and Lessons from HIV Response" event at Trinity College April 2015

• Distilling expertise during the “Ebola and Lessons from HIV Response” event, Trinity College April 2015

Podcasts of presentations from working group members at "Ebola and Lessons from HIV Response" event in Trinity College April 2015:

• Distilling expertise during the “Ebola and Lessons from HIV Response” event, Trinity College April 2015 - Dualta Roughneen, Disaster Risk Management Coordinator and WaSH Advisor for Plan Ireland

• Distilling expertise during the “Ebola and Lessons from HIV Response” event, Trinity College April 2015 - Breda Gahan,  Global HIV & AIDS Program Advisor for Concern Worldwide

• Distilling expertise during the “Ebola and Lessons from HIV Response” event, Trinity College April 2015 - Rosemary Davis, National Health Coordinator for Concern Sierra Leone.

Dóchas resources 

• BUILDING HIV AND AIDS RESILIENCE: A checklist for development and humanitarian practitioners

• AIDS is not over: Ireland’s responsibility to help finish the job - A Policy Paper of the Dóchas HIV & AIDS Working Group 

• Dóchas Members Response to the HIV and AIDS Pandemic 2012

• Press release - World AIDS Day 2011 - Development NGOs: “Aid works – The world is winning fight against HIV and AIDS”

• 2011 Learning Day Report - Addressing HIV Effectively in Humanitarian Settings

• Press release - NGOs welcome Ireland’s role in leading UN response to global AIDS pandemic

• Dóchas Position Paper on the 2011 United Nations Special Session on HIV and AIDS

• Learning Day: How to Measure the Impact of HIV Prevention Programmes (20 October 2010)

• Dóchas letter on Global Fund Replenishment Conference (1 October 2010)

• Health: A Fundamental Right

• Dóchas HIV and AIDS group response to Irish Aid draft UNGASS report (March 2010)

• World AIDS Day - AIDS will continue to spread if women’s rights are not protected

• Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in Humanitarian Action 

For further resources on HIV and AIDS, visit our KNOWLEDGE HUB