The Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic 2002

UNAIDS, the joint programme of the United Nations on AIDS, composed of eight agencies, has presented The Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic 2002. In this report, the specialized agencies (UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNDCP, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and World Bank) reflect on the current situation of this disease discovered only 21 years ago in the world, and they present some examples of responses involving governments, civil society and the private sector.

After presenting the devastating statistics related to the epidemic in southern Africa and the growing vulnerability registered in eastern Africa, eastern Europe and central Asia, the report presents examples of satisfactory responses: communities that organize themselves independently, educational programmes on HIV/AIDS, and national leadership. The executive director of UNAIDS issues a strong message associated with the problem of the introduction of the report: "The ineffective measures and the fragmentary responses do not work. The moment has come to put together all the pieces. The plans are drawn up. Let's act!"

Click here to read a previous joint FAO-UNAIDS publication on the relationship between sustainable agriculture, rural development and vulnerability to the AIDS epidemic.