Annex A
Issue 6. What role does your organisation
play in combating the four diseases? Do you believe that it is
correctly configured and adequately resourced to do the job? With
which other organisations do you collaborate? How would you assess
the degree of synergy?
AVIAN INFLUENZA
What role does your organisation play in combating
Avian Influenza?
UNICEF, as part of a coordinated UN response,
has been supporting national governments in their response to
avian influenza (AI) and pandemic preparedness since late 2005.
The main area of work to date has been in communication for behaviour
change and social mobilisation. UNICEF works closely with the
UN System Influenza Coordinator (UNSIC) and contributed to the
consolidated response on these issues to the committee.
Do you believe that it is correctly configured
and adequately resourced to do the job?
Communication for behaviour change is a complex
and challenging area that requires considerable resources to undertake.
UNICEF was initially well funded to undertake this work, and was
able to develop a range of resources. For the current year, resources
are more limited.
With which other organisations do you collaborate?
How would you assess the degree of synergy?
UNICEF has an extensive global presence with
active field offices in all the countries with entrenched H5N1
virus circulation. UNICEF works with FAO and WHO, the lead technical
agencies for animal and human health to ensure an appropriate
and coordinated approach in its communication strategies. The
relative strengths of the agencies can thus be used to good effect.
MALARIA
What role does your organisation play in combating
malaria?
At global level, UNICEF is a key partner in
malaria prevention and control. UNICEF is a founding member of
the Roll Back Malaria partnership and is currently Vice-Chair
of the RBM Executive Committee. UNICEF is an active member of
several of the RBM Working Groups, and is Co-Chair of the Harmonization
Working Group and the Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group.
At global level, UNICEF contributes to global advocacy, policy-setting,
resources leveraging, partnership development and other "upstream"
activities. Through its Supply Division, UNICEF is a major partner
in procurement and supply of malaria commodities, particularly
insecticide-treated nets. UNICEF is the largest procurer of nets
worldwide, procuring around 24 million in 2006, 20 million in
2007. In 2007, UNICEF procured approximately I7 million artemisinin-based
combination therapies for malaria treatment.
At Regional level, UNICEF supports policy development
and resource mobilization and provides technical and implementation
support to national malaria partnerships including through RBM
sub-regional networks and other bodies.
At country level, UNICEF Country Offices in
malaria-endemic countries are heavily involved in advocacy, policy
setting, resources leveraging and implementation support to assist
national partnerships to scale-up effective malaria prevention
and control programmes and to develop community capacities to
effectively recognize, prevent and treat malaria.
Much of UNICEF's support to malaria control
at country level is through integrated services for maternal and
child health such as through antenatal care and with childhood
vaccination programmes. Example of malaria control and prevention
integrated into child and maternal health service include:
— Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs)
and Intermittent Preventive Treatment for pregnant women delivered
through Antenatal Care and Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission
services.
— LLINs through national integrated
campaigns. Approximately 33 million nets are planned for distribution
through campaigns in 2008.
— LLINs through routine immunization.
— Malaria treatment through IMCI (facility
and community) including Home Management of Malaria.
— LLINs and access to effective treatment
for children affected by HIV/AIDS.
UNICEF is also supporting operational research
on Intermittent Preventive Treatment in infants in six sub-Saharan
Africa countries.
Do you believe that it is correctly configured
and adequately resourced to do the job?
Before the launch of Roll Back Malaria in 1998,
malaria control was seriously under-financed and under-prioritised.
International funding for malaria control has risen more than
ten-fold over the past decade, with the most significant increases
occurring in just the last few years. UNICEF resources in support
for malaria programming come from a number of key donors including
GFATM, PMI, World Bank, European Union, UNITAID and others. Prior
to 2006, global shortages in malaria commodities, including insecticide-treated
nets and artemisinin-based combination therapies were the principal
bottlenecks to scaling-up malaria interventions. These bottlenecks
have now been effectively addressed and there has been significant
progress in scaling up malaria prevention and control with a renewed
effort to achieve the malaria related MDGs. Some of the major
challenges remaining are availability of secured and sustained
financing to support and maintain scale-up. Increased donor harmonization
in support of national malaria scale-up plans and in line with
the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness is a key factor
in ensuring that the financing and technical support is available
to national malaria partnerships. Additionally, it is becoming
increasingly important to improve access to malaria prevention
and treatment through integrated community based interventions,
including community capacity development and enhanced social and
behaviour change communication.
With which other organisations do you collaborate?
How would you assess the degree of synergy?
UNICEF collaborates with all major malaria partners
through the Roll Back Malaria partnership, at all levels, including
the GFATM, WHO, World Bank, PMI, NGOs and private sector, with
much of the work co-ordinated around national plans, and through
the RBM harmonized workplan and global strategy. The collaborations
described ensure a high degree of synergy in malaria programming
between major partners.
HIV/AIDS
What role does your organization play in combating
the four diseases?
UNICEF's engagement in the response to HIV/AIDS
began in 1996 with a focus on prevention of HIV among young people
and the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in 11
pilot countries. Based on lessons learnt in 2005, UNICEF, UNAIDS
and partners launched Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS to
put children more prominently on the global AIDS agenda. Unite
for Children, Unite against AIDS offers a practical and useful
programming framework around prevention of mother to child transmission
of HIV, pediatric treatment, HIV prevention among adolescents
and protection and care for children affected by AIDS. While UNICEF's
work in the area of PMTCT and pediatric treatment are health-related
interventions, its efforts in HIV prevention among adolescents
and care and support for children affected by AIDS address the
structural and social drivers of AIDS, such as facilitating access
to education for boys and girls, supporting access and use of
HIV information and services, mitigating the impact of AIDS on
children and households. At headquarter, regional and country
level UNICEF provides advocacy, technical, financial and procurement
support.
Do you believe that it is correctly configured
and adequately resourced to do the job?
UNICEF is one of the ten co-sponsor agencies
of the UN Joint Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) and works through regional
and country offices, structures and mechanisms that include the
interagency task teams (IATT) and Joint UN teams on AIDS that
are facilitated by the UNAIDS Country Coordinators. UNICEF is
correctly configured but under-resourced to provide adequate support
to significantly scale up responses that address the needs of
children and young people living and affected by HIV/AIDS.
With which other organizations do you collaborate?
The work of the 10 UNAIDS Cosponsors is coordinated
by the UNAIDS secretariat. UNICEF in particular collaborates with
bilaterals, national governments and with a number of NGOs, faith
based organizations and the private sector at headquarters, regional
and country level through various mechanisms such as the inter-agency
task teams, global partner forums as well as through formal agreements
such as memorandum of understanding and country and regional programmes.
How would you assess the degree of synergy?
The UN Joint Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), comprising
10 UN Co-sponsors and the UNAIDS Secretariat offers a unique framework
for joint action on AIDS. Over the last couple of years UNAIDS
and stakeholders worked towards strengthened coordination, alignment
and harmonization in the context of the "Three Ones",
the UN Reform and Global Task Team recommendations for making
the money work for universal access to prevention, treatment,
care and support. Scaling up interventions at the country level
remains challenging. Partnerships that focus on the provision
of comprehensive multisectoral responses to AIDS are essential
and need to be further strengthened if the MDGs are to be achieved
by 2015.
| 
