Reportage

Emerging epidemics in Eastern Europe on the agenda

28 septembre 2006

20060928-46-moh.jpg 

Ms Ulla Schmidt, Federal Minister of Health of Germany welcomes Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS

The emerging epidemics in Eastern Europe and Germany’s commitment to increasing HIV awareness were one of several topics under discussion with German Health Minister Ms Ulla Schmidt and Dr Peter Piot the Executive Director of UNAIDS. On his recent trip to Germany he also met with the Health Committee of the German Federal Parliament, the State Secretary and Parliamentary State Secretary, the National AIDS Council. Dr Piot also met with the Minister for Cooperation and Development, Ms Wiezcorek-Zeul to talk about the importance of keeping AIDS high on the agenda during Germany’s presidency of the G8 in 2007.

UNAIDS Executive Director was in Germany from 26-28 September to participate in a range of meetings to discuss ways forward and continued commitment to the AIDS response.

20060930-graefe.jpg

The visit kicked off with a meal at the Kaffee Graefe, a café in Berlin run by people living with HIV. The café is part of a project to train people living with HIV, particularly migrants, to give them skill sets which will help them to integrate more easily into the workplace. As well as the café there is a successful catering business where people are trained in cookery and catering, waitering and waitressing, and small business management. Dr Piot was joined for the dinner by representatives from the German AIDS organisations Deutsche AIDS Hilfe, Aktionsbündnis AIDS, Seutsche Siftung Weltbevölkerung, Deutsche AIDS Siftung and Positive Aktion, to exchange views and discuss AIDS related issues and concerns.

20060928-IMG_0057.jpg

(left to right): Mr Gernot Erler, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Germany; Dr Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director; Dr Christoph Zöpel, President of the German United Nations Association, Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen DGVN at an event organized by the German United Nations Association and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

Highlighting UNAIDS as a test case for UN reform, Dr Piot presented at an evening event organised by the German United Nations Association and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

On the last day, Dr Piot met with the Head of the Office of the Federal President and the Committee for Economic Cooperation and Development. He wrapped up the visit with discussions on ways of building on existing partnerships in countries with the Managing Director of the German development agency GTZ and German development bank KfW.






Related links

View photographs from Executive Director's visit to Germany
Kaffee Graefe