The transmission of HIV and other STDs during sexual intercourse can be effectively prevented when quality condoms are used correctly and consistently. Studies on serodiscordant couples (only one of whom is HIV-positive) have shown that, with regular sexual intercourse over a period of two years, partners who consistently used condoms had a near zero risk of HIV infection.

Social marketing has become an increasingly popular way of addressing serious health issues in developing countries. By using traditional commercial marketing techniques, social marketing makes much-needed products available and affordable to low-income people. In the mid-80s, condom social marketing emerged as an effective tool against the spread of HIV/AIDS. This document defines social marketing, as well as highlighting the three key lessons learned in promoting condom social marketing. These include the fact that seed money can effectively be used to leverage additional resources for major public health impact; social marketing can be applied to new products and services; and social marketing can help create an enabling and supportive environment for behavioural change. The document also discusses UNAIDS’ role in social marketing.

This report offers a summary of the issues and challenges that emerged from the discussions during the meeting.

Evaluation of the 100% Condom Programme in Thailand.

In the mid-1980s, condom social marketing emerged as a key strategy in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Through social marketing programmes in countries affected by the epidemic, condoms are now more readily available, affordable and acceptable to sexually active men and women. This document is the fourth in a series on social marketing produced by UNAIDS. It provides basic information on this activity and how its concepts and techniques may be applied to the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in developing countries. It presents six different social marketing techniques drawn from on-going projects in Cameroon, Columbia, Haiti, India, Kenya, and Mozambique in the field of reproductive health and prevention of HIV/AIDS/STIS. Individually they illustrate real-life approaches to condom promotion through social marketing, in response to particular needs. In addition, they demonstrate the flexibility of social marketing and how the technique can be adapted to deal with differing situations.

Global Directory of Condom Social Marketing Projects and Organisations

UNAIDS convened an expert consultation on Behaviour Change in the Prevention of Sexual Transmission of HIV in collaboration with the US Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator on 25-26 September 2006. 26 experts from 17 countries joined UNAIDS for the consultation to reconsider the state of knowledge about behaviour change measures for the prevention of sexual transmission of HIV. The objective of the meeting was to create a forum for dialogue about the evidence and the priorities to prevent sexual transmission, to pinpoint a few concrete barriers to behaviour change that can be overcome, and to seek a practical way forward to innovate and test or expand some promising new approaches to behavioural change.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen, for the opportunity to join you today during this vital discussion. First, let me congratulate Gareth Thomas and DFID for assembling such a formidable range of actors to address new prevention technologies. I note that we see today both the leading technical experts as well as politicians: every innovator knows that the best brains in the world are not enough – we need the resources, communication and politics to put new ideas into practice.