UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé acknowledged the cooperation between UNAIDS and Italian Development Cooperation in the response to AIDS in Ethiopia during a meeting with the Italian Ambassador, Giuseppe Mistretta, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 27 January.

Mr Sidibé also expressed his gratitude to the Government of Italy for the recent approval of €500 000 in support of the decentralized HIV response in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia. The goal of this project is to reduce communicable diseases, including HIV and other sexually transmited infections in SNNPR through programmes focusing on disease prevention, health promotion and strengthening of peer support groups. Special attention will be placed on reaching out to women and young people to ensure their well-being.

UNAIDS and Italian Development Cooperation have been working together to strengthen the engagement of civil society organizations in the AIDS response in the country and to ensure that resources for HIV are used effectively and that accountability mechanisms are in place to ensure results.

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