Joint UNAIDS / DFID delegation visit to India

Feature Story

Joint UNAIDS / DFID delegation visit to India

19 décembre 2006

AIDS leaders from the United Kingdom and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) came together in India for a joint mission to gain greater insight into the country’s AIDS response. During the four-day visit, Sir Suma Chakrabarti, Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Development (DFID) and Dr Peter Piot, Xecutive Director of UNAIDS met with political leaders, senior government officials and parliamentarians, students, representatives from non governmental organizations and from the donor community.

As part of the mission, the delegation visited Patna in the North Indian state of Bihar on Saturday 16 December where Dr Piot and Sir Chakrabarti noted the significant progress made in this province since their last visit, including the establishment of India’s first ‘Legislative Forum on HIV and AIDS’ to raise AIDS awareness among policy makers in the state and to build capacity to address the challenges posed by AIDS.

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Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director,
UNAIDS and Sir Suma Chakrabarti,
Parmanent Secretary of the
Department for International
Development (DFID) visited the
State of Bihar. The Heads of the
joint UNAIDS/DFID delegation
light the inaugural lamp.From left
to right: 1. Sir Suma Chakrabarthi,
Permanent Secretary, DFID,
Government of UK; 2. Professor Arun
Kumar, Chairman, Bihar State
Legislative Council; ( Partly seen: Mr.
Chandra Mohan Rai, Minister of
Health, Bihar State) 3. Mr. Nitish
Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar;
4. Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director,
UNAIDS; 5. Mr. Uday Narain
Chowdhury, Speaker, Bihar
Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar
being presented a memento from the
Heads of the Joint Mission for
“ strengthening decentralized response
to the HIV epidemic in the state of Bihar”.

Dr.Peter Piot. Executive Director, UNAIDS addressing the gathering of Elected People’s Representatives in the State Capital of Patna on 16th December 2006

Sir Suma Chakrabarthi, Parmanent Secretary of the Department for International Development (DFID) addressing the gathering
of the Elected Representatives in Patna on 16th December 2006

Heads of the Joint Mission Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director, UNAIDS and Sir Suma Chakrabarti, Parmanent Secretary of the Department for International Development (DFID) greeting His Excellency R.S.Gavai, the Governor of Bihar State and the Chancellor of Patna University with the Speaker of Bihar Legislative Assembly, Mr. Uday Narain Chowdhury during the interactive session with students at the Wheeler Senate Hall, Patna University, Patna on 16th December 2006.

A cross section of the gathering at
the Interactive session of the students at the Wheeler Senate Hall, Patna University

In New Delhi, the joint delegation met with political leaders and senior officials including the Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, the Indian Minister of Finance, P. Chidambaram and Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau Member of the Communist Party of India.

Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director UNAIDS and Sir Suma Chakrabarti, Parmanent Secretary of the Department for International Development (DFID) during their meeting with Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, Indian Minister of Health & Family Welfare in New Delhi, India on Monday 18 December 2006

Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, Indian Minister of Health & Family Welfare with Dr. Peter
Piot, Executive Director UNAIDS followed by Sir Suma Chakrabarti, Parmanent Secretary of DFID after their meeting at Nirman Bhawan in New Delhi, India.

Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director UNAIDS and Sir Suma Chakrabarti Parmanent Secretary of the Department for International Development (DFID) meet with Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau Member of the Comunist Party of India
in New Delhi, India on Monday
18 December 2006.

From left to right Indian Minister of
Finance, P. Chidambaram in
conversation with Dr. Peter Piot,
Executive Director UNAIDS along with
Sir Suma Chakrabarti, Parmanent
Secretary of the Department for
International Development (DFID)
at North Block in New Delhi, India on Monday 18 December 2006.

Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director UNAIDS and Sir Suma Chakrabarti, Parmanent Secretary of the Department for International Development (DFID)exchange notes after meeting with Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram outside his office at North Block in New Delhi, India on Monday 18 December 2006.

Photo credit for Bihar: R. Rahi
Photo credit for New Delhi : S. Sharma