[Answered] Discuss various goals and function of UNAIDS. Why world needs a coordinated effort to prevent AIDS?

Established by ECOSOC resolution, UNAIDS was officially launched in 1996. UNAIDS seeks to prevent the HIV/AIDS epidemic from becoming a severe pandemic. The mission of UNAIDS is to support an expanded response to HIV and AIDS.

Goals and functions of UNAIDS:

1. Leadership and advocacy for effective action on the pandemic: The aim of UNAIDS is to help and support an expanded response to HIV/AIDS. Promoting partnerships among various stakeholders and leadership for an effective action is one of its priority.
2. Strategic information and technical support to guide efforts against AIDS worldwide: UNAIDS strive on information and technical support. Addressing issue of stigma and discrimination is one such effort. Database utilisation is the main driver behind fighting against the epidemic.
3. Tracking, monitoring and evaluation of the pandemic and of responses to it: By monitoring the spread of the disease it allow various governments and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive response against HIV/AIDS. It sought to check epidemic by tracking various national targets and achievements and implementing success across the globe.
4. Civil society engagement and the development of strategic partnership: In particular, it calls for complementation of government efforts by the full and active participation of civil society, the business community and the private sector. It include:
   • Establishing and strengthening mechanisms that involve civil society including the private sector, and people living with HIV/AIDS at all levels.
   • Encouraging and supporting local and national organizations to expand and strengthen regional partnerships, coalitions and networks.
   • Full participation of people living with HIV/AIDS, those in vulnerable groups and people mostly at risk, particularly young people.
5. Mobilisation of resources to support an effective response: Through various governments at global, involving private sector, resources mobilisation is sought to achieve for an effective response.

Need of coordinated effort across the globe against AIDS because:

1. Prevention of new infections: A global effort is required to prevent new infections through proper check of migratory population, easy availability of drugs, awareness etc. Further global coordination is required to prevent refugees issues and restoration like Rohingyas. Migratory people are always at high risk of getting and spreading AIDS.
2. Access to care: In most of the developing countries and least developed countries treatment against HIV is very costly and inaccessible. Promotion of generic drugs is must at global level.
3. Protection of human rights: Social stigma and discrimination against people with HIV and AIDS still exist. This need awareness and coordinated efforts at global scale.
4. Gender inequality: Women across the world face discrimination at social and economic levels. Many a times, women living with HIV are reluctant to access health care due to fear of discrimination and marginalisation. There is need of global awareness and revolution like #MeToo to sensitise world.
5. Database: There is need of greater analysis of HIV data to prevent AIDS from turning into a pandemic. A global data with determination of hot pockets is necessary. Lack of integrated data systems limit its availability and use prevent efforts against AIDS. Migration to new places is increasing that increase the need of a database more to prevent AIDS.
6. Removal of Infrastructural bottlenecks: A global effort is needed to remove infrastructure bottlenecks especially in least developed countries. In recent years, there have been issues in the procurement, management and distribution of anti retroviral vaccines, HIV testing kits and other HIV commodities.
7. Funding issues: Ending HIV/AIDS require massive amount of funds. Funding to tackle the HIV epidemic need coordinations efforts especially by developed countries. The creation of a Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and the slashing of prices of AIDS drugs are not sufficient. More is needed to invest in Research and development for finding cure against AIDS. Funding for non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations working on prevention has virtually dried up.

To combat HIV/AIDS there is need of a multi-sectoral and multilateral approach to the disease. It calls for an expanded global response. It is possible to halt the advance of the epidemic but this could be achieved only with the sustained mobilisation of the global community.