Global health care strategy on HIV/AIDS 2011-2015.

The WHO global health sector strategy on HIV/AIDS, 2011-2015 guides the health sector’s response to HIV. Its goals, consistent with UNAIDS strategy for the same period, “Getting to Zero” and international commitments, are: • to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care interventions for all in need • to contribute to achieving health-related Millennium Development Goals and their associated targets by 2015. • The WHO strategy has four strategic directions, each composed of core elements: Strategic direction 1: Optimize HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care outcomes Core elements: • Revolutionize HIV prevention • Eliminate new HIV infections in children • Catalyse the next phase of treatment, care and support • Provide comprehensive and integrated services for key populations Strategic direction 2: Leverage broader health outcomes through HIV responses Core element: • Strengthen links between HIV programmes and other health programmes Strategic direction 3: Build strong and sustainable systems Core element: • Strengthen the six building blocks of health systems Strategic direction 4: Reduce vulnerability and remove structural barriers to accessing services Core elements: • Promote gender equality and remove harmful gender norms • Advance human rights and promote health equity • Ensure health in all policies, laws and regulations. Recommended country actions and contributions of WHO Each of the above core elements contains a number of specific work areas. For each work area recommended country actions and WHO’s contributions are outlined, with definitions of respective roles, responsibilities and collaborating organizations. Country actions are necessarily focused on developing, adapting, implementing and evaluating national HIV responses in order to meet the national goals and targets of those of the strategy and to contribute to the multi-sectoral response to HIV. WHO’s contributions focus on providing normative guidance, policy advice and implementation guidance, and developing and disseminating a broad range of products and services to support country action. The main themes across all activities are: improving the efficiency and effectiveness of HIV responses, better integrating HIV programmes with other health programmes, supporting the strengthening of health and community systems, improving health access and equity, and ensuring that the health sector informs broader multi-sectoral responses, such as legal and policy reform. Strategy implementation: monitoring and evaluating progress The strategy includes details about how both countries and WHO will monitor progress in putting the strategy into action, including guidance on reporting - ranging from health information systems (including HIV surveillance) to reporting mechanisms at national and global levels with a series of existing and proposed indicators. The need for coordinated, evidence-based health sector action on HIV - building on the impressive progress that has been made to date - has never been greater. The strategy is the blueprint for that action