24 May 2011

Training on “HIV/AIDS, Empowerment, and Advocacy” as part of the programme “HIV/AIDS National Capacity Building and Awareness Raising in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Mobile Populations”

24 national NGOs gathered today at the Hotel Europe, Sarajevo, in order to attend the first day of a three-day training on “HIV/AIDS, Empowerment, and Advocacy” which is part of the program “HIV/AIDS National Capacity Building and Awareness Raising in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Mobile Populations.”

In the official part of the program, participants were addressed by Gianluca Rocco, Chief of Mission of IOM Sarajevo, Dr. Goran Čerkez, Assistant Minister at the Federal Ministry of Health and president of the State body of the monitoring and implementing of HIV/AIDS projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Stella Stojisavljević, National coordinator of prevention of HIV in Republika Srpska from the Institute of Health Protection RS, and Klelija Balta, UNDP cluster coordinator.

Migrants and mobile populations are increasingly becoming an important key target population for HIV and AIDS activities since it has been shown that the conditions under which people migrate could expose them to a greater risk of HIV infection.

The training aims to strengthen communication, advocacy, and empowerment skills of NGOs linked to prevention, care, and the response to HIV/AIDS among mobile and host populations. The lecturers will be experts from Italy; Mr. G. Stefano Volpicelli, Mr. Germano Calvi, and Ms. Viviane Sacco.

The first day of the training involved areas of prevention, assistance, advocacy and lobby, and the NGO involvement in HIV public arena. The next two days of the training will develop a mutual action plan for future activities targeting mobile and host populations.

The program is funded by Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria for Bosnia and Herzegovina (GFATM), managed by UNDP and implemented by IOM.