UN Under-Secretary General and UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown Visits Russia
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WHO UN in RUSSIA World Health Organization UN Under-Secretary General and UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown Visits Russia loch Brown undertook an official Oblasts governor Yuri Lodkin af- visit of Russia. He was accompanied ter the visit. by UNDP Director for Europe and the CIS Kalman Mizsei. In Moscow, Mr Malloch Brown met with State Duma Speaker Boris In the first leg of his trip, Mr Mal- Gryzlov, Prime Minister Mikhail loch Brown visited Bryansk in the Kasyanov, Minister of Foreign Af- Chernobyl-affected region of Russia. fairs Igor Ivanov, other top offi- Mr Mark Malloch Brown met with cials, as well as representatives of the Bryansk Oblasts governor Mr civil society and the business com- Yuri Lodkin and with representa- munity. tives of civil society to discuss sever- al initiatives of the Chernobyl recov- During these meetings, Mr Mark ery programme. Malloch Brown discussed Russias increasing role as a full-fledged part- We welcome UNDPs assistance ner in developmental assistance not only as a donor but especially as around the world, encouraged the Mr Mark Malloch Brown a provider of knowledge and advice active participation of civil society in From February 15th through 18, UN on economic development, and as a the policy dialogue, and advocated Under-Secretary General and partner in attracting international for a multi-sectoral approach in re- UNDP Administrator Mark Mal- investments to the area, said the sponse to HIV/AIDS. Contents: UNDP UNESCO UN Under-Secretary General and UNDP Administrator For Restoration of the Education System Mark Malloch Brown Visits Russia ............................ 1 in the Chechen Republic .......................................... 9 New UNDP Report Warns about the Risks UNESCO Awaits Full Report on Lake Baikal ............... 9 of a Generalized HIV/AIDS Epidemic ......................... 2 UNICEF OCHA Welcome to My Family, Yura! ................................. 10 Jan Egeland, UN Under-Secretary-General Visits The International Festival of TV Programmes the Russian Federation ............................................ 4 for Children and Youth ........................................... 12 WPF Mr Carel De Rooy Appointed UNICEF Representative Visit of WFP Executive Director, James Morris, for the Russian Federation and Belarus .................. 12 to Russia ................................................................ 5 WHO UNHCR Road Safety Is No Accident .................................. 13 High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers Health Sector Coordination in Russia.................... 14 Meets with President of the Republic of Ingushetia Launch of the Health Care Systems in Transition Murat Zyazikov ........................................................ 6 Profile on the Russian Federation ......................... 15 Angelina Jolie Releases a New Online Journal UNIC on Her Trip to Russia ............................................... 6 The UN and International Laws Future: A Look from UNSECOORD Moscow ................................................................ 16 Meeting Office of the United Nations Security UNA - Russia Coordinator in the Russian Federation ...................... 7 The Youth Learn to Elect ........................................ 16 1 UN in RUSSIA UN Development Programme New UNDP Report Warns about the Risks of a Generalized HIV/AIDS Epidemic By 2015 all United Nations Member States have pledged to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS (from UN Millennium Development Goals) A Televised debate, dedicated to presentation of a new United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Report Reversing the Epidemic: Facts and Policy Options was held at the Russian Information Agen- cy Novosti on 17 February. The Report offers the first comprehen- sive profile of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 28 countries of East and South Eastern Europe, the Baltics and the CIS. as well as experts, representatives of in the region, the growth in new HIV NGO and mass media took part in infections reported over the last sev- the debates followed by press con- eral years in Estonia, Russia and ference. Ukraine are among the worlds highest. Upwards of one out of ev- The participants, responding to the ery one hundred adults living in Report, expressed their alarm: East- these three countries is now estimat- ern Europe has some of the fastest ed to be carrying the virus a growing rates of HIV/AIDS in the threshold above which efforts to world. The impact is compounded turn back the epidemic have failed by still insufficient public awareness, in many other countries. Also, if not The panel discussion was moderat- frequent stigmatization and lack of curbed, the disease will threaten de- ed by Vladimir Pozner, a well-known adequate policy instruments to cope velopment prospects in Eastern journalist from Russian TV Chan- with the disease. Nonetheless, the Europe and the CIS. nel One the main state channel. UN region also has success stories, from Under-Secretary General Mark which valuable lessons should be Data from the region unambiguous- Malloch Brown, who undertook an taken. ly points to the socio-economic and official visit of Russia, Director of governance dimensions of the epi- the UNDP Regional Bureau for Eu- The Report offers HIV/AIDS pro- demic. Members of at-risk groups rope and CIS Kalman Mizsei, Direc- files for the countries of the region, are often subject to social exclusion, tor of UNDP Regional Centre in describes high-risks groups and the poverty, stigmatisation, or incarcer- Bratislava Ben Slay, Special Repre- behaviours that make them vulner- ation. Also, the above-average prev- sentative of the WHO Director Gen- able to infection, and discusses why alence of HIV in the regions over- eral in Russia Dr Mikko Vienonen human rights is an es- crowded penal institutions which sential ingredient for the Report calls real HIV incuba- fighting the epidemic. tors is a serious cause for concern. The Report also touches upon the is- According to the Report, the disease sues of decriminalis- threatens to affect the regions pros- ing injecting drug use pects for economic growth and hu- and undertaking com- man development. The epidemic will prehensive prison re- put new strains on already overbur- form. The inclusion of dened social protection systems. If the marginalized groups epidemic generalizes premature mor- in policy processes is bidity and mortality in age cohorts also considered a key with high productive capacities could element in the re- reduce annual GDP growth by one sponse to HIV/AIDS. full percentage point, a tremendous impact for any country. Increased Vladimir Pozner moderates the panel discussion at Despite a compara- health expenditures associated with the Russian Information Agency "Novosti" tively low prevalence treating people living with AIDS 2 UN in RUSSIA UN Development Programme the Advisory Council on spread of the epidemic. They have HIV/AIDS at the Ministry been able to leverage progress in of Health of the Russian building social tolerance into effec- Federation, comprised of tive responses to HIV/AIDS. At the government and civil soci- same time, a relatively successful ety leaders, and support- transition outcome does not in itself ed by UNDP, represents a guarantee an effective response, as successful example of such a partnership. Of the 80,000 people in the entire region who, accord- ing to WHO guidelines, Mark Malloch Brown: "This report does not currently require treatment simply analyse the problems: it offers concrete for AIDS, only 7,000 now solutions. Drawing on best practices and on the receive it. This comes de- proven experience of countries and communities spite dramatically expand- where HIV/AIDS prevention and care have ed access to treatment and produce results, it sets out a series of new initiatives to lower the recommendations for policy makers, costs of antiretreviral ther- government institutions, business and civil apy. Some 70 percent of society actors on exactly how that can be done. the approximately 3,000 Director of UNDP Regional Centre A product of the joint efforts of a team of people in CIS countries in Bratislava Ben Slay researchers drawn from UN agencies, civil who are receiving antire- society organisations and other partners, it is a treviral therapy live in Rus- is apparent in the case of Estonia, powerful call to action" sia. According to the Re- which combines one of the regions port, extensive use of could consume one to three percent- successful transitions with some of monotherapeutic antiretreviral reg- age points of annual GDP. These fig- its highest HIV prevalence rates. iments in this region increases the ures represent particular challenges risk of generating a drug-resistant for the poorest CIS countries. All experts concur that delays are strain of HIV. This risk needs to be disastrous when dealing with HIV/ closely monitored by the appropri- The growing socio-economic threat AIDS. Just as in some CIS countries ate authorities. posed by HIV/AIDS places in- today, only twelve years ago South creased pressure on policy makers Africa too saw less than 1% of its A number of countries in Central particularly in the Western CIS and adult population infected now that and South-Eastern Europe, such as the Baltic states to avert what is rate is twenty times higher.It is al- Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slo- becoming a devastating public ready too late to speak of avoiding vakia have recorded important suc- health problem. The Report sup- a crisis in Eastern Europe and the cesses