ZIMBABWE:
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations]
JOHANNESBURG, 22 February (PLUSNEWS) - Further reductions in Zimbabwe's
HIV/AIDS prevalence rate depends largely on the greater involvement of
the country's youth in the fight against the pandemic, according to the
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Formerly a high prevalence country, Zimbabwe recently became the first
Southern African nation to report a significant decline in HIV
infection, from 24.6 percent in 2003 to 20.1 percent in 2005. However, UNICEF
warned that much of this success could be lost depending on how society
chooses to engage its youth - the population group most at risk from
the HI virus.
"The recommended involvement of youths comes down to the willingness of
communities and guardians to openly discuss the dangers of the pandemic
with their children," UNICEF spokesman James Elder told PlusNews.
UNICEF hopes its recently expanded Young People We Care (YPWC) project would
help empower the country's youths to take the message of
"self-protection" forward.
Commenting on the role of YPWC, Elder said: "It aims to encourage young
people to become more involved in the care of people living with and
affected by AIDS, while engaging them in activities that will reduce
further HIV transmission among their peers and break through existing
taboos," Elder noted.
Under the project, some 7,000 young volunteers accompany UNICEF's
home-based care facilitators on visits to affected households. While
facilitators provide primary care to the ill, youths carry out household
chores and dispense psychosocial support to peers who have lost parents to
the pandemic.
However, the Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT), an NGO working with local
youth, says much more still had to be done to target young people.
"Aside from a few dedicated organisations, very little emphasis has been
placed on the role of young people as peer educators and proponents of
appropriate behaviour change," FACT spokesperson Bertha Mukome told
PlusNews.
An epidemiological review 'Evidence for HIV decline in Zimbabwe'
released by UNAIDS late last year, concluded that the decline in national
prevalence rates was partly due lower rates of new infections among young
people.
A posting of PlusNews/IRIN

Action: CIVICUS Membership Outreach Intern
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
******************************************
[Mods note: please note that the closing date for this application is
27th February 2006.]
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CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
MEMBERSHIP OUTREACH INTERN
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is an international
alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society
throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy
and citizens' freedom of association are threatened. Established in 1993
and originally based in Washington, DC, CIVICUS is now based in
Johannesburg, South Africa.
CIVICUS is recruiting a Membership Outreach Intern to assist with the
global membership recruitment activities, and to provide administrative
assistance to the Membership Department. The Membership Outreach Intern
will work under the overall supervision of the Membership Manager.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Draft membership correspondence in English and at least one second
language (Spanish, Arabic, or French);
* Provide desk research, writing, and translation support, as per
requirements of the department;
* Assist in the coordination of electronic and/or postal mailings to
members and prospective members;
* Maintain files and assist in updating the membership database
records;
* Perform administrative tasks as identified.
REQUIRED COMPETENCIES
* University degree or relevant professional experience working with an
international NGO;
* Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and at
least one of the following languages: Spanish, Arabic or French;
proficiency in additional UN languages will be an advantage;
* Strong knowledge in geography;
* Computer literate with working knowledge of Microsoft Office;
knowledge in MS ACCESS will be an advantage;
* Excellent administrative and organisational skills;
* Ability to work successfully individually and as a contributing
member of an effective team.
Applicants should send their CV and a covering letter via email to:
humanresources@civicus.org.
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Closing Date: 27 February 2006
Eric Muragana
E: eric@civicus.org

****************
At a public hearing held today at the European Parliament in Brussels,
EU governments were called upon to ensure that public funding in
research be primarily invested in meeting public needs and priorities,
including specific health needs of populations in developing
countries.
Affecting hundreds of millions, infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS,
malaria, tuberculosis and the most neglected diseases such as
leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and sleeping sickness kill 35,000
people each day. Although basic scientific knowledge about these
diseases has progressed, there has been poor translation of this
knowledge into essential medicines that meet the needs of millions of
patients by being safe, effective, affordable, and easy-to-use.
In January this year, the Executive Board of the World Health
Organization (WHO) took the first step in addressing these priority
health needs by forwarding to the World Health Assembly (WHA) a
resolution proposed by Kenya and Brazil that calls for the WHO to
create a new global framework on research and development (R&D). This
proposal, which received support from a cross-party group of Members
of the European Parliament, will be considered for adoption at the WHA
in May.
"We welcome the EU parliament's support for a greater WHO role in
priority setting for research and development," said Dr. Tido von
Schoen-Angerer, Director for Research and Development at MSF's
Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines.
"Two major issues must be addressed by all governments: the
prioritization of needs-driven drug research and development as well
as sufficient and sustainable funding for this research," remarked Dr.
Els Toreele of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).
"European governments must provide greater support for something real
to happen."
At the hearing today, a panel of scientists and medical professionals
urged European governments to provide greater political leadership
through the Seventh Framework Programme for European Research (FP7) to
ensure sustainable, increased global funding for health research and
to speed up the translation of scientific progress into effective
treatments for neglected patients most in need.
"Public leadership is needed to define needs and set up priorities for
neglected diseases R&D," said Bernard Pecoul, Executive Director of
DNDi. "FP7 should include the most neglected diseases in its
priorities, and some of the existing European mechanisms like the
EDCTP (European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership)
must broaden their mandate to include research on most neglected
diseases and further enable the transfer of technology to
disease-endemic countries. Stronger North-South and South-South
collaboration will help reduce the heavy disease burden of poorer
countries in the long run."
Based in Geneva, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) is
an independent, not-for-profit drug development initiative that aims
to develop new, improved, and field-relevant drugs for neglected
diseases such as leishmaniasis, human African trypanosomiasis, Chagas
disease, and malaria. DNDi's partners include MSF, Institut Pasteur,
and public sector research institutions from Brazil, Kenya, Malaysia,
and India; along with the WHO's Tropical Diseases Research program
acting as a permanent observer. With a current portfolio of 20
projects in various stages of drug research and development, DNDi also
works to raise awareness about the need for greater R&D for neglected
diseases and strengthens existing research capacity in disease-endemic
countries. For further information: http://www.dndi.org
To learn more about the public hearing, click here:
http://www.epha.org/a/2114
Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative
1 Place St Gervais
1201 Geneva
Switzerland
http://www.dndi.org
Please support the R&D Appeal urging governments to boost innovation
for neglected diseases.-sign up at http://www.researchappeal.org
Online at:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=37407&nfid=crss
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Stay Connected - Speak your world!
A posting from: Keep the Promise: Start Making Sense!

Leadership is a process and not a person. This I have had to learn from various interactions with diverse culture and intellects over the brooding years. My likes have found it good in some areas I would never have ventured to partake, considering morality. But the fact of life states that when a man can not take a risk, he can not succeed at what might infeably make him great.

I wish to become a member in the interest of developing myself and expanding more on the diverse knowledge that can be acquired from meeting individuals of like minds. The state of nations today has created a lot of opportunity for positive and negative issues that needs to be discussed before it goes out of hand. Thus, my desire to join this Alliance to create an atmosphere of growth and development.

My interest lies in the desire to help build a formidable force with integrity, devoid of political mechanization’s but the will of brotherhood in all nationalities. I hope to empower and be empowered in all means to strengthen and inspire greater minds for greater assignment in rebuilding the Global Village.

I strongly believe that I would be able to empower and promote the ideals of the Organization, as well as ensure we get to the next level in the interest Youth Worldwide. It is just to see justice and wish to be part of it. I dream to participate as delegated in the Nigeria Committee of the World Youth Alliance, USA.

Akinbo A. A. Cornerstone