26.07.2010 The ex-president of the United States Bill Clinton ñalls for Harm Reduction at the Opening Session of the XVIII International AIDS Conference.
21.07.2010 Alliance-Ukraine cordially congratulates Nikolaev Oblast Youth Civil Movement “Penitentiary initiative” and Donetsk Charitable Organization “Club “Svitanok” on the international Red Ribbon Award they won along with 25 organizations form all over the world. Moreover, on July 21 at the celebration ceremony in the framework of Vienna conference “Penitentiary initiative” was announced the winner in the “Ensuring that people living with HIV receive treatment” nomination.
16.07.2010 From June 29th to July 9th, 2010 Alliance-Ukraine held the first Summer School on work with volunteers in penitentiary system with participation of 40 employees of NGOs that implement projects on HIV prevention among prisoners. Classes were conducted as a training of trainers, so participants gained trainers skills that will be helpful in working with volunteers among the prisoners and also completed training module on training of volunteers, developed by specialists of organization “Penitentiary Initiative”, Mykolaiv. Schools’ trainers were Olena German, Olena Chuprina and Marina Braga. Best Summer School graduates with high level of trainers’ skills were Sergiy Dmitriev, Kharkiv Regional Office of “All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV” and Andriy Ovsyannikov, CF “Z Nadieyu (With hope)”, Krivyi Rih.
15.07.2010 The Alliance-Ukraine signed the official Declaration of the XVIII International AIDS Conference (18-23 July, 2010, Vienna) calling on governments and international organisations, including the United Nations, to support the decriminalisation of drug users and the implementation of evidence-based approaches to drug control.
02.07.2010 A meeting of the National TB and HIV/AIDS Council chaired by the Minister of Health Zynoviy Mytnyk was held at the MoH of Ukraine on July 1, 2010. Following consideration of recommendations of the technical appraisal group and voting of the members of the National Council, the All-Ukrainian Network of People, Living with HIV/AIDS, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian AIDS Center, MoH of Ukraine were defined as the principal recipients of the Global Fund grant for the 10th round, AIDS component. The National Council also approved a resolution to maximally consider program proposal, submitted by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine, the All-Ukrainian Network of People, Living with HIV/AIDS and the Ministry for Family, Youth and Sport when developing the Application of Ukraine to the Global Fund. Besides, based on the results of the report of Alliance-Ukraine on violation of rights of healthcare workers and SMT programs patients, the National Council resolved to hold a joint panel of the MoH and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine to solve all the problem situations with regard to this issue within month term.
02.07.2010 A meeting of the National Coordination Council on Drugs at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine was held on June 30, 2010 in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. “The Ministry of Internal Affairs fully supports substitution maintenance therapy”, - told deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Leonid Zyma, who chaired the meeting. He also expressed his preference for use of liquid pharmaceutical forms for SMT patients treatment. Furthermore, the meeting participants reviewed proposals of the Alliance-Ukraine with regard to holding of a joint extended session to consider problems in implementation of SMT programs in Ukraine and protection of lawful rights of patients and healthcare workers. We offer you an on-the-spot television report.
17.05.2010 The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (May 17). Dr. Yuriy Kobyshcha, Alliance-Ukraine Governing Board Chairman, Victoria Sanovska, representative of the Ministry of Ukraine for Family, Youth and Sports, Anna Dovbakh, Alliance-Ukraine Head of team: Policy & Knowledge Sharing, and other guests addressed journalists during the press-conference that took place at the UNIAN news agency on the eve. In particular, the participants stated that homophobia in Ukraine is undermining efforts to reduce HIV transmission among MSM – a high-risk group for HIV/AIDS.
14.05.2010 AIDS Memorial Day – May 16, 2010.
Activities of Alliance-Ukraine and its partners:
AIDS Memorial Ceremony. Kiev, Ivana Mazepy, 23 (next to the Red Ribbon memorial place). May 14, 10:00 a.m.
• Living libraries at 5 Ukrainian regions (Ukr). May 11-28 • Other events (Ukr).
12.05.2010
The recent decision of The National Council to Fight Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS (headed by Vice Premier Volodymyr Seminozhenko) supports a number of Alliance-Ukraine initiatives, in particular, on substitution maintenance therapy.
25.03.2010 March 17-19 2010, International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine supported by International Renaissance Foundation and Levi Strauss Foundation held the work meeting of lawyers of partnership NGOs working in HIV/AIDS sphere and joint work meeting of representatives of Human Rights Monitoring Department of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and Minister Executives in regions. (Kyiv, Bratislava hotel).
That was the first initiative uniting representatives of HIV-servicing organizations and Human Rights Department of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. It is worth mentioning that the above mentioned department attached to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine is unique in the sense that there are no similar human rights services attached to police departments in the world that are aimed at controlling the work of police in order to prevent violations of human rights and power abuse by police representatives.
In the course of the meeting, representatives of NGOs were informed on main functions and activities of Human Rights Monitoring Department of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and Minister Executives in regions. In their turn, representatives of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine were provided with information on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs targeted at vulnerable groups and implemented by NGOs . Participants of the joint meeting discussed typical problems related to police interference in HIV-servicing organizations’ activities and to violation of human rights by police representatives. They also developed effective action models to respond human rights violation cases and effective methods of cooperation with representatives of Human Rights Monitoring Department of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and Minister Executives in regions.
Such work meetings of NGO lawyers are planned to be held on regular basis. That will contribute to HIV-servicing program development and program supporting provided by police.
26.02.2010 The annual report for 2009 that has just been published by the UN International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) says that general number of opioid drug users in Ukraine is estimated at the level of 323 000 - 423 000 that is the second depressing result (that comes after Russian Federation’s result).
Taking into account the fact that the mentioned opioids are used through injection, Ukraine and Russia keep the leading pace by spreading HIV/AIDS in Europe. Correspondingly, injection drug users for almost 15 years have been staying the driving force of HIV/AIDS epidemic in the state.