"Comprehensive Partnership "Comprehensive Partnership Strategies for HIV/STI Prevention Strategies for HIV/STI Prevention

among Young People in the among Young People in the Russian Federation”Russian Federation”

Background – UNAIDSBackground – UNAIDS

“ The epidemic in Russia is fuelled by the extraordinary large and increasing number of young people, from all levels of society, who engage in drug injecting and high risk sexual behaviour…”

Project GoalProject Goal

To reduce the incidence of HIV/STI among youth by ensuring availability and access to information, education, services and commodities

Project Objectives Project Objectives

1) Develop local capacity building required for implementation of HIV/AIDS Strategic Plans;

2) Ensure access of youth to information, commodities and services;

3) Support the establishment of enabling environment for public, political and professional understanding of HIV/AIDS/STI prevention

Project Participants Project Participants

UN Agencies (UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO, ILO and UNAIDS)

Regional partners of Altai Krai and Volgograd

Region represented by the administrative authorities and non-governmental organizations

Other partners: Ministries of Health, Education,

Labour and Social Development, Interior, Justice

Beneficiaries Beneficiaries

youth, in particular, youth at risk

youth professionals (doctors, teachers, social workers, police officers) and NGOs

decision makers on HIV/AIDS prevention

Strategy of partnerships Strategy of partnerships

UNTG Partnership with the regional counterparts Collaboration with the federal Ministries Imperial College of London

Combination of approachesCombination of approaches

provision of informationadvocacyoutreachpeer educationyouth friendly and gender sensitive

servicesharm reductionaccess to commodities

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

Unecessarily complicated structure hindered balanced performance

Regional level inter-sectoral committees were not enough/competitive – formed working groups

Comprehensive approaches take time to build relationships at all levels. Expectations should be realistic!

Donors can be partners. Engaging them can both improve project performance and identify new opportunities (e.g. training center).

Good PracticeGood Practice

Project has demonstrated that together, UN family can achieve synergies not possible alone

DFID OPR: Likely to be achieved (2 on scale of 5).

UNFIP and DFID considering model of UN joint-programming, with lessons learned

First multi-sectoral training centre on comprehensive approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention in Russia – Altai

Multi-sectoral CentreMulti-sectoral Centre

Medical/psychological aspects of HIV/STI councelling and reproductive teenagers and youths from vulnerable groups

Information campaigns and advocacy in the field of HIV and other socially determined diseases prevention

Monitoring and evaluation of HIV/AIDS prevention Programmes

Training on harm reduction methodology and techniques for the workers of the low-threshold units