United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

East Asia and Pacific

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		Project Code and Sector Project Background and Justification Immediate Objective, Outputs and Main Activities Counterpart, Institutional Setting and Implementing Arrangements

AD/MYA/03/H08 - Reducing injecting drug use and HIV/AIDS vulnerability in Myanmar: Technical Coordination Unit

1. Project Code and Sector

2. Project Background and Justification

The United Nations System has recognized the HIV/AIDS epidemic as one of the major humanitarian challenges for Myanmar. UN agencies concerned (UNAIDS, WHO, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNODC), with the support of International NGOs and in close association with national institutions, have identified five areas for immediate action during 2003-2005 to counter the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The five priority areas have been translated into a comprehensive Joint Programme for HIV/AIDS: Myanmar 2003-2005. The second priority area, "Individual risk of HIV transmission among injecting drug users and their partners reduced" touches upon the international drug control mandate of UNODC. In this connection, UNODC has played a leading role during the negotiation and formulation of this component of the Joint Plan. However, given the budget and staffing constraints faced by the organization, UNODC in Yangon has limited technical and financial resources to continue playing this catalytic role.The proposed project will allow UNODC to play a dual role for the successful implementation of the "Injecting Drug Use and HIV/AIDS". Firstly, it will give UNODC the means to assist and push forward the comprehensive programme on "Injecting Drug Use and HIV/AIDS vulnerability" within the framework of the Joint Programme. Secondly, it will give UNODC the structure to effectively coordinate ongoing and future activities of all implementing partners including the Government, other UN agencies and local and international NGOs working in the field of Injecting Drug Use and HIV/AIDS prevention.

3. Immediate Objective, Outputs and Main Activities

Objective: To allow UNODC to continue playing its catalytic and co-ordinating role during the implementation of the plan by the different stakeholders, through the establishment of the Technical Co-ordination Unit (TCU). The TCU will support the TWG Sub-group on IDU and in the formulation, implementation, coordination and monitoring of the Injecting Drug Use Component (2) of the Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS: Myanmar: 2003 - 2005.

Output 1: A Technical Coordination (TCU) Unit is established and is operating.

Output 2: Implementation of "injecting Drug Use" Component 2 of the Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS: Myanmar 2003-2005 is supported, monitored and coordinated

4. Counterpart, Institutional Setting and Implementing Arrangements

The TCU facilitates collaboration among implementing partners in producing coordinated and comprehensive response to drug-related HIV in Myanmar. The collaboration efforts are supported by the TCU's administration and finance, data collection network, and procurement unit. The administration and finance supports the partners by managing logistics, costing, budgeting and allocating resources. The data collection network ensures the consistency of data assessment methods and capacity building activities, and consolidates progress reports and baseline and monitoring data. The procurement unit functions as a central unit for acquiring intervention supplies including methadone. The TCU also supports the partners' efforts in designing and delivering targeted advocacy strategies, and developing coordinated capacity building training and IEC/BCC.