Abstract

The international center for technical cooperation in HIV/AIDS and regional South-South cooperation initiatives in AIDS as a means for addressing key thematic areas

G. Liliequist, C. Passarelli, J. Nunes, G. Almeida

International Center for Technical Cooperation on HIV/AIDS, Brasilia, Brazil

Issues: The added value of regional initiatives based on horizontal cooperation in strengthening national AIDS responses.
Description: The International Center for Technical Cooperation on HIV/AIDS (ICTC) and partners has facilitated a number of regional South-South cooperation initiatives with a thematic focus.
Based on the principle of horizontal cooperation, these cooperation initiatives have been established jointly by the countries involved, in accordance with their specific needs and experiences. The initiatives have successfully served as a platform for countries to share their experiences and develop their capacity in specific thematic areas such as addressing the vulnerabilities of street children to HIV/AIDS or strengthening sexual education in schools. Bringing several countries together makes for particularly rich capacity development experiences that can also provide cost-benefits and lower operational engagements as compared to bilateral cooperation activities.
In addition to developing capacity, the initiatives may have the added benefit of building political support around the thematic areas concerned, which can occur both domestically and internationally. Successful experiences involving several countries may serve as an incentive for others. Regional initiatives may also generate regional cohesion which can be advantageous in promoting key policy areas globally, and lead to new South-South cooperation opportunities. Yet another benefit is that they provide an opportunity for improving coordination at regional and country-level.
Next steps: ICTC will seek to establish additional thematic initiatives around key policy areas, and bring together countries with similar demands in thematic activities in order to fully harness the benefits of this approach.
Lessons learned: Regional cooperation initiatives can be successful in building capacity and further policy development in specific thematic areas.