UNAIDS Secretariat

Overview

The UNAIDS Secretariat, in concert with Cosponsors, drives the global HIV response and mobilizes political commitment and resources. It ensures coordinated strategic focus, effective functioning and accountability across the Joint Programme’s work to support countries and communities in reaching the objectives and global AIDS targets of the 2021–2026 Global AIDS Strategy and the 2021 UN General Assembly Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS.

Using an inequalities lens, the UNAIDS Secretariat advocates for global health and social justice including equitable access to HIV services, empowers communities and improves the enabling environment and the sustainability of the HIV response.

Five Secretariat Functions detail the core role and responsibilities of the Secretariat to deliver results through contributing to all Result Areas to achieve the Joint Programme three outcomes (as defined in UNAIDS Unified Budget, Results & Accountability Framework (UBRAF) and save lives in collaboration with convening Cosponsors according to the UNAIDS Division of Labour.

S1. Leadership, advocacy and communication

S1: Engage political and community leaders, high-level platforms, activists, other champions and key stakeholders to address the multisectoral nature of the global AIDS epidemic, reduce inequalities and reach the end of AIDS as a public health threat and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

S2. Partnerships, mobilization, and innovation

S2: Enhance political will, convene strategic initiatives and partnerships, and foster mobilization of sustainable resources. Provide thought leadership, advocacy, knowledge management, and guidance, tools and support for a rights-based, gender transformative AIDS response–– including through innovative and community-led approaches.

S3. Strategic information

S3: Collect pertinent data from countries and report progress towards global HIV response targets. Lead the HIV response tracking and reporting. Enhance countries’ strategic information capacities on the AIDS epidemic and response and guide the reduction of HIV-related inequalities.

S4. Coordination, convening and country implementation support

S4: Work with countries and communities to strengthen national mechanisms for effective coordination and coherence. Support inclusive and sustainable national HIV responses to reduce inequalities and end AIDS as a public health threat through UN Joint Teams on AIDS in countries and other global and regional interagency mechanisms.

S5. Governance and mutual accountability

S5: Mobilize, facilitate and support Member States’ and other PCB stakeholders’ equal and effective engagement in governance of the Joint Programme and in its contribution to the implementation of the Global AIDS Strategy and the 2030 Agenda. Lead the Joint Programme’s mutual accountability mechanisms for results and resources, evidence-informed decision-making, evaluations and transparency to enhance its impact.

UNAIDS Secretariat Performance

In 2022 and 2023, the UNAIDS Secretariat ensured coordinated strategic focus, effective functioning and accountability across the Joint Programme’s work to support countries and communities in reaching the objectives and global AIDS targets.

Sustained political commitment and advocacy to achieve the Global AIDS Strategy targets (HIV reflected in 20 high-level political meetings and outcome documents)
State-of the art strategic information guided the global response, including updated HIV estimates (174 countries, including 124 directly supported), capacity built for granular analysis.156 countries submitted a report against Global AIDS Monitoring indicators
Guided evidence-informed national responses for impact including through coordinated support for updated National Strategic Plans on HIV (over 80 countries) and Global Fund HIV grants (80 countries)
Convened global strategic initiatives to accelerate action especially for prevention, education, stigma & discrimination and AIDS in children
Coordinated and leveraged the UN convening power for inclusive and meaningful dialogue and partnerships with communities, governments, and other key stakeholders, including close synergies with Global Fund & PEPFAR for effective country support
Improved knowledge HIV-related inequalities through HIV and AIDS inequality visualization platform, as well as tangible framework and country toolkit
Ensured strong governance and accountability mechanisms, including the External Oversight Advisory Committee, updated UNAIDS Results and Transparency portal and 80% of evaluations consistently implemented and recommendations tracked
New Resources Mobilization Strategy including UNAIDS Value proposition