• National Religious Leaders Training
  Puntland/Somaliland, 9-17 August 2007


• Regional Religious Leaders 'Leadership for Results' Workshop
  Algiers, Algeria, 2-5 July 2007


• Regional Religious Leader 'Behavioral Change' Workshop
  Rabat, Morocco, 12-15 May 2007


• National Religious Leaders Training
  Bahrain, 22-24 April 2007


• Religious Leaders Training Workshop
  Djibouti, 4-7 April 2007


• National Religious Leaders Training Workshop
  Rabat, Morocco, 10-12 March 2007


• Regional Religious Leaders Steering Committee Meeting
  Cairo, Egypt, 18-20 February 2007


• National Religious Leaders Training
  Tunis, Tunisia, 27-30 November 2006


• Second Regional Religious Leaders Forum in response to HIV/AIDS in the Arab States
  Cairo, Egypt, 6-9 November 2006


• National Religious Leaders Training on HIV/AIDS in Libya
  Libya, May 2006


• Regional Women Religious Leaders Training on HIV/AIDS
  Tripoli Libya, May 2006


• 5 Sub-regional Workshops
  from July to September 2005


• Steering Committee Meeting
  Cairo, Egypt, 23-26 May 2005


• Regional Colloquium for Religious Leaders on HIV/AIDS in the Arab States
  Cairo, Egypt, 11-13 December 2004


• Preliminary Religious Leaders technical meeting
  Damascus, Syria, 28 June- 1 July 2004

A successful response to HIV/AIDS is one that needs the true involvement of the whole community acting together as one force complementing and supporting each other. A key influential actor in this Arab community is the religious leaders; their impact is one that cannot be neglected. They have legitimacy, a durable presence and even more than that; they help shape the social values and norms of people and are well positioned to influence public attitudes and national policies related to HIV/AIDS.

Religious leaders have a tremendous role to play in increasing awareness, stimulating an effective political response, creating a supportive environment for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. They are the ones who can change the punitive messages to compassionate ones by addressing the community backed up by the true messages of our religions that are evident in their verses and scripts.

In this context, the need to have the religious leaders as an ally in this response was a must, not only for the transformation of the people they address through the Mosques and Churches but also for giving support to other key actors to continue their work on HIV/AIDS.

Empowering women to act in response to the developmental challenges of HIV/AIDS is a key piece of the puzzle both to the Arab women's struggle for equality and the region's response to HIV/AIDS. By improving their knowledge and facilitating their access to the appropriate and relevant information, UNDP will address knowledge constraints.

Mobilizing religious leaders to address stigma, taboos and condemnation was thought to be an impossible task in the recent past. It is a tribute to the Arab region that Muslim and Christian leaders have now joined hands and responded to HIV/AIDS in unprecedented ways during the Regional Colloquium on Religious Leaders and HIV/AIDS in the Arab region that was held in Cairo in December 2004.

. Cairo Declaration signed by 80 prominent religious leaders from 19 Arab countries during the Cairo Colloquium and endorsed by more than 300 others, declaring their commitment to the HIV/AIDS response. This declaration carries messages of compassion and dedication which will open the door for action not only to other religious leaders but to all stakeholders involved in the response to HIV/AIDS from the government to the civil society.

. Religious leaders' kits one for each of the Muslim and Christian faiths. They consist of a set of awareness lessons about HIV/AIDS with references from the Qura'an and the Bible serving as an advocacy and preaching tool for religious leaders. The kits provide the religious leaders with user friendly material that can be easily used in their preaching where HIV/AIDS is hoped to be mainstreamed.

. Action plan for each of the Muslim and Christian faiths regarding their role as key actors in the HIV/AIDS response.

. Religious Leaders Regional Steering committee created to facilitate the follow-up phase and guide us in the next steps.

. Tripoli Declaration endorsed by 80 Women Religious Leaders during the Regional Women Religious Leaders Forum, held in Libya in May 2006. This declaration focuses on the rights of Women and Children to protect themselves from HIV infections, from a religious point of view.

. Currently there are 40,000 Christian and Muslim HIV/AIDS Kits developed by and for Arab Religious Leaders and published and accessible through HARPAS. A total of five sub-regions have received training courses using these religious Kits, and now country level trainings require funding for country-level follow-up. In order to catalyze this flagship programme to the next phase of implementation another major religious leaders Colloquium titled CHAHAAMA- Chabakit Al Haya'at Alimaniya Al Ma'aniya b'il AIDS - network of Faith Based Organizations dealing with HIV/AIDS- was held in Cairo, November 2006. The aim of this Colloquium was to bring together the hundreds of Christian, Muslim, female and male religious leaders in the Arab region who have been mobilized via this initiative to further network and plan new ways to reach vulnerable groups and the broader community. As with the first Cairo Colloquium, this second Colloquium was held under the auspices of the League of Arab States and welcomed leadership from Al-Azhar, the Coptic Pope as well as hundreds of national leaders who have pioneered this sectors' remarkable response to HIV/AIDS in the region. There were four to eight thematic regional and sub-regional workshops to further address issues including Female Genital Mutilation, Transient marriages, Harm reduction, and reaching for vulnerable groups. "Experience exchange for Action" training plans was also held in place to empower religious leaders to implement programmes to provide care and support to PLWH, and reach out for vulnerable groups. An award for the best practices among Faith Based Organizations (FBO) is also contemplated, as well as the production of religious media material including TV series and printed material.

. Disseminate the religious leaders' folder to all stakeholders involved, which contains all documents of the initiative.

Morocco - Rabat, 7-12 July 2005
Countries covered: Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
Total number of participants: 60
Main Outcomes: Individual and National Action Plans were formulated on how to mainstream HIV/AIDS in the religious context.

Syria - Damascus, 9-12 August 2005
Muslim Workshop; Countries covered: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria.
Total number of participants: 40
Christian Workshop; Countries covered: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan and Syria.
Total number of participants: 40
Main Outcomes: Individual and National Action Plans were formulated on how to mainstream HIV/AIDS in the religious context.

Morocco - Rabat, 7-12 July 2005 Countries covered: Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
Total number of participants: 60
Main Outcomes: Individual and National Action Plans were formulated on how to mainstream HIV/AIDS in the religious context.

Yemen - San'a, 17-20 September 2005
Countries covered: Djibouti, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan
Total number of participants: 40

Kuwait - Kuwait City, 24-27 September 2005
Countries covered: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
Total number of participants: 40

Religious Leaders Initiative Folder:
Cairo Declaration (Arabic - English - French)
Religious Leaders Report (Arabic Part1-Part2 and English)
Religious Leaders Kits (Muslim and Christian)
Religious Leaders Video
Media Document (Cover Page - Report)
Sub-regional Workshops Report (Methodology and Best Practices)

For more information on this initiative please contact
HARPAS Regional Coordinator

Dr. Khadija Moalla
Khadija.moalla@undp.org