The 6th Annual Focal Point Meeting entitled “Implementing a Global Strategy through Regional Coordination for National Impact” was held March 22-24, 2008, in Amman, Jordan.

Amman:
The gathering provided the attendees with an increased understanding of HARPAS goals and vision, as well as an overview of HARPAS activities with UNDP Country Offices and other partners for 2008, aligning all these with the global strategy of the Bureau of Development Policy HIV Group.

The meeting’s participants included the HIV Focal Points in each of the UNDP Country Offices of the Arab States, as well as Mr. Luc Stevens, UN Resident Coordinator in Jordan, Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, RBAS Deputy Regional Director, and Mr. Sayed Aqa, UN Resident Coordinator Bahrain.

Mr. Jeffrey O’Malley, BDP HIV Group’s Practice Director, was a key presenter in the meeting, and he emphasized during the opening ceremony, “We should not be apologetic for working on HIV because of other priorities,” because good HIV work will benefit development work as a whole.

HARPAS’ activities and commitments were reviewed in the workshop and Mr. Walid Badawi, UNDP Iraq Deputy Resident Representative and former RBAS HIV Advisor emphasized that, “HARPAS initiatives have been revolutionary on many fronts.”

During the meeting, participants heard testimonies of people living with HIV (PLWH), who joined the meeting as special guests to speak about the challenges they face every day, and also about their commitment to participate in the response to HIV in their region.

The participants then engaged in leadership building exercises, providing experiential learning on HIV in order to develop a better understanding of the realities that PLWH and other vulnerable groups face.

Other special guests included sessions with religious leaders who are active in HARPAS programs and in building leadership to respond to HIV in their region.  The religious leaders shared with participants their experiences, successes, and challenges with HIV work in their communities.  Finally, the Focal Points led sessions presenting success stories and lessons learned regarding HIV/AIDS in their countries, and closed with strategy planning sessions for prioritizing shared needs and further cooperation opportunities.