Norway's HIV and AIDS policy : position paper in development cooperation

The main focus of Norway's HIV and AIDS policy is to prevent more people becoming infected by the virus. It follows two main lines.
Firstly, funding and knowledge are primarily invested in broad multilateral efforts that follow the UN guidelines for achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support.

In addition, a limited number of priority themes are promoted where Norway can play a particularly valuable role through its policies, alliances and initiatives, and where Norway can act as a prime mover. These themes include gender based discrimination, sexuality (including homosexuality), prevention, and the need to bring greater openness to these areas.

There is an endless list of tasks that are important in addressing HIV and AIDS. Norway should give priority to areas where it can make a real difference and to areas that others chose not to prioritise. In a world where 11 000 new people are being infected every day, Norway wishes to focus its HIV and AIDS policy on the following areas:
• women, gender and power, including sexual and reproductive health and rights;
• particularly vulnerable groups (men who have sex with men, injecting drug users (IDUs) etc.);
• young people;
• legislation relating to HIV and AIDS;
• local communities and local democracy in an HIV and AIDS perspective;
• health personnel and health systems;
• prevention of mother-to-child transmission.