HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, Guideline 6, UNAIDS - This pre-publication edition of an update to the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights document issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) "updates the Guidelines to reflect new standards in HIV treatment and evolving international law on the right to health."

HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) Ethical Guidance for Research - A draft of this document is now available for review and comment; at this time the document is intended for discussion purposes only. "The document is presented in 5 parts. The first part provides a brief overview of the HPTN and the ethical framework for the document; the second part provides a summary of each of the guidance points in a tabular format for easy reference; the third part outlines the mechanism of translating each guidance point into action; and the fourth part provides specifications and justifications for the guidance points. The fifth part provides background information on the ethical challenges that led to the development of this guidance and the ethical debates surrounding these challenges." "The document is built on HPTN aspirations and synthesizes best practices and accepted standards for the conduct of ethical research."

Guidance for Institutional Review Boards for AIDS Studies - "This document is intended to provide guidance concerning studies involving acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) which are subject to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects, 45 CFR 46."

U.S. Policy on Informing Those Tested About HIV Serostatus - "The policy mandates that when HUV testing is conducted or supported by PHS, individuals whose test results are associated with personal identifiers must be informed of their own test results and provided with the opportunity to receive appropriate counseling. This policy applies to all intramural and all extramural PHS activities, including both research and service activities, domestic and foreign." Click on the link to read the complete policy document.

Funding, Educational and News Sources

At the sites listed below, the browser can find funding sources, educational resources, and news about HIV/AIDS.

AIDSinfo - The mission of AIDSinfo is "to offer the latest federally approved information on HIV/AIDS clinical research, treatment and prevention, and medical practice guidelines for consumers and health care providers."

AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP) at the Fogarty International Center at the NIH in the U.S.A. - "This program supports HIV/AIDS and related TB international training and research for foreign health scientists, clinicians, and allied health workers from developing countries and emerging democracies. The primary goal of this program is to build biomedical and behavioral research capacity for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and related TB infections… AITRP helps to: (i) establish critical biomedical and behavioral science expertise in developing countries affected by HIV/AIDS and TB; (ii) facilitate new prevention research efforts which supplement or complement NIH and other U.S. AIDS and TB research; (iii) establish long-term cooperative relationships between U.S. and foreign research groups; and (4) support cooperation between U.S. academic research centers and foreign scientists… Information about current AIRTP programs and instructions for prospective trainees hoping to participate in this program are available at this website."

The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) "is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of HIV/AIDS research, AIDS prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy…amfAR has invested nearly $190 million in support of its mission since 1985 and funded grants to over 1,900 research teams worldwide."

Brown University AIDS Program (BRUNAP) - "BRUNAP is nationally and internationally known as a center for training researchers and clinicians in AIDS-related disciplines."

Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) - Lifespan/Tufts/Brown, U.S.A "supports the training of clinical, laboratory, and public health researchers from East Asia to slow down HIV spread… through a direct collaboration with the NIH-funded Fogarty AIDS International Research and Training Program… Geographically focused in South and Southeast Asia, the Lifespan AITRP program sites are India, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh."

Family Health International (FHI) - "FHI strengthens programs in developing countries to prevent the spread of HUV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases and improve care for people with AIDS." http://www.fhi.org/fhi1.html "FHI currently conducts HIV/STI prevention and care programs in more than 30 countries in Africa and Near East, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and North America." http://www.fhi.org/en/aids/naids.html

FDA HIV/AIDS list serv - "The purpose of the list serve is to relay important information about HIV/AIDS-related products and issues, including product approvals, significant labeling changes, safety warnings, notices of upcoming public meetings and alerts to proposed regulatory guidances for comment." "The purpose of this e-mail list is to give patients, industry, academia, other government agencies and other interested parties one source for FDA HIV/AIDS related information. Information such as product approvals, significant labeling changes, safety warnings, notices of upcoming public meetings and alerts to proposed regulatory guidances for comment will be distributed through this e-mail list."

Harvard AIDS Institute - "Established in 1988, the Harvard AIDS Institute is dedicated to promoting research, education and leadership to end the AIDS epidemic in African and other resource-scarce settings… In its efforts to stem the epidemic, the Harvard AIDS Institute aims to strengthen technical and leadership skills through educational programs and enhance international capacities through collaborative research projects."

UNAIDS - "As the leading advocate for worldwide action against HIV/AIDS, the global mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an expanded response to the epidemic that will: (i) prevent the spread of HIV, (ii) provide care and support for those infected and affected by the disease, (iii) reduce the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV/AIDS, (iv) alleviate the socioeconomic and human impact of the epidemic." (http://www.unaids.org/about/what.asp) … In developing countries, UNAIDS operates mainly through the country-based staff of its seven cosponsors. Meeting as the host country's United Nations Theme Group on HIV/AIDS, representatives of the Cosponsoring organizations share information, plan and monitor coordinated action between themselves and with other partners, and decide on joint financing of major AIDS activities in support of the country's government and other national partners. The principal objective of the Theme Group is to support the host country's efforts to mount an effective and comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS."

UNAIDS, An infoDev Project: Case Study "Facilitating communications in response to HIV/AIDS in South-East Asia," July 2001 - "infoDev is a global grant programme managed by the World Bank to promote innovative projects on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), with a special emphasis on the needs of the poor in developing countries….This project involved Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other countries and provided e-mail connectivity to the Office of National AIDS Programmes in these countries. A biweekly update on matters related to the region's common response to HIV/AIDS was produced and distributed…[An] overall objective was to facilitate the exchange of information and experiences in the region, thereby expanding and strengthening the regional networks involved in HIV/AIDS."

UNAIDS, Meeting on care within the context of HIV/AIDS-related research in developing countries, May 1999, Summary of issues and conclusions. - "The objective of the meeting was to develop a framework of care that guarantees that the health needs of participants in HIV-related research in developing countries are given precedence, and that their personal and social integrity are fully protected." Topics addressed include: the framework of care, rights of participants, expectations of research participants, the standard of care, the role of sponsors in the provision of care during research, the proposed comprehensive care package for HIV-related interventional research, care in epidemiological and non-interventional research, et al.