UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board addresses HIV in prisons for the first time
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) held its 37th meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on 26–28 October 2015, and for the first time the agenda included HIV in prisons and other closed settings.
Expanding investment in efforts to reduce HIV transmission and increase coverage of HIV prevention, treatment and care services in prisons through evidence-informed and rights-based strategies is necessary to end the AIDS epidemic.
Outcomes of the Meeting
The Joint Programme was requested to support Member States and civil society in the following:
- strengthening a human rights and public health approach to prison health; and
- accelerating efforts to increase access to knowledge and evidence based HIV prevention, treatment and care services for people of all ages in prisons and other closed settings, including for women and girls, people living with HIV and other key populations;
These actions should be carried out in line with the UNAIDS Strategy 2016-2021: On the Fast-Track to end AIDS and the revised United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. The Joint Programme was also requested to report on concrete actions taken.
The Joint Programme and relevant partners were encouraged to address issues related to HIV and health in prisons and other closed settings by:
- building upon the momentum and fully engaging in the 2016 Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the World Drug Problem and in the 2016 High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS; and
- encouraging collaboration between justice, health and other relevant ministries in relation to HIV and health in prisons and closed settings to ensure the highest attainable standard of health.
Background
Virtually all prisoners will return to their communities, many within a few months to a year. Health in prisons and other closed settings is thus closely connected to the health of the wider society, especially as it relates to communicable diseases. Globally, prisons are characterized by relatively high prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis, as well as elevated risks for contracting such diseases and diminished access to health services. Prison populations are predominantly composed of men aged 19–35 years, a segment of the population that is at higher risk of HIV infection prior to entering prison.
