Quarterly Progress Report # 14: HIV PLEDGE Project

The project is implemented by the UNODC Programme Office in Ukraine in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, and other government agencies. The project is funded by USAID/Ukraine and builds on the existing work of the UNODC's regional programme XCEA01. The project's goal is to build support among Ukrainian law enforcement officials and other key government stakeholders for HIV/AIDS and drug dependence treatment services targeted at MARPs. To achieve this goal, the project has three objectives: (i) create an environment supportive of evidence-informed and human-rights based HIV and drug dependence treatment programmes for MARPs; (ii) strengthen capacities of the State Penitentiary Service, public health, and social services to provide comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, and care services, including drug dependence treatment in prison settings; and (iii) improve the capacity of the drug dependence treatment system (narcological services) to provide integrated HIV prevention and drug treatment services. During the reporting period (January 1, 2015 - March 31, 2015), the project made progress in achieving its objectives. Key activities included facilitating participation of Ukrainian law enforcement partners in international conferences on public health, drugs, and HIV/AIDS issues, conducting training workshops on OST and NSP for police staff in pilot regions, and providing small-scale grants to NGOs for piloting effective collaboration and referral schemes involving law enforcement. The project also undertook assessments of current curriculum and training programmes used at police training institutions and facilitated technical workshops with police training institutions. However, some activities were postponed or cancelled due to ongoing reforms of the law enforcement sector and lack of funding. The project's progress is monitored through quarterly progress reports, which provide updates on the project's activities, achievements, and challenges. The reports also highlight the project's contributions to the US-Ukraine Partnership Framework goals and its complementarity with existing and forthcoming HIV/AIDS initiatives in Ukraine. In terms of geographic focus, the project is implemented in Ukraine, with a specific focus on the penitentiary, law enforcement, and drug sectors. The project's timeframes are outlined in the project's work plan, which spans from 2011 to 2016. The project's recommendations for future activities and resource allocation are also outlined in the quarterly progress reports. Overall, the HIV PLEDGE project aims to contribute to the reduction of HIV transmission among MARPs in Ukraine by strengthening the capacity of law enforcement officials and other government stakeholders to provide evidence-informed and human-rights based HIV and drug dependence treatment services.