Quarterly Report #8: Penitentiary, Law Enforcement & Drug sectors Government Efficiency in HIV response

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 stakeholders. The project is funded by USAID/Ukraine and builds on the existing work of the UNODC regional programme XCEA01. The project's main objectives are to create an environment supportive of evidence-informed and human-rights-based HIV/AIDS and drug dependence treatment programs among most-at-risk populations, and to strengthen the capacities of the State Penitentiary Service, public health, and social services to provide comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, and care services in prison settings. The project's outputs include the development of informational materials on HIV for police officers, the mainstreaming of HIV and AIDS related training modules into the existing police training system, and the piloting of comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, and care services in selected prison facilities. The project has made significant progress in achieving its objectives. The PLEDGE project provided assistance to the Personnel Department of the Ministry of Interior to develop an information and educational brochure on HIV for police officers. The brochure contains general information on HIV-infection and AIDS, transmission routes, key affected populations, and recommendations on reduction of occupational risks and effective measures of post-exposure prophylactics. The project also completed an analysis of current curricula and training programs for police regarding HIV and related issues, and developed recommendations on how to incorporate HIV/AIDS issues into existing training programs and modules of the police training institutions. In addition, the project has strengthened the capacities of the State Penitentiary Service, public health, and social services to provide comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, and care services in prison settings. The project completed a review of the legal and normative framework of the Ukraine prison system to facilitate the introduction and scaling up of comprehensive HIV services in the penitentiary system. The project also identified and agreed on four prison facilities for the implementation of the pilot demonstration models of comprehensive HIV programs. The project has also assessed the current HIV-related modules, curriculum, and training programs used at the prison training institutions. The assessment aims to identify the gaps in the existing training programs and develop recommendations on how to improve the training programs to enhance the knowledge, skills, and competencies of prison staff on HIV and AIDS. Overall, the PLEDGE project has made significant progress in achieving its objectives and has contributed to the reduction of HIV transmission among most-at-risk populations in Ukraine. The project's outputs and achievements have the potential to improve the lives of thousands of people affected by HIV/AIDS in Ukraine.