This activity also relates to activities in Strategic Information (#10425).

The Ministry for the Fight Against AIDS (MLS) in Cote d'Ivoire is charged with coordinating a multisectoral comprehensive and effective national response to HIV/AIDS, including all aspects of prevention, care, and treatment. The MLS plays a key role in bringing together stakeholders to define national policy and strategies to prevent HIV transmission and to coordinate and monitor the national response (through its departments of Social Mobilization, Technical Assistance and Planning, and Monitoring and Evaluation). With FY07 funds, the MLS, in conjunction with technical assistance partner JHU/CCP, collaborating ministries, NGO/FBO/CBO representatives, and other stakeholders, will build on FY04-06 achievements to improve access, quality, and coverage of evidence-based behavioral change communication (BCC) interventions, including targeted and age-appropriate messages to delay sexual debut, promote fidelity within marriage, promote partner reduction, and address negative gender and discriminatory attitudes undermining healthy sexuality.

In the program area of AB prevention, the MLS during the 2004-2006 period: - Established a national technical committee for BCC (GT/CCC) in conjunction with JHU/CCP. - Completed a baseline evaluation of BCC interventions between 1984 and 2004. - Developed and validated a national BCC strategy for fighting HIV/AIDS using a participatory methodology involving key stakeholders from civil society, various faith-based communities, networks of PLWHA, NGO/CBO/FBOs, AIDS service organizations, youth associations, agricultural collectives, technical ministries (Education (MEN), Health (MOH), Family and Social Affairs (MFAS)), and UN partners (UNAIDS, WHO, etc.). - Produced information/education/communication (IEC) and BCC materials for use by implementing partners. - Trained 25 national BCC trainers, drawing from the membership of the GT/CCC. - Mobilized a multisectoral response to implement the national BCC strategy in collaboration with the GT/CCC and representatives of the public and private sectors, technical ministries, CBO/NGO/FBO networks, and community leadership. - Organized training to build capacity to plan, implement, and monitor BCC interventions for HIV/AIDS prevention at the central and decentralized levels through technical leadership from the various HIV/AIDS committees, in collaboration with Emergency Plan-funded partners (MEN, MFAS, ANADER, HIV/AIDS Alliance, CARE International) and other partners (UNAIDS, World Bank Corridor Project, Global Fund, etc). This training was based on curricula developed by JHU/CCP in collaboration with Hope Worldwide, MEN, and UNESCO/UNICEF projects. - Reinforced the capacity of organizations involved in coordination, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of A and/or B interventions targeting youth, including:

• Decentralized committees at regional, district, community, and village levels (in collaboration with EP-funded partners ANADER, CARE International, and HIV/AIDS Alliance), with the training of at least 26 trainers/facilitators. • 25 sectoral committees, with the training of 50 trainers of trainers/facilitators. • Networks of NGO/FBO/CBOs and professional associations, with the training of at least 34 trainers/facilitators in collaboration with HIV/AIDS Alliance, CARE, and ANADER.

FY07 activities will work mainly in the emphasis areas of IEC and training and on the key legislative issues of gender and stigma/discrimination. They were developed in accordance with the National Strategic HIV/AIDS Plan 2006-2010 and are focused on three fronts: prevention, capacity building, and supervision.

Prevention activities will include television and radio spots on the subjects of A/B prevention, stigma, and discrimination to reinforce community-level outreach efforts. A film on abstinence will be produced in collaboration with JHU/CCP, REPMASCI (network of journalists, artists, and athletes), MEN, PSI, UFRICA, and CARE International. The MLS is also organizing a nationwide response to World AIDS Day by developing a weeklong campaign that will reach 2,500,000 people with BCC messages.

To reinforce institutional capacity for the fight against HIV/AIDS, the MLS will continue its efforts to decentralize the decision-making process and empower those responsible for interventions by providing training in BCC and HIV/AIDS information for:

• 32 members of 16 sectoral HIV/AIDS committees (including from the ministries of Agriculture, Education, Public Affairs, Health and Public Hygiene, Defense, Interior, Tourism and Craft Industry, Scientific Research, Technical Teaching and Vocational Training, Mines and Energy, Environment, Urban Affairs, Justice and Human Rights, Solidarity and Victims of War, Family and Social Affairs, and MLS) • 12 members of six decentralized regional HIV/AIDS committees in central, northern, and western Cote d'Ivoire. • 26 members of 13 business councils representing, among others, CIGE, FIPME, Coalition of Companies, Filtisac, Unilever, Palmafrique, Cemoi, Palmci, CNRA, Poste-CI, Nestle, SOTRA, and PAA. • 68 members of 28 NGOs (including 15 NGOs in regions under the control of the Forces Nouvelles), who will be trained as community-based trainers.

In addition, 24 MLS staff members will receive refresher training on HIV/AIDS themes. These capacity-building activities will be done with the support of JHU/CCP and the GT/CCC.

IEC messages for youth promoting abstinence, fidelity, and reduction of stigma and discrimination will be produced or reproduced and disseminated to sectoral HIV/AIDS committees in 16 regions, including regions under Forces Nouvelles control. These activities will be supported through the purchase of multimedia training kits containing a portable computer, a television set, a video projector, and a projection screen. To better coordinate the national strategy for HIV/AIDS prevention, the MLS will buy a 4x4 vehicle.

The Ministry for the Fight Against AIDS (MLS) in Cote d'Ivoire is charged with coordinating a multisectoral comprehensive and effective national response to HIV/AIDS, including all aspects of prevention, care, and treatment. The MLS plays a key role in bringing together stakeholders to define national policy and strategies to prevent HIV transmission and to coordinate and monitor the national response (through its departments of Social Mobilization, Technical Assistance and Planning, and Monitoring and Evaluation). With FY07 funds, the MLS, in conjunction with technical assistance partner JHU/CCP, collaborating ministries, NGO/FBO/CBO representatives, and other stakeholders, will build on FY04-06 achievements to improve access, quality, and coverage of evidence-based behavioral change communication (BCC) interventions, including targeted and age-appropriate messages to delay sexual debut, promote fidelity within marriage, promote partner reduction, and address negative gender and discriminatory attitudes undermining healthy sexuality.

With the approval of plus-up funds, the MLS will significantly increase its efforts to promote HIV counseling and testing by working in direct collaboration with JHU/CCP to coordinate a national counseling and testing campaign to promote a national testing weekend, with a special emphasis on religious venues (i.e. churches and mosques) as testing sites. The MLS and JHU/CCP will coordinate with community-based EP partners (Alliance, CARE, PSI, ANADER, HOPE Worldwide, etc.) as well as facility-based partners (ACONDA and EGPAF) to increase visibility of HIV testing throughout the country.

This activity also relates to Ministry for the Fight Against AIDS (MLS) activities in AB (#10044).

The MLS is charged with coordination of the national response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Emergency Plan (EP) funding (2004-08) is intended to build the ministry's capacity in infrastructure, behavior change communication, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). This activity in the program area of strategic information aims to contribute to the implementation of a comprehensive data-management system at the national level.

In FY06, with support from donors/partners including the USG, the UN system, and the Global Fund, the MLS developed a National Strategic HIV/AIDS Plan 2006-2010. A review document prepared before the release of the plan pointed to a lack of coordination in the national response and to the absence of a functional M&E system. The MLS responded by working to decentralize its coordination structures for better data collection and information transfer to regularly feed the central-level data base. With support from EP partners (JSI/Measure, HIV/AIDS Alliance, CDC's RETRO-CI project, FHI), UNAIDS, and the Global Fund, this decentralization facilitated the following achievements in 2004-2006:

1. Strengthening of the MLS through: - Building of the capacity of the ministry's M&E coordination unit (DPPSE) in materials, equipment, and human resources. - M&E training for 105 staff members. 2. Implementation of M&E management tools through: - Harmonization of indicators and the development of data-collection tools at community level. - Preparation of M&E training manuals for community-level activities/ - Preparation of an interim plan for the fight against HIV/AIDS in 2005. - Preparation of the National Strategic HIV/AIDS Plan 2006-2010. - Coordination of the national AIDS Indicator Survey (AIS) in 2005. - Installation with UNAIDS support of CRIS software as the national database for central-level management of the indicators by DPPSE. - Installation (with training) of the M&E management software at community level by the HIV/AIDS Alliance. 3. Implementation of an M&E country operational plan through: - Implementation of M&E functional units in five administrative regions (San Pedro, Daloa, Yamoussoukro, Abengourou, Aboisso). - Supervision of M&E staff throughout the country. - Implementation and maintenance of a computer network for data management, in cllaboration with the Ministry of Health, in the five regions. - Preparation and dissemination of a report on the country response to HIV/AIDS 2005-2006. - Recruitment of a database and Web site administrator to implement the MLS database and assure the management of the MLS Web site. - Strengthening of human-resource capacity for the coordination, validation, and dissemination of AIS results.

Building on FY06 activities, the MLS will use FY07 funds to continue implementing the M&E plan and building capacity in the DPPSE through: - An evaluation of the implementation of functional M&E units in 13 administrative regions of the country under government control. - An evaluation of the implementation of the telecommunications system. - Maintenance of existing communications systems. - Reproduction and dissemination of data-collection tools and other support materials. - Continuation of the training of community staff on the use of the database and related tools. - Coordination of the M&E activities of community-level staff and other actors in the sector, in collaboration with HIV/AIDS Alliance CI. - Organization of a review meeting with the community M&E focal points and other actors to prepare and validate the 2007 annual report. - Dissemination of the 2007 annual report. - An internal evaluation of the national strategic plan 2006-2010. - Development of a data-quality monitoring/assurance system that can be implemented beginning in FY08 in the 13 regions currently covered.

- Strengthening of the capacity of newly hired DPPSE M&E staff through in-country training based on an overall training plan designed to fill both short- and long-term training needs. - Participation of the MLS in workshops and meetings of the EP coordination group.