Our work on HIV and AIDS helps muster civil society support in the global battle to reduce infections, assisting in targeted interventions and influencing policy making.
Most countries of the Commonwealth are, by all accounts, failing to manage or reduce the problem of HIV and AIDS. Under-strain centralised responses have buckled in the face of the enormity of the global pandemic.
Increasingly the international community has come to realise that countries are able to best achieve greater progress in averting HIV epidemics when governments and civil society groups work in close partnership.
Civil society can respond by mobilising resources, harnessing skills, knowledge and practices and bringing ideas and expertise to how policies are formulated and implemented.
Influencing policy makers
We are committed to meet the challenges posed by the spread of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, helping to build civil society's scope to influence government policy and legislation.
We work in partnership with many organisations on HIV and AIDS and continue to support civil society engagement with policy makers through forums such as Commonwealth Health Ministers and Women's Affairs Ministers meetings.
We award grants to organisations that make targeted interventions which help change lives. These grants provide not only financial resources, but develop core competencies in the areas of advocacy, capacity and knowledge building.
Support to ‘on the ground’ interventions
Organisations are encouraged to apply for support which unlocks financial assistance from other sources and which helps use existing mechanisms to deliver 'on the ground' projects.
We mainstream our work across all areas of work, recognising the fact that the pandemic permeates into all social, political and economic dimensions of Commonwealth lives.