Communications Framework for HIV/AIDS: A New Direction

This 14-page document is a presentation on a new framework for communications for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and support. The rationale for a new framework is the following:

1. 90% of new cases of HIV occurs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean; and the approach to prevention, care, and support needs to be based on the context of these regions.
2. There is a changing context of response to HIV/AIDS-treatment drugs and vaccine trials; economic, social, and development impact; and expanded response from UNAIDS.

This framework has been under development in a participatory process since 1997. The consensus is that "current theories and models of behaviour change do not provide adequate contextual approach to HIV/AIDS prevention in the regions." The changing context, as stated here, involves focusing on 1) government and policy; 2) socioeconomics; 3) culture; 4) gender relations; and 5) spirituality. The document calls for its international use, coupled with regionally appropriate solutions. It then states that the UNAIDS Secretariat will be re-positioning itself not as an implementor of technical programmes, but will operationalise the framework through funding and technical support and working at the country level on politics and policies, as well as capacity and competence.


The document introduces country efforts with part of a workshop report from July 2000, which characterisers the use of the communications frameworks as: "facilitates local ownership in operationalising and implementing the framework. Workshop participants emphasized the need for communication specialists and program implementers to revisit their current initiatives to see how the five contextual domains of the UNAIDS communication framework could influence their program strategies." It reviews how Ethiopia used the frameworks in developing its HIV/AIDS communications strategy.


The document points to a general consensus on communication for social and behaviour change, which is "know what works" through:

• Guiding documents.
• Research support.
• Systematic information gathering and analysis.
• Constitute technical support groups and make them accessible and available.
• Institutionalisation of how and who – education in all ways, capacity, and competence building.
• Institutionalisation of where – within the architecture of AIDS national and international responses.
• Push and advocacy - politics, policy, and resources.
• Communication specialists alone are NOT adequate – strong partnership with behavioural scientists, evaluation programmers and health systems builders

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