More News...
Health.Right.Now!
HIV Prevention Without Barriers
High-Level and Experts Conference
On invitation of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) around 200 high ranking representatives and experts from 30 different countries met in Berlin for the above international conference. Together, the participants reviewed Germany’s track record to date and mapped out a shared focus for the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Employee Wellness Programme - Peer Educator’s Manual 
GIZ in cooperation with civil society organisations have embarked on a vigorous training programme for Employee Wellness/Health and Safety focal persons and peer educators in selected companies of the private sector in Zimbabwe. Read more...
Global Fund welcomes call by Independent High Level Panel for stronger financial safeguards (Adobe PDF file 152 pp. 1.6 MB)
19 September 2011
An independent panel of distinguished individuals commissioned by the Global Fund to review its financial controls has recommended major changes in the way the Global Fund does its business and manages its grants. The Panel finds that the Global Fund needs to focus much more on its core business of managing grants to save and protect lives. It recommends improving financial and Board oversight, simplifying grant application processes, and putting in place a robust risk management framework.
BMZ welcomes the Panel’s work and recommendations. Minister Niebel wants to release the second part of the 2011 contribution from Germany after a road map for the implementation of the recommendation has been approved by the Board. He expects this to happen no later than end September, having a special Board Meeting in mind which will take place in Geneva next week.
Regional Training on Join-in-Circuit (JiC) Tool 
The JiC is a portable workshop comprising of 6 stations reflecting on topics related to HIV and AIDS and Reproductive Health. The training is scheduled to take place in Kampala from October 24th to 28th, 2011. For more information click here.
Towards a comprehensive social protection system: linking microinsurance and social cash transfers
by Martina Bergthaller
Discussion Papers on Social Protection, Issue No. 10, June 2011
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Starting from social protection being a fundamental human right, the author wonders how to achieve comprehensive social protection for the poor.
The Report on the GIZ Professional Forum on "Health and Social Protection: The Political Economy Dimension" held 13 & 14 January 2011 in Bonn/Germany is now available for download as
Adobe PDF file (38 pp. 2.2 MB)
Ready to bring and to take care 
The "Siap Antar Jaga" model ("Ready to bring and to take care") is a Community Based Alert System approach, part of the national program of the Ministry of Health (MoH) for the development of the Health Sector in Indonesia. View the film...
Mainstreaming HIV in German Development Cooperation
Since 2001, German Development Cooperation (GDC) has responded to the HIV challenge by ‘Mainstreaming’ HIV at its workplaces and in its development projects and programmes in Subsaharan Africa. On this website, find out more about the way this has been done – in different partner countries, in different sectors and by the different German organisations.
The Indonesian Health Platform 
The Consolidation Programme Health / Policy Analysis and Formulation (PAF) has launched “The Indonesian Health Platform”. This website aims to share products which have been developed, tested and applied by GIZ supported Health projects in Indonesia during the last 10 years.
Social Marketing
KfW-Positionspapier, Dezember 2010
Ein neues 
KfW-Positionspapier zum Thema 'Social Marketing', welches die neuesten Entwicklungen und das Engagement der deutschen Finanziellen Zusammenarbeit kurz zusammenfasst.
What matters in old-age protection?
by Frank Schneider and Christian Pfleiderer 
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
As demographic ageing rapidly accelerates across the world, including African and Asian countries, reducing the vulnerability of older persons becomes increasingly a relevant issue. The authors describe key challenges in developing old age protection systems and highlight strengths and weaknesses of contribution based insurances, social pensions and privately managed capital funded insurances with examples from Latin America.
World AIDS Day: get the “Wisdom of Whores” eBook for free:
The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS
by Elizabeth Pisani
Granata Books, 2007
A World AIDS Day present from Granta, from December 1st until the end of the year, you can download the electronic version of “The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS” for free.
Despite billions of dollars in funding, international HIV-prevention efforts sometimes achieve only modest results, a reality the author sums up as the triumph of politics and ideology over sound science. Combining a background in journalism with experience as an epidemiologist the author presents a blunt, cynical, and even funny insider’s view of global HIV-prevention efforts.
UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic - 23 November 2010 
The overall growth of the global AIDS epidemic appears to have stabilized. The annual number of new HIV infections has been steadily declining since the late 1990s and there are fewer AIDS-related deaths due to the significant scale up of antiretroviral therapy over the past few years. Although the number of new infections has been falling, levels of new infections overall are still high, and with significant reductions in mortality the number of people living with HIV worldwide has increased.
Connecting the streams: Using health systems research knowledge in low- and middle-income countries
by Rene Loewenson,
Training and Research Support Centre, Zimbabwe
Background Paper for the Global Symposium on Health Systems Research 16-19 November 2010 - Montreux, Switzerland
Whether the knowledge from health systems research is used in policy and practice in low- and middle-income countries depends on the political economy context, the policy environment, and institutional capacities and practice in the health system and in the research community.
Gene research finds clues to AIDS survival
By Stephen Smith
Boston Globe, November 5, 2010
An international team of researchers has cracked the HIV survivors’ (known as “controllers”) genetic code, sifting through almost 1.4 million pieces of DNA to discover five amino acids that separate the small cadre of controllers from the vast majority who must take medication or face death.
GTZ sections health and social protection organise forum on political economy
On 13 an
d 14 January 2011, at the Gustav Stresemann Institute in Bonn, a second professional forum of the two GTZ sections will take place titled 'The Political Economy of Health and Social Protection'. BMZ-, GTZ-, InWEnt-, DED- and KfW-colleagues from head offices and programmes abroad as well as distinguished international speakers are invited to join the timely debate on political economy aspects of German Development Cooperation.
Read more...
Significant Progress in Collaboration in the Health Sector 
– Michael Mills; Outgoing Chair, Development Partners in Health Kenya
GTZ Health Sector Programme Communication Officer in Kenya Olivia Okech in an video interview with Mike Mills - the World Bank Lead Economist for the health and educational sectors in Kenya - captures his views on the Kenyan Health Sector development over the past years.
Needless Pain: Government Failure to Provide Palliative Care for Children in Kenya
Human Rights Watch, September 2010
Adobe PDF file (100 pp. 2.4 MB)
This report finds that most Kenyan children with diseases such as cancer or HIV/AIDS are unable to get palliative care or pain medicines. Kenya’s few palliative care services provide counselling and support to families of chronically ill patients, as well as pain treatment, but lack programs for children. In addition, the majority of sick children are cared for at home, but there is little support for low-cost home-based palliative care. Health care workers lack training in pain treatment and palliative care, and even when strong pain medicines are available, they are often reluctant to give these medicines to children.
New video on sexual diversity: An interview with the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK)
The GTZ h
ealth sector programme in Kenya has recently partnered with the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK) in the production of a short video which gives a snap-shot of the current situation of gay people in Kenya as well as challenges faced in society. The theme ‘diversity’ cuts across the 4-minute video and human rights for all is the key message.
Impressions from the 18th World AIDS Conference in Vienna 
This PDF file (11 pp. 372 kB) contains 5 short daily reports by the GTZ Team at the 18th World AIDS Conference in Vienna summarizing information and impressions from the conference.
German-Ukrainian Partnership Initiative for HIV/AIDS Prevention 
(in German)
Німецько-українська партнерська ініціатива з питань подолання ВІЛ/СНІД
Within the framework of bilateral cooperation, leading German institutions and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) share their experience and know-how in fighting against HIV with their Ukrainian partners. The main areas of work of the Partnership Initiative directions include HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment, as well as the provision of social support, epidemiology and surveillance.
Effectiveness and Safety of Tenofovir Gel, an Antiretroviral Microbicide, for the Prevention of HIV Infection in Women
by Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Salim S. Abdool Karim, Janet A. Frohlich et al.
Sciencexpress, published online July 19, 2010 (Adobe PDF file 16 pp. 1.5 MB)
For the first time, a microbicide gel containing the HIV medication tenofovir has been found to have some protective effect against HIV - and even more protective effect against genital herpes. Although the findings are only preliminary and the gel faces years of additional study, the gel’s success still represents a huge step in the develop-ment of an HIV prevention method that puts the receptive partner in control during sex.
Learning to insure the poor 
by Christina Gradl, Martin Herrndorf, Claudia Knobloch et al.
Allianz SE, 2010 - Adobe PDf file (40 pp. 4.1 MB)
This report consolidates the wealth of insights Allianz has gained in the first years of developing its microinsurance business. Key facts on the state of microinsurance today, case studies on existing Allianz microinsurance projects and perspectives from experts on the future of microinsurance round out the report.
Social Protection in Germany: Current challenges and lessons learnt from an ongoing reform process
by Roland Hackenberg
Discussion Papers on Social Protection - Issue No. 4, June 2010
“Can someone please push that cow out of the door?!”
Methadone substitution in Nepal - Public Private Partnerships (PPP) - 2 pp. 1.5 MB
Central Asia: hotspot in the worldwide HIV epidemic
by Claire Thorne, Nina Ferencic, Ruslan Malyuta et al.
The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Vol. 10, Issue 7, pp. 479-488, July 2010
The HIV epidemic in central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) has accelerated since 2000. This expansion in the epidemic is largely attributable to escalating injection drug use, reflecting central Asia’s geographic position along major drug trafficking routes.
Three cents a day is not enough: Resourcing HIV-related Harm Reduction on a Global Basis 
by Gerry V Stimson, Catherine Cook, Jamie Bridge et al.
The International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA), 2010 (48 pp. 443 kB)
The report shows the small amount of money being invested in harm reduction. Spending on harm reduction needs to be increased urgently and dramatically, especially for direct frontline services.
The Wisdom of Whores
Of sex and science. Elizabeth Pisani’s blog about HIV and other sundry things.
Elizabeth Pisani talks about "Sex, drugs and HIV -- let's get rational"
South-South Cooperation: The Same Old Game or a New Paradigm?
Poverty in Focus Number 20 
Editors: Rathin Roy and Melissa Andrade
International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth, 2010
This latest issue of the “Poverty in Focus” presents eleven innovative articles discussing the current state-of-art of South-South Cooperation, perspectives for the future and their development impact and the growing presence of the emerging countries in the international cooperation scenario. A central issue raised in the magazine is whether South-South cooperation represents a chance for reshaping the cooperation practice and discourse, putting at the centre the development needs and challenges of the countries in our developing world.
Providing HIV/TB Care at the Primary Health Care Level
Khayelitsha Annual Activity Report 2008-2009
Médecins Sans Frontières, February 2010
The Khayelitsha programme in South Africa has been held up as a best practice model across the world. This report attempts to summarise the various programmes and shows among others that antiretroviral therapy is feasible in poor settings, antenatal HIV prevalence can be stabilised and a decentralised, nurse-led service is possible.
New understanding of how two antibiotics attack drug-resistant strains of TB
from TropIKA Home Feed by Paul Chinnock (24 Feb. 2010)
Researchers have shown how viomycin and capreomycin bind with the ribosome of M. tuberculosis. With this knowledge it maybe possible to develop new drugs.
New research fuels "test and treat" debate
From: PlusNews- Global HIV/AIDS News and Analysis (22 February 2010)
The "test and treat" approach is based on mathematical modelling and pairs aggressive HIV testing campaigns with almost immediately putting people found to be HIV positive on treatment. In theory, this model would use early treatment to lower viral load (the amount of virus in the blood), and lower the likelihood of transmission, eventually cutting HIV prevalence rates.
