The National HIV Prevention Road Map of Ethiopia which will be implemented until 2020 was launched today at a half-day event organized in connection with the World AIDS Day. The Road Map will guide joint efforts to fast-track the realization of the commitment Ethiopia has made to reduce new infections among adults by 50 percent by 2020.  

Speaking on the occasion, Bettina Maas, UNFPA Country Representative underlined the importance of integrating sexual and reproductive health and HIV at the policy, programme and services levels highlighting the need for a concerted efforts to reach adolescent girls and young women and their male partners. She also indicated the criticalness of strengthening condom programmes through increasing access to, and the use of, male and female condoms to protect against HIV, sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy.

The National HIV Prevention Road Map which was developed by the Federal HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office of Ethiopia with other stakeholders is based on the Global HIV Prevention 2020 Road Map. The Road Map is aligned with global recommendations and with the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan 2015-2020. It was revealed that the implementation budget of the Road Map is a little over USD 66 million more than half of which will have yet to be mobilized.  

The composition of the National HIV Prevention Coalition which will be overseeing the implementation of the Road Map was announced during the event.

The launching event was attended by high level Government officials, representatives of development partners, representatives of UN agencies including the Acting Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, and other stakeholders.