Joint letter by Kemal Dervis (Chair UNDG) and Peter Piot (Executive Director UNAIDS) to introduce the UN Joint Programme on Aids in China (2007-2010), which they indicate is a good example of the UN delivering as one at country level. The letter highlights that the Joint Programme was developed in close consultation with the Chinese government and is expected to provide benefits for both the government and the UN system in China.

This document is presented as a good example of a Joint Programme in the field of HIV/Aids. It responds to the Secretary General’s call for joint programmes of support on AIDS and is the result of a year long process to bring the UN system fully together on AIDS in China and generate strong ownership within the government. The joint programme is expected to help China achieve the Millennium Development Goal of stopping and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015 and the national target of keeping the number of people living with HIV under 1.5 million.

Earlier assessments of UN Theme Groups have catalogued their modus operandi and underlined the diverse contexts in which they operate. They did not however provide much insight into the factors that constrain or assist their effectiveness, nor did they allow any genuine comparative appraisal of their role in support of country efforts. This in-depth assessment is therefore meant to address these questions. At the same time it allows the Cosponsors and Secretariat to reflect on what they can do to strengthen the joint UN response at country level.

The Action Guide is focused on the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, approved by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session in June 2001. The primary responsibility for implementing the Declaration rests with governments. The role of the United Nations system is to support government efforts, and this guide has been prepared to assist United Nations Country Teams in this important process.

UN Resident Coordinator System - Country Level Action in Support of Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS: UNDG Guidance Note on HIV/AIDS