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Participants presenting their suggestions

On 28th October, 2008, around 50 local leaderships coming from 7 districts in Teso region decided to form the Teso HIV/AIDS Task Force, which consists from a representative from each district / municipality, Emorimor (cultural leader in Teso region) and religious leaders. The regional forum, which will be the first of its kind in Uganda, is expected to take the leading role to coordinate the efforts of health networks, local leaderships, NGOs/CSOs, international donors and people to respond to the epidemic in the region.
 
The formation of the Task Force was suggested by the participants of the ‘Workshop to Address the Challenges of HIV/AIDS Response in Teso’, held in Soroti town. The workshop was organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Uganda AIDS Committee, with support from UNDP as a part of its continuing programme to support HIV/AIDS response in Teso region, an insurgency and natural disaster-affected area in Northeast Uganda.
 
The workshop’s aim was to deliver the reports and presentations to clarify the HIV/AIDS situation in country and the region, exchange the experience and challenges between regional politicians and technical staff and to seek a way forward. The participants shared some of the key challenges, such as limited information, slow pace of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS into local governments’ planning and budgeting and lack of coordination at the regional level.
 
However, the participants came up with their own initiative to overcome these difficulties. Teso HIV/AIDS Task Force is planned to be a regional hub of coordination, with the highest and most influential levels of leadership in the region as its members.
 
Mr. Joseph Arwata, The Resident District Commissioner from Katakwi district strongly supported the initiative and encouraged all participants. ‘HIV/AIDS has knocked at everybody’s door. All of us have to give our contribution to fight this war against HIV/AIDS’, he said.
 
Mr. Bharam Namanya, the UNDP HIV/AIDS Programme Analyst added that ‘‘since HIV/AIDS affects every sector of the economy, it requires multi-sectoral and coordinated approach. Therefore, the formed forum should be ready to meet the challenge of HIV/AIDS in the region’’.