TEHRAN –The annual meeting on the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria was held from October 29 to 31 in Sari, Mazandaran Province, both in person and online.

The event brought together the members of the country coordinating mechanism (CCM), including the president, the vice-president, the deputy chairman, representatives from the ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Justice, Prisons organization, Welfare organization, the private sector, nongovernmental organisations, as well as youth and patients’ representatives, the health ministry website reported.

Moreover, international organizations like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) attended the meeting.

Dr. Enkhjin Bavuu (Global Fund Portfolio Manager in Iran), Mr. Nayeem Chowdhury (Iran Assessment Team Leader), Ms. Anna Carrasco (CCM HUB Liaison), and Professor Mohamed Chackroun (Head of the Eastern Mediterranean region) participated in the meeting online.

The Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) is a national committee in countries receiving assistance from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund), which includes representatives of government, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, technical agencies, patients, and international organizations.

CCM is responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and making decisions on the implementation of national projects related to the Global Fund. The CCM in Iran is chaired by the deputy health minister, Alireza Raeisi.

The Global Fund unites world leaders, communities, civil society, health workers, and the private sector to find solutions that have the most impact and take them to scale worldwide. Since 2002, the partnership has saved 70 million lives.

It is the world’s largest multilateral funder of global health grants in low- and middle-income countries, disbursing over US$69 billion to countries since 2002. It knows that with science, money, political will, and leadership, we can fight and overcome the deadliest disease threats.

The Global Fund is proof that by working hand-in-hand with civil society, governments, private sector partners, philanthropists, technical partners, and communities affected by the diseases, we can save lives and dramatically change the course of HIV, TB, and malaria.

Boosting HIV rapid response

In an effort to enhance the overall resilience of Iran’s national AIDS program and HIV testing capacity, Iran’s Health Ministry, the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE), and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) convened a meeting in April to share expertise.

This multi-stakeholder engagement brought together more than 30 experts from the two countries and UNAIDS to explore pathways to establishing a domestic manufacturing capacity for HIV rapid diagnostics, which represents a sustainable pathway to eliminate the HIV testing gap in Iran.

MT/MG