Workshop on Enlisting National Mapping Agencies in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS: Building Partnerships with Ministries of Health & Social Services and National AIDS Commissions

The Workshop is sponsored by UNAIDS, UNECA, WHO, and a consortium of US partners including MEASURE Evaluation, USAID, and the US State Department.
The workshop seeks to promote collaborative examples of the effective use of geoinformation science and technologies that lead to more effective HIV/AIDS interventions, multi-sectoral solutions, as well as stronger spatial data infrastructures in support of national strategic plans to arrest HIV/AIDS transmission.

Workshop Objectives:

• Introduce workshop participants to international good practices from across the CODIST community and non-health sectors, in the use of geography to inform decision-making and strategic planning
• Review lessons learned from national and international experience
• Raise awareness on the importance of standardization in local naming and coding conventions for geographic entities
• Promote innovative cross-sector exchanges in support of integrated, harmonized national spatial data
• Strengthen and expand regional and national partnership building opportunities with international, regional and local organizations

The workshop will consist of both plenary-style presentations and roundtable discussions and will also include opportunities for NMA and NMoH/NAC participants from each attending member State to meet, identify mutually rewarding collaborative opportunities, and plan next steps.

Date: Monday, April 27, 2009
Venue : UNCC, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Contact: PBelanger@uneca.org