FINAL REPORT: AGREEMENT NUMBER TAHA CONFERENCE: RESPONSIBILITY & PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER AGAINST HIV/AIDS

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1 FINAL REPORT: AGREEMENT NUMBER TAHA CONFERENCE: RESPONSIBILITY & PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER AGAINST HIV/AIDS 1

2 Contract number: TAHA Proposal title: Conference Responsibility & Partnership Together against HIV/AIDS Acronym: TAHA Starting date: 1 October 2006 Duration of the project: 15 months Reporting period: Final report Main partner: Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, BMG Friedrichstrasse, 108, Berlin, Germany DE Number of associated partners: None Total amount of the project: ,-- EC Co-funding : ,17 First prefinancing payment: ,-- Final payment request: ,17 2

3 PAGE 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 2. OBJECTIVES OF THE CONFERENCE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES INDICATORS CHOSEN 8 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE CONFERENCE THE PLENARY SESSION AT THE FIRST CONFERENCE DAY WORKSHOPS PARTNERSHIP FORUM RESULT OF PARTNERSHIP FORUM TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT ACTIVITIES RELATED TO HORIZONTAL WORK PACKAGES WORK PACKAGE 1: MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT WORK PACKAGE 2: DISSEMINATION WORK PACKAGE 3: EVALUATION WORK PACKAGE 4: PRESIDENCY CONFERENCE RESPONSIBILITY & PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER AGAINST HIV / AIDS DELIVERABLES LIST OF STAFF (FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH) INVOLVED IN PROJECT EXECUTION 29 ANNEXES ANNEX 1: EVALUATION 31 ANNEX 2: FOLLOW UP EVALUATION 35 ANNEX 3: CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 52 ANNEX 4: LIST OF PARTICIPANTS 54 ANNEX 5: PRESS RELEASE 65 ANNEX 6: BREMEN DECLARATION 67 3

4 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A key conference of the German Presidency of the European Union titled Responsibility and Partnership Together against HIV/AIDS was held on March, 2007 in Bremen by the German Federal Ministry of Health. The conference was part of the Action Plan of the Communication from the Commission on combating HIV/AIDS within the European Union and in the neighbouring countries; it was connected to the ministerial conferences on HIV/AIDS in Dublin and Vilnius The Bremen conference aimed to give new impulse to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Europe with the identification and exchange of examples of good practices with special focus on cooperation of state agencies and civil society. Given rising infection rates throughout Europe, it was emphasised that only profound cooperation between governmental and non-governmental organisations has a real chance to successfully combat HIV/AIDS. Notably, 15 Health Ministers from EU member states as well as from neighbouring countries participated together with 160 representatives of European institutions, WHO, UNAIDS and civil society organisations. The conference referred to the priority area of integrative approaches on lifestyle and sexual and reproductive health within the work plan 2006 of the programme of Community Action in the Field of Public Health ( ): Actions to address HIV/AIDS will continue in line with the overall strategies and will focus on public health actions to develop strategies and identify best practise on HIV/AIDS prevention in population groups at high risks, in particular in prisons; Maintaining awareness of the need for prevention among lower risk groups and the general population) The project is also in line with the Communication from the Commission to the council and the European Parliament on combating HIV/AIDS witthin the European Union and the neighbouring countries, Major results of the project entail primarily (new) means to achieve the overall aim of combating rising numbers of HIV/AIDS infections and to reduce HIV/AIDS prevalence in all European countries. Crucially, a clearly rising awareness of the HIV/AIDS threat at political level has become evident in recent changes of policies, formulation of new HIV/AIDS policies, the development of new strategies and the implementation and evaluation of actions and programmes. Newly built partnerships and a stronger involvement of civil society in the political decision making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation 4

5 process has effectively resulted in stronger co-operation between governments and consolidated actions between governments and civil society. The exchange of experience and good practice is to lead to improved and well-targeted prevention programmes and a reduction of the obstacles at political level that have been hindering effective actions and programmes for marginal and stigmatized population groups. Thus, the conference received the highest attention possible, not only at the political level, but by directly involving all actors combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic while addressing the general public. During the conference, a groundbreaking statement was reached with the pharmaceutical industry confirming its general support to facilitate access to anti-retroviral medicines. This statement was the starting point for the initiative "Sustainable Access to ARV Medication in Europe", led by the Triopresidency and the European Commission. Furthermore, the conference gave decisive impetus to the European Council. On June 21 st, 2007 the European Heads of State and Heads of Governments discussed HIV/AIDS for the first time ever and referring to the outcome of the Bremen conference declared: "It is for the Member States to provide the political leadership to fight this pandemic. The pharmaceutical industry should facilitate access to affordable medicines ". 5

6 2. OBJECTIVES OF THE CONFERENCE The general objectives of the project have been to combat the raising numbers of HIV/AIDS infections in Europe, particularly in Eastern European countries, and the diminishing recognition of the importance of prevention activities which are still to be seen as the cornerstone for all other activities related to the fight against HIV/AIDS. The strategic objectives of the project have been - to raise awareness of the current HIV/AIDS situation in the EU Member States and their neighbouring countries - to increase the knowledge of opportunities, challenges and obstacles for combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe - to raise awareness of the importance of close co-operation between governments, competent authorities and civil society, As mentioned above, the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament (December 15, 2005; COM 2005 / 654 final) describes the aims and planned actions of the commission on combating HIV/AIDS within the European Union and in the neighbouring countries until the end of There is a focus on strengthening the involvement of civil society and neighbouring countries. The communication s action plan already indicates that a conference on HIV/AIDS shall be organised in spring 2007 by the Council Presidency Commission. 6

7 2.1. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES The specific objectives of the project have been to organise and implement a conference, which serves as a platform for all EU Member States, neighbouring countries, international HIV/AIDS organisations and NGO s to build partnerships and exchange expertise, experiences and models of good practice: No I to highlight the need for continued political leadership in the establishment of a civil and human right framework as a basis for the cooperation between state and civil society. No II to strengthen the involvement of civil society in all actions related to combating HIV/AIDS, including policy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, as outlined in the Commission s communication to the Council and the European Parliament, No III to strengthen already existing European networks among NGOs and to initiate new ones in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention, No IV to promote the exchange of experience and the dissemination of good practise in view of national and European cooperation and also in view of HIV/AIDS prevention measures, No V to involve neighbouring countries in the EU s activities as to support political leadership to combat the epidemic and No VI to elaborate innovative project ideas aiming at supporting the efforts of the European Community and neighbours to combat HIV/AIDS 7

8 2.2. INDICATORS CHOSEN Indicators to measure the success of the specific objectives are closely linked to the conference and the participants attending it. For the specific objectives outlined above, special quantifiable indicators were chosen together with the results: To specific objective No I Process indicator: Number of participants representing national and European key-players (high ranking politicians, administrative experts) Result: Altogether more than 540 experts (15 Health Ministers, 300 experts as representatives of national governments, 160 from NGOs and 80 representatives of international organisations) participated in the conference. National delegations came from 29 countries from EU and Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Moldavia, Georgia, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Result indicator: A conference declaration is signed, which aims at announcing additional political initiatives of the invited European countries with regard to national HIV/AIDS prevention activities. Result: The conference declaration focussing of political leadership and strengthening the cooperation with civil society was approved by all delegations. A decisive statement was reached with the pharmaceutical industry ensuring its support to provide access to affordable ARV medication. The EPSCO Council approved conclusions with regard to HIV/AIDS being based on the Bremen Declaration. Directly linked to the Bremen conference, the European Council discussed HIV/AIDS for the first time ever on June 21 st 2007 and included an important reference to HIV/AIDS in its conclusions. 8

9 To specific objective No II Process indicator: Number of representatives of the European civil society at the conference Result: Approx. 160 representatives of the civil society in Europe participated in the conference Result indicator: The above mentioned declaration is signed, which aims at strengthening the involvement of civil society as well Result: The signed declaration stressed the necessity of cooperation between state agencies and civil societies. The declaration is published in the documentation. A statement with the pharmaceutical industry was the starting point for the initiative "sustainable access to ARV medication in Europe", led by the Triopresidency and the European Commission. The aim of the initiative is to find ways to ensure general access to HIV/AIDS medication in a country specific approach in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry. To specific objective No III Process indicator: Number of participants representing European networks Result: The member of the EU-task force civil society forum attending the conference used the opportunity for an own meeting after the conference. Altogether more than 160 representatives of international networks participated at the conference. Result indicators: Strengthening the already existing European networks and newly initiated networks can be measured by follow-up meetings with representatives of state agencies Result: see follow up evaluation (see section and Annex 2) 9

10 To specific objective No IV Process indicators: Number of good practice (models of co-operation examples, successful approaches of HIV/AIDS prevention and cooperation) presented at the Partnership Forum. Result: 26 countries, four international networks, two additional NGOs and EU, UNAIDS and WHO prepared posters for the partnership-forum in order to illustrate their specific ways of cooperation (compare published posters in the documentation). Result indicator: Exchange of experience of good practice can be measured by workshop reports, conference documentation and visitor numbers of the Partnership Forum. Results: compare documentation and evaluation To specific objective No V Process indicator: Number of participants from neighbourhood countries Result: Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Moldavia, Georgia, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Result indicator: Involvement of neighbouring countries measured by signing the conference declaration and willingness to present their activities at the Partnership Forum. Result: Ukraine, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Georgia, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein participated with national delegations and representatives of NGOs in the conference and presented their best practises at the Partnership Forum. 10

11 To specific objective No VI Process indicators: Innovative ideas can be measured by cross-border agreements to initiate joint programmes Result: A round table talk took place among German Minister Schmidt and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry. This led to a joint statement underlining the pharmaceutical industry's general support in finding innovative approaches to ensure general access to affordable ARVmedication. Based on this statement, the Triopresidency and the European Commission started the initiative "sustainable access to ARV medication in Europe". One of the first countries to participate was Bulgaria. Result indicator: Written concepts and programmes Result: Compare press release of Minister Schmidt at 13 March in Bremen (Annex 5) 11

12 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE CONFERENCE In order to ensure the success of this project, the conference was conducted and conceptually divided into three parts: A plenary session, five workshops on specific issues and the Partnership Forum with poster presentations. 3.1 THE PLENARY SESSION AT THE FIRST CONFERENCE DAY This part took place on the first conference day and was dedicated to different keynote speeches and/or public talks of high ranking politicians and representatives of the civil society. 1. The German Chancellor, Ms Dr Angela Merkel 2. The Director of UNAIDS, Dr. Peter Piot 3. The German Health Minister, Ms Ulla Schmidt 4. The German Minister of Education and Research, Dr Annette Schavan 5. The German Deputy Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms Karin Kortmann 6. The Portuguese Minister of Health, Mr Antonio Fernando Coriega de Campos 7. The Luxembourg Minister of Health, Mr Mars di Bartolomeo 8. The Slovenian Minister of Health, Mr Andrej Brucan 9. The Swedish Minister of Health, Ms Maria Larsson, 10. The Estonian Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Peeter Laasik 11. The CEO of German Private Health Insurance, Mr Reinhold Schulte 12. The representative of the Russian NGO: Light of Hope, Ms Tamila Kotlarevska 13. The representative of the EU Civil Society Forum, Mr Ton Coenen All these speakers elaborated on different aspects of political leadership in the European fight against HIV/AIDS and highlighted the necessity of promoting the involvement of civil society. When choosing the various speakers and presenters, it was therefore particularly important to not only focus on Health Ministers and politicians but also on representatives of the Civil Society. Because of their wide-ranging value, all these mentioned speeches are documented and published in a brochure. 12

13 3.2. WORKSHOPS In order to deepen topical discussions, five workshops were offered on the second day. In these workshops it was possible to deal with different issues related to HIV/AIDS and to exchange information and experiences on certain aspects. The results of the workshop were finally presented to the whole conference audience. The workshops were open to all participants of the conference. The dual conference approach involving political decision-makers alongside civil society was continued here: Each workshop was chaired (and visited) by representatives of selected governments and representatives of an international NGO network. All presentations were also held by representatives of state agencies or by representatives of civil society. Moreover, in the first three workshops a high-ranking politician (i.e. the Health Ministers of Spain, Luxembourg and Poland) introduced the event. All workshop presentations were published on the conference-website. 13

14 The first workshop dealt with the role of governmental and non-governmental actors in the field of HIV/AIDS in Europe. Organisations and institutions from civil society play a key part in all aspects of the fight against HIV/AIDS. This does not merely apply to medical and psycho-social nongovernmental organisations that are engaged in fighting the epidemic in numerous European countries. The private sector and the media are also key partners of public institutions in prevention, treatment and control of HIV/AIDS related initiatives. This workshop examined which concrete roles civil society actors play in HIV/AIDS prevention, which state measures would be particularly supportive, and which conclusions may be drawn from that for national and European health policy. Special attention in this regard has been paid to the situation of the civil society in Eastern Europe. The situation in Eastern Europe can in many respects be described as especially bad: in many cases civil society organisations have no impact on political decisions, they are often not embedded in a country-wide network and/or they lack stable and sound financial resources. On the other hand, it is clear that a strong civil society is a precondition for a functioning democracy, including though not exclusively an effective fight against HIV/AIDS in cooperation with state agencies. Chair Co-Chair Ms Karin Knufmann-Happe, German Federal Ministry of Health Mr Ton Coenen, Civil Society Forum / EU Task Force Rapporteur Mr Roger Staub, Ministry of Health, Switzerland Opening Ms Elena Salgado, Minister of Health, Spain Presentations were given by the following institutions and organisations: - Federal Centre of Health Education - German Foundation of Private Insurance - Public Health Institute of Slovenia - German AIDS Foundation - Deutsche AIDS Hilfe - Communication Agency: a-b-one - Info-Share, Russia 14

15 The second workshop highlighted the cross-border cooperation in view of appropriate activities in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention. The fight against HIV/AIDS is not just a national topic. Rather, it can benefit from efficient cross-border co-operation in terms of resources and synergies. On many levels co-operation between civil society and state organisations have institutionalised across national borders. This workshop therefore examined which features mark successful cross-border cooperation, which potentials such co-operation has, and how the national and European health policy can improve the efficiency of their interventions. Chair Mr Michael Hübel, EU Commission Co-Chair Mr Nikos Dedes, Civil Society Forum Rapporteur Ms Helena Bowden, Health Attaché, UK Opening Mr Mars di Bartolomeo, Minister of Health, Luxembourg Presentations were given by the following institutions and organisations: - EU-Commission - UNICEF - Federal centre for Health Education, Germany - Deutsche Gesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit - Bordernet, Poland 15

16 The third workshop highlighted human rights issues and thereby considered the participation of vulnerable groups within HIV/AIDS prevention activities. Primarily, HIV/AIDS prevention is targeted at the general population. Nevertheless, statistics show that the risk of infection among specific groups of the population is significantly above average: MSM, injecting drug users and prisoners. Secondary prevention in these fields therefore needs to be clearly target-group oriented. The right of access to health care cannot be compromised and is equally valid for vulnerable groups. In the context of this workshop, it was examined which role the importance of human rights issues should have in HIV/AIDS prevention and which conclusions may be drawn from this debate for national and European health policy. Chair Mr Andrzej Rys, EU Commission, DG Sanco Co-Chair Mr Henrik Arildsen Rapporteur Ms Triinu Tiikas, Minsitry of Health, Estonia Opening Mr Zbiegniev Religa, Minister of Health, Poland Presentations were given by the following institutions and organisations: - Terence Higgins Trust, UK - Ministry of Health, Finland - Ministry of Health, Bulgaria - World Bank - Ministry of Health, Portugal 16

17 The fourth workshop aimed at reviewing Europe s role in the contribution to the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Co-operation cannot be confined to Europe. In fact, the European experience in the fight against the pandemic can make a useful contribution to control the disease world-wide. In this workshop it was therefore examined which role the European states and the European Union can have in HIV/AIDS prevention, and what European support to the global fight against HIV/AIDS could look like. Particular emphasis was paid to the UN s so called Universal Access Initiative and the European contribution this programme. The topic was especially relevant in view of the G8 Summit that is being chaired by Germany in 2007 as well. Chair Dr. Manfred Konukiewitz, Federal Ministry of Economical Cooperation and Development Rapporteur Dr. Anne Petitgirard, GIP ESTHER Opening Mr Kevin de Cock, WHO Presentations were given by the following institutions and organisations: - WHO - EU Commission - Federal Ministry of Economical Cooperation - Plan International - ILO - DaimlerChrysler - CNAIDS 17

18 The fifth workshop highlighted networks and networking in HIV/AIDS research. Faster and more reliable scientific results and their implementation leading to an effective countermeasure to HIV/AIDS can only be achieved by focused cooperation on every level necessary to solve a specific healthcare related problem. One cannot think of solving pressing questions in biomedical and social science research which enables a society to specifically develop preventive and curative measures against this disease, without joint efforts within relevant networks and interdisciplinary cooperation arrangements. Consequently, this workshop presented several examples of how networking among research institutes and organisations, NGOs and national governments as well as crossborder initiatives may contribute to tackling the international HIV/AIDS threat. Chair Dr. Peter Lange, Federal Ministry of Education and Research Rapporteur Mr David Coles, European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership Presentations were given by the following institutions and organisations: - EU Commission - Kompetenznetzwerk HVI/AIDS - IAVI - EDCTP - National Institute of health, Czech Republic - Medical University Hanover/Ukrainian Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention 18

19 3.3. PARTNERSHIP FORUM A main part of the conference was the so called Partnership Forum. According to the specific objectives, the crucial idea of this conference was to strengthen the political leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS, particularly with regard to the involvement of civil society. Hence, it was necessary to include representatives of NGOs in the preparation of this event. Given that especially the civil society in Eastern Europe is still very weak, the conference would otherwise have rather deepened the gap between state agencies and civil society than promoting the cooperation among all stakeholders in a credible way. In order to avoid unnecessary conflicts and to ensure the success of the conference, we already started comprehensive discussions with representatives of the civil society in October. Since then especially the HIV/AIDS related working group of the Civil Society Forum of the EU-HIV/AIDS Task Force was involved in designing and preparing the program. By focussing mainly on the Civil Society Forum it was ensured that all information can be directly channelled to NGOs in Western and also Eastern Europe. Additionally, we included two further umbrella organisations in the preparation phase of the Partnership-Forum : first, the ICW which addresses HIV infected women and second, the East-West Foundation including numerous NGOs, especially in Russia. The specific aim here was to consider both, gender aspects and the specific situation of NGOs in Russia as well. During a preparatory meeting in Cologne (3 November 2006) with representatives of the above mentioned European umbrella organisations, the following approach was agreed: The Forum was targeted towards the invited delegations from the 27 EU countries and 14 neighbouring countries. It provided room for a presentation of good practice examples for sustainable and effective cooperation between state and non-state actors in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention Visitors as well as exhibitors and presenters came from both, state institutions and civil society organisations. In order to link the Forum topically as close as possible to the conference, the booths were used by countries together with national or international NGOs to present national plans, preventions campaigns/strategies, or concrete good practice projects on fighting HIV/AIDS within a partnership between state and civil society. The country delegations were invited to make their reservations for booth space and to register their applications for presentations. Country delegations have been asked to prepare their input at the Forum in cooperation with their civil society partners. In order to harmonize the exhibition and to stress the main topic of the conference, a template was developed posing relevant guiding questions. The countries were asked to 19

20 use this questionnaire when preparing their posters in order to provide the visitors with the same type of information. The following information was requested: Country Profile: Latest data s concerning prevalence and incidence (so far possible as graphics) Crucial statements from the national HIV/AIDS policy (keywords): Which kind of political documents do exist with regard to HIV/AIDS prevention? (Strategies, action plans) What are the main objectives of the national HIV/AIDS prevention policy? What is the legal framework? What are the financial resources for annual HIV/AIDS prevention? Main approaches of national HIV/AIDS policy What are the main target groups of national HIV/AIDS prevention policy? What are the main approaches (short description)? Organisational network of national HIV/AIDS prevention I Which public or state agencies are working in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention? What are their responsibilities? Organisational network of national HIV/AIDS prevention II Which organisations of civil society are involved? (Short description of objectives, tasks, organisational framework, contact data / internet address) How is the cooperation with state agencies institutionalised? 20

21 In addition to the national (country) booths, various European-oriented networks on HIV/AIDS as well as NGOs from key countries and various umbrella organisations were asked to present their work. The conceptualisation of this Partnership Forum was closely correlated to the basic philosophy of main NGO-networks in Europe. Exchange of information was here established and enhanced. Through their representatives most NGOs in Europe were involved. To link the Partnership Forum to the conference organisationally, a presentation on key issues raised by the Forum was given at the beginning of the second day RESULTS OF THE PARTNERSHIP FORUM 25 national delegations prepared posters for the exhibition: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom Additionally, four international NGO networks (Tampep, EuroHIV, AIDS Action Europe, Fachkreis Osteuropa des Aktionsbündnisses gegen AIDS) and EU-Commission, WHO, UNAIDS and ILO participated in the Partnership Forum. Altogether we estimated that round about 300 visitors participated in the opening session of the Partnership Forum. The German Minister of Health, Ms Ulla Schmidt, and the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms Heidemarie Wiezcorek-Zeul, introduced and opened the forum on Monday, 12 th March. Due to the fact that the posters included detailed background information about the HIV/AIDS policies in the countries and especially about the national type(s) of cooperation between state governments and civil society, we decided to publish the posters in the conference documentation. 21

22 4. TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT 4.1. ACTIVITIES RELATED TO HORIZONTAL WORK PACKAGES WORK PACKAGE 1: MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT Activities related to conference management included: development of a concept selection of topics, speakers, participants, best-practice-projects financial management, selection of venues, organisation of suppliers, provision of technical equipment and conference material, invitation and registration of attendees. All activities have been properly and effectively carried out. Minor delays in some specific activities have been compensated without any negative impact on the general schedule. The conference evaluation revealed positive results as to conference organisation and management (see section 4.1.3). The Federal Ministry of Health kept the overall coordination of the project and subcontracted the Association for Social Security Policy and Research (GVG e.v.) for the detailed coordination of the conference and dissemination of results. A Conference Organisation Team has been set up which organised several preparation meetings and workshops with experts and representatives of collaborating partners, including representatives of main European NGO s network (Civil Society Forum), where all steps of conference organisation were agreed and work packages distributed. As supervisor, the Federal Ministry of Health held contact with all involved partners. Milestones Project Management Scheduled date Milestone Completion date October 5 th, 2006 October 13 th, 2006 Preparatory Meeting (Federal Ministry of Health, GVG) in Berlin Preparatory Meeting (Federal Ministry of Health, GVG) in Bremen October 5 th, 2006 October 13 th,

23 October 27 th, 2006 Preparatory Meeting (Federal Ministry of Health, GVG) in Bonn October 27 th, 2006 October, 2006 Finishing of conference programme / agenda January 2007 November 3 rd, 2006 November 10 th, 2006 November 23 rd, 2006 Preparatory Workshop with national / international NGOs Preparatory Meeting (Federal Ministry of Health, GVG) in Bremen Preparatory Meeting (Federal Ministry of Health, GVG) in Berlin November 3 rd, 2006 November 10 th, 2006 November 23 rd, 2006 November, 2006 Invitations January 2007 December 13 th, 2006 January, 2007 Preparatory Workshop with national / international NGOs in Berlin Briefing of speakers (contents, speeches, presentations, workshops) December 13 th, 2006 January, 2007 March, 2007 Preparation of conference material March, 2007 March 12th/13th, 2007 Conference March 12th/13th, 2007 April - November 2007 Preparation and coordination of final report December 2007 (February 2008) WORK PACKAGE 2: DISSEMINATION Dissemination of conference results and distribution of the most essential messages are essential contributions with regard to the strategic objectives (2.1.) of the conference. Dissemination activities are particularly related to the objective: Increasing the knowledge of opportunities, challenges & obstacles for combating HIV/AIDS. Dissemination strategy and measures ensured that the conference received the highest attention possible, not only at the political level, but also for all actors involved in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the general public. The overall dissemination strategy was characterised by two basic features: Commitment of very high ranking politicians from Germany and other nations to actively contribute to the conference has been sought for (and achieved) in order to raise public awareness. In addition, VIPs have been invited in order to reinforce the attractiveness for press articles etc. 23

24 A wide range of different information paths and media has been used to disseminate the results to all conference participants and to a wider range of target groups (politicians, organisations and the interested public). In addition, a lot of information material has been produced to feed in the European discussion about HIV/AIDS. Specific dissemination measures included: Installation of a conference website. Production of a background brochure with information about bestpractice projects in Europe. About 600 volumes were printed and distributed during the conference among participants. Production and distribution of printed conference material. Production and distribution of a specific information folder for journalists. A press conference held at the end of the conference (March 13 th, 2007) and a press release, issued by three German Ministers to declare their common goals in the fight against HIV/AIDS. 1 A conference declaration (Bremen Declaration, see Annex 6) published at the end of the conference, introduced in the press conference and made available in a print version and on the website of the German EU Presidency. 2 Production of a conference documentation (1000 volumes), distributed among conference attendees and a broader audience of decision makers, civil society and HIV/AIDS professionals (October 2007). Production of a final project report which can be published on the Commission s web site or as a print version. Proposal for a future exchange of good practise ("Clearing House of good practice") formulated by the German Federal Ministry of Health and submitted to the EC; no follow up due to lack of funds Milestones Dissemination Scheduled Date Milestone Completion date March, 2007 Background brochure about best-practiceprojects March, Federal Minister of Health, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Federal Minister of Education and Research; see Annex

25 January, 2007 Conference website February, 2007 March, 2007 Conference material (printed) March, 2007 March 12 th - 13 th, 2007 Presidency Conference with presentations, workshops, Partnership Forum and NGOpresentation March 12 th - 13 th, 2007 March 13 th, 2007 Press conference March 13 th, 2007 March, 2007 Conference declaration March, 2007 December, 2007 Finalizing / publication / documentation of final report December, 2007 February WORK PACKAGE 3: EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT The project evaluation is related to all objectives, as it helps to identify how far the objectives have been reached and put into practice. The evaluation strategy aimed at investigating (i) the contentment of the participants with the different aspects of the conference and (ii) the results of the conference especially as concerns the dissemination of the core messages and the development of new ideas. The evaluation used semi-standardised questionnaires distributed among conference attendees. Questions referred to process evaluation (conference structure, organisation and management) as well as to effect evaluation (conference concept, content and results). Evaluation measures included a survey during the second day of the conference, with around 500 questionnaires distributed among the attendees of the workshops and recollected at the end of the day; a follow-up evaluation ca. 5 months after the conference with 202 attendees invited by to fill in an online-questionnaire placed on the website of the German EU Presidency. In order to avoid biases, attendees representing the German Ministries, the organisations involved in conference implementation and the media were excluded. Institutions represented by more than one attendee only received one invitation. The evaluations revealed the following results: The first evaluation suffered from a weak data basis. Although the Chairs of the workshops had been instructed to explicitly ask for cooperation, only 53 evaluable questionnaires could be recollected. The low return rate of around 10% only allowed for a few basic statistical analyses. Summarising, the analyses indicated the attendees' positive overall 25

26 assessment of conference concept, organisation and content (for details see Annex 1). The follow-up evaluation had a return rate of 24% and allowed for more detailed analyses (for details see Annex 2). 71% of the respondents assessed the conference as meaningful or very meaningful. 90% reported to have benefited from the conference, mostly by improved international contacts a category especially appreciated by respondents from Eastern European countries and NGOs. A remarkable 90% of respondents from Eastern Europe also reported improved national contacts as a result of participating in the conference. 67% of the government representatives reported to have obtained new project ideas. 66% of the respondents had observed effects of the conference and the Bremen Declaration, especially an impact on political discussion. Impacts on media echo and a strengthening of civil society were reported significantly more often by attendees from Eastern Europe and by government representatives. International cooperation and increased efforts in prevention and education were the most prominent measures the respondents considered desirable. 35% of the respondents were aware of follow-up processes from the conference. Analyses of remarks and comments to the conference (open question) revealed two groups of participants: One group ( political orientation ) appreciated the concept of the conference, especially the basic approach towards government leadership and networking initiatives. The other group ( practical orientation ) was by far more sceptical as concerns the effects to be expected for those infected or at risk, as well as concerns the willingness of politicians to cooperate with civil society organisations or to make any substantial policy changes. Summarising, the meaning, benefits and effects of the conference were assessed positive by great majorities of participants, especially by attendees from Eastern Europe. The commitment of highest-ranking politicians has been appreciated. The immediate, practical impact of Conference and Declaration for risk groups or people living with HIV/AIDS, however, was assessed sceptical and only a minority of the respondents were aware of follow-up processes. Nevertheless, the analyses revealed great expectations towards health policy roused by Conference and Declaration. Participants hold policy makers responsible for maintaining 26

27 this momentum, since an outstanding single event is not a means in itself, but must be followed concrete policy actions. Milestones Evaluation Scheduled Date Milestone Completion date August 2007 Development of evaluation concept and questionnaire July 2007 December 2007 Dissemination of questionnaires 1 Aug December 2007 Analyses and documentation of results (as part of final report) Dec WORK PACKAGE 4: PRESIDENCY CONFERENCE RESPONSIBILITY & PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER AGAINST HIV / AIDS The core activity of the project was the conference which provided a forum for politicians and policy makers to improve their cooperation with non-governmental and community based organisations by means of exchange of expertise, experience and good practice and for building partnerships and networks. Detailed descriptions of objectives, structure and content, methodologies and results have been given above: Objectives: see section 2 Detailed description of the conference, its components and related follow-up activities: see section 3 Description of methodologies and results: see sections Information about the current situation of the epidemic and integrative strategies to prevent HIV/AIDS were given in presentations, speeches, during workshops and at the Partnership-forum which has been established in order to reinforce the building of networks and the exchange of experiences with regard to HIV/AIDS prevention. This provided the invited delegations and networks of NGOs with the opportunity to present good practise and to deepen the communication with other NGOs and with political decision-makers as well. Aiming at strengthening already existing networks of NGOs within the EU, the selection of organisations for the Partnership Forum has been undertaken in close collaboration with the Civil Society Forum of the EU Community and representatives of other European networks. 27

28 Milestones Conference Scheduled Date Milestone Completion date March, 2007 Presidency Conference Responsibility & Partnership Together against HIV / AIDS including: o Presentations o Workshops o Partnership Forum o NGO-presentation o Press conference March DELIVERABLES All deliverables have been produced according to contractual requirements and in due time. Deliverable Delivery date Nature Confidentiali ty level Dissemination D 1 Presidency Conference Responsibility & Partnership Together against HIV / AIDS March 2007 Conference Limited to political community and NGOs - platform for new networks, partnerships and exchange with presentations, workshops, Partnership Forum and NGOpresentation - dissemination: attendees D 2 Final Report (within 2 months after completion of the action) Report Confidential - technical and financial reporting - dissemination: partners, EC February

29 4.3. LIST OF STAFF (FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH) INVOLVED IN PROJECT EXECUTION Work package Responsible person Days worked Professional level Unit cost Total Cost Conference management Dissemination Evaluation Presidency Conference Michael Schönstein ,-- Dr. Peter Pompe ,-- Ortwin Schulte ,-- Michael Schönstein ,-- Dr. Peter Pompe ,-- Ortwin Schulte ,-- Michael Schönstein ,-- Dr. Peter Pompe ,-- Ortwin Schulte ,-- Michael Schönstein ,-- Dr. Peter Pompe ,-- Ortwin Schulte ,-- Total ,-- 29

30 ANNEX 1: Evaluation Frequency: 53 respondents I. To which of the following participating groups do you belong? Politics/ administration NGO Other II. What is your overall impression of the conference? Very good good satisfactory adequate bad Very bad adequate 9% bad 7% very good 27% satisfactory 25% good 32% 30

31 III. How satisfied were you with the conference location? Very satisfied satisfied Fairly satisfied Hardly satisfied Not at all IV. How satisfied were you with the organisation of the conference? Very satisfied satisfied Fairly satisfied Hardly satisfied Not at all Hardly satisfied 11% Not all all 0% very satisfied fairly satisfied 23% 28% satisfied 38% 31

32 V. How do you rate the following aspects of the conference? (1 very good, 2 good, 3 satisfactory, 4 adequate, 5 bad) Diversity in content of the speeches and presentations Category Frequency Very good 8 Good 20 Satisfactory 14 Adequate 6 Bad 4 Structure of the conference Category Frequency Very good 8 Good 19 Satisfactory 14 Adequate 6 Bad 4 Choice of speakers and presenters Category Frequency Very good 7 Good 22 Satisfactory 12 Adequate 10 Bad 1 32

33 Topical relevance Category Frequency Very good 7 Good 22 Satisfactory 12 Adequate 10 Bad 0 Poster exhibition at the partnership forum Category Frequency Very good 8 Good 23 Satisfactory 13 Adequate 16 Bad 0 Opportunities for informal exchanges Category Frequency Very good 8 Good 23 Satisfactory 13 Adequate 16 Bad 0 33

34 ANNEX 2: Follow up Evaluation Am 01. August 2007, also 4½ Monate nach der Konferenz, wurden die TeilnehmerInnen per eingeladen, an einer Follow-up Evaluation teilzunehmen. Um Verzerrungen der Ergebnisse zu vermeiden, richtete sich die Befragung nicht an alle, sondern lediglich an einen Teil der KonferenzteilnehmerInnen: VertreterInnen der Veranstalter und Organisatoren der Konferenz, der Presse und der deutschen Ministerien wurden nicht angeschrieben. Ferner wurde bei Institutionen, die mehrere TeilnehmerInnen zur Konferenz entsandt hatten, lediglich die Institution angeschrieben, nicht jede(r) TeilnehmerIn persönlich. Insgesamt wurden 202 Einladungen per verschickt. Die war zweisprachig formuliert (deutsch und englisch) und enthielt einen Link zu einem Online-Fragebogen mit insgesamt sieben Fragen. Gefragt wurde nach Merkmalen der TeilnehmerInnen (Nationalität, Institution), nach der Bewertung der Konferenz (Gesamteindruck, Nutzen, Kommentare), nach beobachteten Wirkungen (Bremen-Deklaration, Folgeprozesse) sowie nach Anregungen für künftige Maßnahmen. Der Rücklauf war mit 49 auswertbaren Fragebögen (= 24,3%) zufriedenstellend. Einladungsschreiben und Online- Fragebogen sind im Anhang 2 dokumentiert. 1. Herkunft der Befragten Zur Konferenz erschienen Gäste aus zahlreichen Ländern. Die Befragten der Evaluation stammen aus 25 Staaten, eine nennenswerte Häufung ließ sich dabei nicht beobachten. Gegliedert nach West- und Osteuropa ergibt sich folgendes Bild (Abbildung 1): Knapp zwei Drittel der Befragten stammen aus westeuropäischen Staaten, TeilnehmerInnen aus Osteuropa machen 23% der Befragten aus. 14% der Antwortenden gehören internationalen Organisationen an; sie wurden nicht nach Herkunftsländern differenziert, da anzunehmen ist, dass bei ihnen nationale Orientierungen eine untergeordnete Rolle spielen. 34

35 Abbildung 1: Regionale Herkunft der Befragten 100% Befragte in % 80% 60% 40% 20% 64% 23% 14% 0% West-Europa Ost-Europa Internationale Organisation n=44 Befragt nach ihrer institutionellen Zugehörigkeit (Abbildung 2), ordnen sich mehr als die Hälfte der EvaluationsteilnehmerInnen (56%) einer Nicht-Regierungsorganisation zu. 31% sind RegierungsvertreterInnen und 13% der Befragten gehören internationalen Organisationen an. Abbildung 2: Institutionelle Zugehörigkeit der Befragten 100% 80% Befragte in % 60% 40% 20% 31% 13% 56% 0% Regierungsvertreter Internationale Organisation Nicht-Regierungsorganisation n=48 2. Gesamteindruck der Konferenz Befragt nach ihrem Gesamteindruck von der Konferenz gaben 71% der Befragten an, die Konferenz sei sinnvoll oder sehr sinnvoll gewesen. Nur eine Minderheit von 14% hielt sie für wenig oder gar nicht sinnvoll. 35

36 Abbildung 3: Gesamteindruck der Konferenz 100% 80% 71% Befragte in % 60% 40% 20% 14% 14% n = 49 0% sinnvoll unentschieden nicht sinnvoll Eine Differenzierung des Gesamteindrucks der Konferenz nach der regionalen Herkunft der Befragten führt nicht zu signifikanten Unterschieden: West- und OsteuropäerInnen halten die Konferenz für gleich sinnvoll. Unterscheide zeigen sich jedoch, wenn die Einschätzungen nach der institutionellen Zugehörigkeit der Befragten differenziert werden: Abbildung 4: Gesamteindruck der Konferenz nach institutioneller Zugehörigkeit der Befragten 100% Befragte in % 80% 60% 40% 20% 60% 67% 78% 20% 17% 20% 17% 11% 11% 0% sinnvoll unentschieden nicht sinnvoll Regierungsvertreter Internationale Organisation Nicht-Regierungsorganisation n = 48 Insbesondere die Angehörigen von Nicht-Regierungsorganisationen halten die Konferenz für sinnvoll (78%). Die relative Zurückhaltung der RegierungsvertreterInnen (60%) in dieser Frage mag angesichts der großen politischen Bedeutung, die der Konferenz nicht nur im Rahmen der deutschen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft, sondern auch im Vorfeld des G8-Gipfels beigemessen 36

37 wurde, etwas überraschen. Dieses Ergebnis könnte jedoch als Indiz dafür gewertet werden, dass vor allem die Nicht-Regierungsorganisationen die Konferenz als Chance begriffen haben, die Politik beim Wort zu nehmen und ihre Anliegen auf höchster politischer Ebene vorzubringen. 3. Bewertung des Nutzens der Konferenz Zur Frage, welchen Nutzen die TeilnehmerInnen von der Konferenz hatten, gab es drei (auch gleichzeitig) wählbare Antwortvorgaben: Neue oder vertiefte internationale Kontakte, Verbesserte Kontakte auf nationaler Ebene und Neue Projektideen (Abbildung 5). Generell lässt sich feststellen, dass der Nutzen sehr hoch bewertet wurde; beinahe 90% der Befragten gaben einen Nutzen in mindestens einer der drei vorgegebenen Kategorien an. Im Einzelnen wurden diese Kategorien wie folgt bewertet: Abbildung 5: Bewertung des Nutzens der Konferenz Befragte in % 100% 80% 60% 40% 82% 61% 51% 20% n = 46 0% Internationale Kontakte Nationale Kontakte Neue Projektideen Bei einer internationalen Konferenz kann angenommen werden, dass die Erwartung der TeilnehmerInnen vor allem in der Knüpfung und Vertiefung internationaler Kontakte besteht. Die Ergebnisse der Befragung bestätigen dies: Eine große Mehrheit der Befragten (82%) bejahte diesen Aspekt für sich. Immerhin 61% der Befragten gaben an, dass sich durch die Konferenz auch ihre nationalen Kontakte verbessert haben. Ebenfalls bemerkenswert ist, dass etwa die Hälfte der TeilnehmerInnen (51%) durch die Konferenz neue Projektideen gewonnen haben. Diese Reihenfolge in der Nutzenbewertung erweist sich auch bei der Unterteilung der TeilnehmerInnen nach regionaler und institutioneller Herkunft als konstant. Allerdings sind bei einer solchen Differenzierung einige Auffälligkeiten erkennbar. 37

38 Unterteilt nach regionaler Herkunft (Abbildung 6) bewerten die TeilnehmerInnen aus Osteuropa den Nutzen der Konferenz insgesamt besser als die befragten WesteuropäerInnen. Dies ist schon bei den internationalen Kontakten zu beobachten, deren Verbesserung durch die Konferenz bis auf einen alle osteuropäischen Befragten bejahten, gegenüber 82% der westeuropäischen TeilnehmerInnen. Bemerkenswert ist aber, dass 90% der osteuropäischen TeilnehmerInnen auch die Verbesserung nationaler Kontakte als Nutzen der Konferenz angaben, gegenüber 54% der Vergleichsgruppe aus Westeuropa. Bei der Kategorie Neue Projektideen gibt es keine Unterschiede zwischen west- und osteuropäischen TeilnehmerInnen. Abbildung 6: Bewertung des Nutzens der Konferenz nach regionaler Herkunft der Befragten 100% 80% 90% 82% 90% Befragte in % 60% 40% 20% 54% 50% 50% 0% Internationale Kontakte Nationale Kontakte Neue Projektideen Osteuropa Westeuropa n = 38 Die größte Abweichung zwischen ost- und westeuropäischen Befragten liegt also in der Bewertung des Nutzens der Konferenz für die nationalen Kontakte; die Differenz beträgt 36 Prozentpunkte. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass der Austausch von Informationen und Erfahrungen vor allem in Osteuropa ein Bedürfnis darstellt und dass entsprechende Gelegenheiten dort erheblich seltener sind als in Westeuropa. Werden die Angaben zum Nutzen der Konferenz nach der institutionellen Herkunft der Befragten differenziert, so ergibt sich das folgende Bild: 38